MERTHYR v Shortwood

Updates here!

Team: Cutlan Alun Howe tubbs Harris rewbs Newman leek welsh Marcus Traylor. Subs preen Prosser jones Davies Newall

good luck lads

1 down keeper beaten on near side shot 11mins

1-0 to Shortwood at half time. We've improved after a shaky start but we still need a bit more effort up front

Three subs. 66th min. Prosser, Preen and Jones on Harris, Newman and Marcus Griffiths off. All out attack now

1-1 Prosser. 88th min 20 yard drive!

I'd better get busy.

F,t 1-1

phew nice come back

Thanks for the updates

Thanks for the updates.

Hope the floodlights will be OK for Tuesday night.

Well done lads,they didnt look to good last saturday heres hoping.

Whichever team wins the replay will be the last surviving team from our level of the Southern League in the FA Trophy - Didcot and Sholing both lost their home ties today.

Great result for me personally. I am in Wrexham after watching everton my second team win 2 1 over Sunderland. Gotta a game to look forward to ...well done that last Edward Woodward...boz

A fair result today. Shortwood had most of the play 1st half and we did well second half although we rarely tested their keeper. With Colborne suspended we started with a flat back 4 and it was great to see Preen back although his leg was heavily bandaged. We started OK and did press but Shortwood soon took over and tested our defence which was found wanting on occasions. One of them led to a goal when we allowed a Shortwood forward too much room and he fired in a good shot which Gilo got his hand to but was beaten by the power of the strike. Shortly after that he made an excellent one handed save, pushing the ball over from a deflected effort when it seemed he was going the wrong way. That kept us in the game. We looked laboured in midfield, rarely finding space and were closed down well in midfield. The only effort we had on target in the half was a Welsh header which lacked power and the keeper wasn't troubled.

We came out with a bit more purpose in the 2nd half and Shortwood were playing very much on the break. We still weren't creating anything and after about 15-20 minutes we went for broke with Marcus, Newman & Matthew being replaced with Preen, Pross & Scouser. We showed a bit more energy and started to create a few chances. From one of them Prosser's shot from about 6 yards screwed wide of the post. There were a few scrambles in and around their penalty area and we were very much on top and at times we were playing a 2-3-5 formation which did leave us open at the back but Shortwood were unable to take advantage of the few breaks they had. It was getting a bit frantic and then Prosser produced a bit of magic. He picked the ball up just outside the area and sent in a superb right footed shot which flew past the keeper and into the corner of the net for an absolutely superb goal. We reverted to a more recognisable formation after that but we still had a chance to win it when Alun Griffiths found space in their area but he rather screwed the shot and it hit Prosser and went over the bar.

As I said it was probably the right result and had Gilo not made that excellent save in the 1st half we may not have got the draw. Shortwood are not a bad side and will not make it easy for us on Tuesday and we will need to be on form. Keep an eye on their manager. He kicked virtually every ball and at one stage I thought he was going to have a coronary! Jack Howe had a good solid game at the back today and was probably my MOTM.

The access to Shortwood's ground is awful and you have to through some really narrow lanes to get there and it confused the hell out of John Cleese as I guided the Coopermobile through them. The players bus managed to get through but I think it sustained a couple hits below the waterline and is probably not in the same condition that it started out. Why access is not part of the criteria for promotion I'll never know. Ours is not the best but it's a king to Shortwood which for those of you who went to Larkhall last season is very similar.

There are some photos of the game now on the Shortwood website:-

http://www.pitchero.com/clubs/shortwoodunited/photos/shortwood-v-merthyr-2-340135.html

A match report is now on the Shortwood website:-

http://www.pitchero.com/clubs/shortwoodunited/s/match-report-9155.html?official=0&fixture_id=1516013

Also some comments from their secretary, including the following:-

'And so to yesterday and although we were all gutted to concede a late goal to be fair Merthyr thoroughly deserved it! Both goals were absolutely cracking and would grace any level of footie. Smash was immense for us and Traylor was superb for them. We have played Merthyr twice this season and although their fans have carried a bit of a reputation in the past all I would say is what thoroughly nice people they are now! Everyone there yesterday was friendly, liked a drink, and were very complementary about the Shortwood ground, pitch and welcome! Not so happy about the trip up the hill tho!'

http://www.pitchero.com/clubs/shortwoodunited/news/words-from-the-wood-shed-770002.html

A fair result in the end, it would have cetainly been a smash and grab if we would have lost, or even won in late on.

We look far more likely when we went more direct and made changes, we had mostly all the possesion of the ball with little end threat, and apart from the opening 10/15 minutes we in control of the game, all be it 1-0 down.

A cracking bit of magic from Prosser to score, hopefully he should be brimming with confidence now for the replay..

Shortwood are a very nice club, good welcome, very hospitable, sadly the access would surely mean progression of any sort for the them will be limited, same goes for improving attendances, but I do wish them well, and look forward to another testing encounter on Tuesday