MERTHYR v Bishops Cleeve

Updates here!

Team: Cutlan Williams Howe Thomas Colborne Davies Newman Jones Preen Prosser Harris.

Subs: Griffiths M Newall Traylor Cornwall Griffiths A

1 down 10mins

1-1 Ryan Prosser on the stroke of half-time!

H/t 1-1

Jones off Traylor on 55mins

Cornwall and Griffiths M on for Harris and Preen 80mins

2-1 up Traylor 88mins!

F/t 2-1. Get in!!

Over to the Imp!

good result, but hey, as well as good result, Poole lost 3-0, and Hungerford lost 1-0. It;s hotting up at the top. Swindon Super won 1-0. I;m recovering from a dreadful display by Wales. Back to the drawing board -- yes I know most of you do not like rugby.

Solihull Martyr wrote:F/t 2-1. Get in!!

Over to the Imp!

Been having Internet connection problems - I'll get my usual rubbish on here shortly.

Missed the game today ....the welsh rugby team needed my support more...but will be there Tuesday night....glad to see the result at the park and elsewhere....boz

Boz1964 wrote:Missed the game today ....the welsh rugby team needed my support more...but will be there Tuesday night....glad to see the result at the park and elsewhere....boz

Merthyr haven't got a game on Tuesday night, have they?

Today's team:-

Cutlan;
Williams,Thomas,Colborne,Howe;
Davies,Harris;
Jones,Newman;
Preen,Prosser;

Subs:
Traylor for Jones after about 53 minutes
M.Griffiths for Preen after about 72 minutes
Cornwall for Harris at the same time
Newall
A.Griffiths

Kris Leek and Jamie Rewbury were there, so presumably still unfit.

With four in midfield, again we played with Matthew Harris and Nathan Davies deep and the other two pushing forward.

For about the first half hour Bishops Cleeve were beating us at our own game, harrying and working well in midfield and playing some neat football. It was after a period when we couldn't get the ball off them that they took a deserved lead when a cross came over from the right and a well placed header went in the top corner. They wasted a good situation when a player on the right put a shot across goal and well wide of the far post.

There was little else of note until we seemed to get lucky with the equaliser, which came at a good time, about 5 minutes before half time. Bishops Cleeve defenders on the left seemed to make a mess of clearing the ball and it fell for Ryan Prosser. He did very well, though, putting the ball into the net from a narrow angle.

1-1 at half rather flattered us, and we certainly looked rusty after the 3 weels without a game.

It was no surprise to see a substitution early in the second half, Ian Traylor replacing Luke Jones as we switched to 4-3-3. The Bishops Cleeve offside trap had been catching us out frequently in the first half, but we then began to time things better, with better runs.

Bishops Cleeve had done very little in the way of attacking after the break, but a player found himself in the clear after about 67 minutes and should have done better than put his shot well over the bar. But that was just about their only positive move in the half, and with them doing less well in midfield than earlier in the game (or us doing better!), we were able to make an attacking substitution, bringing on Aaron Cornwall to play well forward in midfield, as well as swapping Marcus Griffiths for Garyn Preen.

The second goal came after about 81 minutes after Andrew Thomas won the ball. It was played through for Ian Traylor to use his pace to get to it on the left of the area, and his shot went inside the post off a defender.

Two minutes later it should have been 3-1 after good work by Ryan Newman. He put the ball through for Ian Traylor, on the left again, and he played it across goal to Ryan Prosser beyond the far post. He turned it back to Marcus Griffiths no more than 3 yards out, but his shot was cleared off the line. But we were able to see out the win with not much trouble, and looked the more likely to score.

Well, once again we've played the bottom club at home and they've looked a decent outfit - at least they did for much of the first half. But for the last half hour or so we were the only team in it.

For man of the match I thought it was a repeat of the last game - between Ryan Newman and Nathan Davies, but I'll go for the latter again.

Overall, not a convincing display, but maybe due to lack of games. Attendance of only 244 was almost 100 down on the last match, and on a fine afternoon too. I suppose we'll put at least some of that down to people unaccountably preferring to watch boring rugby on TV (or even in person in some cases).

Malcolm has given a very fair summation of the game as ever. Bishop's Cleeve didn't look a bottom of the table side but each bottom of the table side we've played this season haven't. Prosser took his goal really well after a bad mistake by their No6 and he shot it well past the keeper. Pross hardly got one on target in the kick in before the game and was obviously saving himself for match! Traylor made a difference when he came on and broke well through the middle for his goal. Pross again did well back heeling the ball back to Marcus who should have scored but his shot was well blocked. Bishop's huffed and puffed a bit but didn't trouble Gilo who had no chance with a very good headed goal early on after the attacker had loads of space in the box.

Great results elsewhere with both Hungerford and Poole losing and looking at the Poole forum they are getting a bit twitchy - a week Saturday is going to be HUGE although we do have a job to do in Abingdon next week. Home games against Poole & Swindon later this month will be a big pointer to where we finish this season.

In both games against Bishops Cleeve this season we have won after they have taken the lead. The last ten minutes at their ground was probably more eventful than the ninety today!

They played quite well first half, pressing, closing us down quickly and packing the mid-field but they ran out of steam in the second half and we capitalised.

They opened the scoring with some neat build-up play although it looked like a free header, which was unusual as Tubbs and Colbourne were dominate in the air for the majority of the game.

Prosser's excellently taken equaliser just before half-time was a real game changer. It would certainly have made a big difference to the talk from the coaching staff in the dressing room.

We could and probably should have won by a bigger margin in the end as we opened up their defence in the final twenty minutes.

That's 25 points from a possible 30 since the defeat against Poole in November.

MERTHYR TOWN 2 BISHOPS CLEEVE 1
Wales On Sunday

THE Martyrs completed the league double over Cheltenham-based Bishops Cleeve but had to come from behind to do it on a bitterly cold afternoon in the South Wales valleys.

Joe Parker stunned the home crowd when he headed in a Jon Crowford cross on 10 minutes as Merthyr struggled to get going and it could have got worse for The Martyrs when Lee Davies was released by Parker on the half-hour, only to drag his shot across the face of the Merthyr goal.

There were some signs of the home side coming into the game during the last 10 minutes of the first half and it didn’t take long for their pressure to pay dividends.

Garyn Preen harassed defender Sam Avery into a mistake which was capitalised upon by Ryan Prosser who curled a shot past the outstretched arms of goalkeeper James Nortei for the equaliser.

Re-vitalised by the goal, Merthyr dominated the remainder of the game but were often caught out by the Cleeve defensive high-line and a lively assistant referee’s flag. The winner did arrive 10 minutes from time by substitute Ian Traylor who latched on to Aaron Cornwall’s pass and outstripped the Bishops Cleeve defence before beating Nortei.

Marcus Griffiths looked certain to add a third for Merthyr in the dying minutes after Traylor and Prosser had set up the chance but a last-ditch goal-line clearance from Matt Liddiard denied him.

Thank you imp for putting the report on line...it was nice to read about until martyrs tv comes on line...it was wishful thinking on my behalf about a Tuesday match......great results all round on the football front....boz

Parker nets debut goal but late winner stuns Cleeve
Gloucestershire Echo

IT WAS a case of Merthyr most horrid as Bishop's Cleeve went down to their second agonising late defeat in as many games at Pennydarren Park. Denied a point at league leaders Hungerford Town in the last ten minutes a week ago, the Villagers once again succumbed to a late goal in deepest, darkest Wales.

It had all started so well for Alex Sykes' men, who belied their position at the basement of Evo-Stik League Southern Division One South and West in the opening exchanges. Confident on the ball on the huge Pennydarren Park pitch, the Villagers stroked the ball around confidently and took a deserved lead after only ten minutes.

Gloucester City loan youngster Joe Parker announced his arrival at Southern League level with a thumping header from a right-wing cross for his first Villagers goal.

Lee Davis had a chance to make it two five minutes before the break but he shot just wide of the far post, and with almost their next attack the Martyrs were level. A mix-up in the Cleeve defence presented Ryan Prosser with a chance to draw the scores level and the Merthyr forward delivered with a fine shot from a narrow angle.

And after a dogged Cleeve performance in the second half, the Villagers were struck a cruel blow with ten minutes remaining. Merthyr's Ian Traylor lined up a shot from distance and a wicked deflection saw the ball deflect into the Cleeve net.

Marcus Griffiths went close to adding a third goal but Cleeve were saved a further undeserved blow by a last-gasp goal-line clearance.

Cleeve, who remain bottom of the division, will aim to return to action on home turf for the first time in two months when Paulton Rovers visit Kayte Lane on Wednesday night. Sykes' men recorded a 4-1 victory in their last home game, against Didcot Town on December 8.

However, wet and cold weather has prevented them from playing a home game since.

Wandering wrote:
the Villagers once again succumbed to a late goal in deepest, darkest Wales.

But it was sunny!

what the hell game was he watching on that huge pitch in deepest darkest wales.

Where is PENNYDARREN PARK?
I assume this report was submitted by a Bishops Cleeve official.
I think "Darkest Wales" is an abusive comment. I don't know what it is supposed to mean!
Just because we didn't have a rainbow as there was when we played at Bishops Cleeve!!

I wasn't there sadly....perhaps he was referring to our erratic floodlights ...as deep and darkest Wales...and penny Darren park to our inability to pay our utilities in the past...doesn't matter...no need to bash the bishop...three points is three points and even better all our rivals bar swindon dropped points....cleeve it at that...boz

Bishops could have started an unholy row. Merthyr fans may have got incensed!

Nice to see Drummond you have entered into the holy spirit of things...lets hope we can overtake the trinity of Poole town hunger ford and swindon super marine...bless you my son....boz