Media Watch - Stratford Town

We couldn’t really have wished for a better outcome to the end of November and start of December! We have seen the team rack up four consecutive league victories and we approach the close of 2013 firmly placed in one of the play-off spots.

We now need to navigate our way through the next five games, before we can re-assess our situation prior to the hectic Christmas period.

As for this weekend’s opposition, anyone who has studied their results will know they’re capable of causing us significant problems. You certainly can’t under-estimate anyone in this Division especially a team with the South and West Divisions joint leading goalscorer in their ranks.

This is a game in which we will need to be extremely vigilant and well organised if we are to keep any pressure on the teams above us. We’re playing well, scoring consistently and have not conceded for over 4 hours. We’re a team that is currently involved in the promotion race and this is yet another important fixture that the team must find a way to cope with.

We will approach the game with a professional attitude to ensure that the application and hard work of the last few months will once again be a feature of our performance, and provided that we play like we have been recently then we can concentrate on our own strengths.

Apart from the long term injuries to Nathan Davies, Jack Howe and Paul Keddle, the only other slight fitness doubt is Gary Colbourne who, although included on the substitutes’ bench for the mid-week game against Bridgwater, wasn’t required to actually play any part in the ninety minutes.

Gregory at the double
Stratford Herald

STRATFORD Town leading scorer Richard Gregory, took his season’s personal tally of goals to 19 after bagging another brace for his side in Tuesday night’s victory over Clevedon Town.

Gregory is now the Southern League Division One South & West joint top scorer along with Wimborne Town’s Mark Gamble who also has 19. Jamie Sheldon scored Town’s other goal against Clevedon.

And Gregory’s double was the perfect tonic for manager Carl Adams who followed proceedings from his hospital bed in Taunton where he is being treated for broken ribs and a punctured lung.

Assistant manager Kevin Sievwright discharged himself from his own spell in hospital to take over the team, which included three new signings on the night. He returns to hospital on Friday for further tests on an ongoing stomach problem.

Newcomers Jimmy Husband, Alex Price and Jamie Bailey all acquitted themselves well in a good all-round team performance, which pleased the Town stand-in boss.

Sievwright told the Herald: “I thought that the first-half was good, the second-half not so. We created quite a few chances and the new players fitted in perfectly. It’s a big ask when you bring several new faces in but they coped brilliantly. I told all the players before the game to go out and do it for Carl. And they responded with a decent display which is the type to keep us in this division. Carl tried his best to be in contact but I just told him to go back to his bed!”

The latest news from Taunton is that Adams is expected to be discharged from hospital tomorrow (Thursday).

Stratford Town manager punctures lung after bringing himself on as a substitute
Stratford Herald

STRATFORD Town manager Carl Adams has undergone an operation in hospital in Taunton after suffering a serious rib and lung injury during Saturday’s game at Taunton Town.

The Town boss had brought himself on as a late second-half substitute when he was involved in a heavy, but purely accidental collision with a Taunton player just minutes after coming on to the field.

The 39-year-old named himself as one of the substitutes in the 2-1 defeat after his squad became depleted with illness and injuries prior to the game.

Stratford took the lead on Saturday when leading scorer Richard Gregory despatched a 22nd minute penalty, which saw the dismissal of Taunton goalkeeper Joe Perry for a foul on striker Chris Sterling. It was Gregory’s 17th league goal of the season.

But 10-man Taunton hit back with a penalty of their own just two minutes later through Nat Pepperell after a foul by Town centre-back Callum Burgess. Steve Murray hit what turned out to be the winning goal for the Peacocks shortly before half-time.

Nathan Davies is unable to play at present because of a knee problem. So I am not really sure if he is still actually with the club!

Wandering wrote: You certainly can’t under-estimate anyone in this Division especially a team with the South and West Divisions joint leading goalscorer in their ranks.

And we face the other joint leading goalscorer - assuming it's still Mark Gamble - when we play Wimborne in the next match!

Merthyr Town's ability to switch from a 3G synthetic playing surface to grass crucial to promotion hopes this season
Wales On Line

The key to Merthyr Town’s promotion hopes this season is how they are able to adapt to different pitch surfaces in Calor Southern League football. They have earned three successive wins on their own synthetic 3G pitch at the Cigg-E Stadium, scoring nine times with goalkeeper Craig Morris keeping clean sheets each time.

Now they have to adapt to playing on grass at Stratford Town’s DCS Stadium on Saturday (3pm) before returning to their own 3G pitch again for the visit of Wimborne Town next Tuesday (7.45pm).

“Our match at Stratford is the first game on grass for two weeks, having played three matches at home,” said Martyrs’ manager Danny Carter.

The ball reacts differently on the two surfaces and Merthyr’s players can spend time getting used to the change.

“Our own ground, with the new synthetic surface, has to be a fortress for us,” said Carter. “But we also need to find a mindset where we can quickly adapt to grass. TNS, in the Welsh Premier League, have a similar problem, but they are a full-time club and they have time to prepare. In the New Year we will try to train on a grass pitch before Saturday away fixtures.”

Ian Traylor scored Merthyr’s first goal in their 3-0 midweek win against Bridgwater Town, taking his tally for the season to 17. The winger has been with Merthyr for three years, scoring 53 goals in 123 appearances in total, and Carter said: “Ian is on fire. He signed for us from local football and has done really well. He is an open book because he listens and learns all the time. He has not had a big football upbringing, but if he continues to absorb what we are telling him he has a chance. For a wide man one of his best assets is coming off the wing into a more central position and being in the right place to score goals.”

Merthyr travel to Stratford on Saturday having won their last four South and South West Division fixtures, scoring 13 goals. Stratford’s top scorer Richard Gregory will be a big danger to Merthyr this Saturday. He scored twice in their midweek 3-1 win against Clevedon Town and has netted 16 League goals in all this season.

Merthyr have seven fixtures between now and the end of 2013, three at home and four away.

They are against Stratford away on Saturday and Wimborne at home next Tuesday followed by Thatcham Town (home), Clevedon Town (away), Mangotsfield (away), Cinderford Town (home, Boxing Day) and Tiverton Town (away). The Martyrs then travel to play Evesham Town on New Year’s Day.

MERTHYR Town defender Paul Keddle is making good progress after suffering a broken leg during a Calor Southern League win at Didcot Town last month. Keddle, in his third spell with the Martyrs, was kept in an Oxford hospital overnight after suffering the injury, but is now on the mend and could yet play again this season.

The former Newport County, Carmarthen, Newtown and Port Talbot player was at Merthyr’s Cigg-E Stadium this week to watch their 3-0 win against Bridgwater Town. He was on crutches, but his leg has not been put into a plaster cast.

“It was great to see Paul and he’s doing well,” said Merthyr manager Garry Shephard. “He is, of course, going to be out for some time, but he is optimistic that he will be able to play again this season.”

Well on Saturday at Stratford all the Worlds a stage....let's hope the valley boys can out do the Master ....with Matthew Harris proving he is the best ' play maker' since Shakespeare himself....glad to see the squad hasn't too many injury worries apart of course for the quick healing Keds...don't want too many ' bard' on Saturday....hopefully we can keep their top scorer Gregory quieter than Old Trafford last night after my second team stole all three points....fingers crossed that Alls well that ends well....Boz