Media Watch - North Leigh

The start of an important week presents an opportunity to revenge our defeat on the opening day of the season, but is also a game in which anything could happen based on recent form.

It’s a fixture that is played against a back-drop of frustration with the clubs indifferent form over the Christmas period. Although it seems pointless talking about it, you can’t be blind to the fact that it’s become a massive part of our recent thought process.

Everything we do on the pitch is referenced by what we intend to do to improve things and as long as the results continue to be disappointing that’s unlikely to change. You would like to think that there’s enough experience in the team to take an important game like this by the scruff of the neck.

Both sides go into the game on the back of a poor sequence of results. North Leigh have lost the last four and have not won in the league since the end of November while we have lost two out of the last three. It presents an opportunity for someone to get things moving back in the right direction.

There is still talk of a ‘mini-crisis’ developing in the club but the exciting signing of the experienced Gavin Williams will hopefully bring to an end to the recent vitriol.

One look at the fixtures in the next few weeks will soon indicate the importance of a return to form. Let’s hope it’s the Martyrs that we saw in that eight consecutive win sequence that is the one that turns up this weekend. The number of players injured at the end of December has contributed to our poor results but the recent acquisition of Williams will be a major boost for everyone.

I think that the midfield will play an increasingly important role as we enter the second half of the season. Teams have been able to suffocate the supply to the strikers by strangling our midfield, which has a knock on effect at the back. Because of a lack of numbers we’ve also had limited options from the bench in recent games to come on and affect the pattern of a game. There’s a larger issue of responsibility here and a midfield including Leek, Harris, Williams and Newman could go some way to fixing this

Leekie often steps up to the plate and identifies when the team is being too timid or that something needs to be changed tactically and his influence has been badly missed.

In an attempt to address the balance of the team we probably need to take the pressure away from the flanks and provide more protection in front of the defence. Hopefully, this will now start to happen again.

After the postponement of the Evesham game on Wednesday, Rewbs will miss this through suspension but the few days extra rest will have been of benefit to Gary Colbourne and Kris Leek. Hopefully, Gavin Williams will also be able to make his debut for the club.

After Old Sod mentioned that we were in a better position than last season I had a look at where we are now compared to this time last year. You can see the table from 2012-13 on top, the league as it stands on the bottom:

2012/13

Team	Pl	Pts	GD
Hungerford Town	22	47	+12
Poole Town	17	42	+23
Swindon Supermarine	16	38	+23
Tiverton Town	20	34	+13
Merthyr Town	17	31	+13

2013/14

Team	Pl	Pts	GD
Cirencester Town	22	52	+29
Merthyr Town	23	50	+18
Mangotsfield United	23	46	+20
Paulton Rovers	22	45	+34
Tiverton Town	21	41	+14

The overall gap between the leaders is much closer this season, although it was mid-February before we had completed the same number of games (after the infamous game against Poole which finished 2-2) but it’s encouraging to see that we still hold an advantage on everyone except Cirencester. But it means that as tough as it is there’s still a lot to play for and that has to be drummed into the minds of the players as a matter of urgency. We need to get a run of good results under our belt, to put some pressure on those around us.

Director of football Les Barlow hoping 2014 is going to be a big year for the Calor Southern League club
Wales On Line

LES Barlow believes 2014 is going to be a big year for Merthyr Town FC.

They are pressing hard for promotion back to the Southern League Premier Division and Barlow, whose first links with the club go back to the 1950s, believes it won’t be long before his beloved Martyrs make the step up.

They have been promoted twice in the last three seasons, missed out in the play-off final during 2012-13 and are second in the table, tucked in behind leaders Cirencester Town. “Our aim is to be back in the Southern Premier as soon as possible,” says Barlow, who is Merthyr’s director of football.

He works closely with joint managers Danny Carter and Garry Shephard, saying: “We will go up over the next season or so and I would be disappointed if we don’t at least make the play-offs again this season. Next season with everything settled, hopefully we will be even stronger.”

Merthyr have wobbled over their last three fixtures, earning only one point from their last three matches and conceding 12 goals. That spell followed their outstanding run of eight consecutive wins which swept them top of the South and South West Division table.

Now Merthyr’s management team of Carter, Shephard and Barlow are focused on their first match of 2014, against promotion rivals North Leigh at the Cigg-E Stadium on Saturday (January 4, 3pm).

Barlow first played for Merthyr in 1959 at 14-years-old, playing for the third team and then the Welsh League side. Over the years he has been stand-in manager several times and became club physio after attending a course at Lilleshall.

“I do anything that’s needed,” says Barlow. “I would fork the pitch before we had the new 3G synthetic surface laid, I’m kit man and director of football. I was never asked about that role - I read in programme I was director of football.”

Barlow also ran the Merthyr Town youth team when they won the Welsh Youth Cup six years ago, while he has loved being involved in League, cup and in Europe when they achieved that magnificent win against Italian club Atalanta.

Now he’s playing his part at Merthyr as they aim to start 2014 on a winning note. They ended this year in disastrous fashion, losing 4-0 at Mangotsfield and 4-1 at Tiverton either side of a 4-4 draw against Cinderford at home.

Merthyr are right in the hunt for promotion and still unbeaten at home, but they badly need to start the new year in style

North Leigh slump to fourth defeat in a row
Oxford Mail

North Leigh’s side continued as they conceded four goals in a disastrous second half of their Calor League Division 1 South & West match to lose 4-0 at home to Stratford on Saturday.

This was the fourth straight defeat for the Millers, who topped the table for the first two months of the campaign. Having taken only one point out 15, North Leigh have slipped down to sixth.

In the first half, Stratford’s Jamie Sheldon disallowed for off-side, while the hosts were unlucky when Jon Else’s long-range shot hit the bar.

The Millers were one down within 25 seconds of the restart as Stratford’s Chris Sterling hit a right foot shot through a forest of legs past an unsighted Paul White in goal. Sterling doubled the lead in the 68th minute, with a shot from an acute angle.

Midfielder Jamie Sheldon made it 3-0, also from a narrow angle after some desperate defending by the hosts. North Leigh’s misery was complete when Richard Gregory scored Stratford’s fourth goal with a shot which went in off the underside of the bar.

Great coverage of the Martyrs in this week's Merthyr Express. Well done to those responsible.

Martyrs hoping new signing can add real Will power
Wales On Line

The Martyrs’ new signing is in their squad for three matches in a week, starting against Oxfordshire club Witney Town at the Cigg-E Stadium tomorrow (3pm).

Merthyr Tydfil-born Williams was due to make his debut at Evesham Town on New Year’s Day, but that clash was postponed because of a waterlogged pitch and he is ready to start in front of home fans in his home town.

His debut is against Calor Southern League rivals North Leigh tomorrow, while Merthyr are at home again at Yate Town in the Red Insure Cup next Tuesday, while Paulton Rovers are visitors next Saturday.

Merthyr, unbeaten at home this season, have settled well on their new 3G synthetic pitch, have played some outstanding football and are second in the South and South West table behind Cirencester Town.

Experienced midfield player Williams had been playing for Conference club Woking, who agreed to cancel his contract by mutual consent because the Welshman was keen on a return to South Wales.

The arrival of former West Ham and Ipswich player Williams, who trained with Cardiff City as a schoolboy, has made a timely return home as Merthyr look to put an uncertain run behind them. They have conceded four goals in each of their last three League matches, earning only one point. Merthyr’s three-match wobble, two defeats and a draw, followed an outstanding run of eight successive wins.

The job for Williams and Co is to get the Martyrs back on track quickly, starting against North Leigh at home.

Gee is confident of Millers upturn in fortune
Oxford Mail

North Leigh boss Mark Gee is confident his side can bounce back away to Merthyr Town tomorrow. Four straight defeats have seen the Millers drop to sixth in the Calor League Division 1 South & West table.

“If you had said to me we would be around the top-seven going into 2014 I would have been happy,” said Gee. “We’re not a million miles away from the top, but we do need to change things around.”

The Welsh side play on a G3 pitch and are hopeful the game will be on, despite heavy rainfall in the area. “The ball runs true and you can make sliding challenges without getting burns,” added Gee.

Striker Aaron Woodley could start after a hamstring injury.

In paragraph 1 of the Walesonline report, we are playing Witney Town.
In paragraph we are playing North Leigh- correct.
North Leigh is near Witney.
I remember when newspapers used to have sub-editors!

Tim Drummond wrote:In paragraph 1 of the Walesonline report, we are playing Witney Town.
In paragraph we are playing North Leigh- correct.
North Leigh is near Witney.
I remember when newspapers used to have sub-editors!

The next-to-last paragraph seems to need putting into better English as well.

The stalwarts of the South Wales Echo Sports sub-editors' desk of the past would have been horrified!! You wouldn't get anything past them.

Hopefully the same will be said for our defence on Saturday....Boz