Todays Team

Only change from last SL game according to ST Twitter is Adie Harris replaces Matt in midfield

Subs are Rewbury, M. Harris, Leek, Jenkins, Prosser

1-0 to Stratford after 19 minute according to their Twitter

Also, Kerry Morgan sent off for elbowing after 19 mins!!   Looks like it could be a long afternoon!!!

Stratford's Twitter reports Kerry Morgan sent off after 26 minues

Nothing showing on mtfc twitter???

douggolfer wrote:Nothing showing on mtfc twitter???

No - no texts either.

1-0 to Stratford at half time.

Just had a text! 1-0 down H.T

Triple change

Prosser, leek and rewbury on

Summerfield, newman and adie harris off

switched to 3 at the back

Full time 1-0.

From Stratford's Twitter:

'brave effort from Merthyr who took the game to Stratford despite playing with 10 men'

Full time

Lost 1-0

F.T lost 1-0

When you down to ten men then it is going to be very difficult as shown with the swans today.Kerry must shoulder the blame as it was with bony for swans he must learn to control himself on the field if that is possible three valuable points lost

Agree that Kerry must learn and quickly from this, it's hard normally to play 65 minutes with 10 men, but it's especially difficult when we play away from home when we to adapt our system to play on grass, therefore it's essential going forward that we maintain our discipline and our shape in order to compete and hopefully overcome difficult opponents.

Do we know why he was sent off? Think we need to find out if it was justified before we condemn him, as I was not at match I'll wait for the full report off old sod ⚽

According to Stratford twitter site it was an elbow offence off the ball

Lets reserve judgement a !!!! What ever it was it's a three match ban !!!

douggolfer wrote:Lets reserve judgement a !!!! What ever it was it's a three match ban !!!

Not quite. 3 match ban applies to straight reds for serious foul play or violent conduct. An elbow as descriibed would fall into these categories. You can be sent off for offensive, abusive or insulting language and get a 2 match ban. 1 match bans apply to second cautions.

It's a 3 match ban then! unless the club appeal against the red card. Not being churlish but Kerry has a poor disciplinary record since signing for us, how many red cards has he received? I'm sure I saw him get a red in two away games I saw last season.

According to my records Kerry Morgan's only sending off last season was for two bookable offences in the first game of the season at North Leigh. We did have several incidences of other players being sent off in the first half of last season!

As for today's events, the following is from a neutral spectator's report on http://www.nonleaguematters.co.uk/forum/gforum.cgi?post=617509;search_string=merthyr;#617509

'On 26m there was a brief midfield fracas which didn’t look that serious but Stratford’s Hadland was booked and Merthyr’s Morgan very harshly sent off. That injustice spurred Merthyr on...'

Mind you, in the same report he mentions a Merthyr player called Clarke, so I'm not sure how reliable that is!

Taffia wrote:

douggolfer wrote:Lets reserve judgement a !!!! What ever it was it's a three match ban !!!

Not quite. 3 match ban applies to straight reds for serious foul play or violent conduct. An elbow as descriibed would fall into these categories. You can be sent off for offensive, abusive or insulting language and get a 2 match ban. 1 match bans apply to second cautions.

I'm glad that refs don't enforce the foul language rule as there wouldn't be many players left on the field at the end of the match!

Last season we got what many thought was a fortunate win with a late Ryan Charles goal but this season we lost to a single goal when we deserved at least a point. 
 
Our team today was –
 
Bradley
Summerfield, Green, Wright & Davies
A Harris, Newman, G Williams
Traylor, McLaggon & Morgan
 
Subs – Rewbury, Leek, M Harris, Prosser & Jenkins
 
Early on it was pretty end to end stuff with neither side dominating or creating anything of note.  Adie Harris misplaced a pass in our half which let in a Stratford forward but luckily he failed to take advantage.  McLaggon was being well marshalled by the Stratford defence and we were not getting any bodies forward to support him.  On a few occasions balls either played through or worked through were going straight to Kemp in the Stratford goal.  Ryan Green tried a few crossfield balls out to Morgan but we failed to create anything.  Stratford did have a good break when a good ball was sent out to Tulloch and he pushed it back to Stringfellow (whose long hair was held up in a neat looking bun) and he crossed into our area but it was well cleared by Green.  Morgan was the victim of a few tackles which led to free kicks being given.  Harris gave away a free kick on the halfway line and Stringfellow sent it high towards our area but Bradley made a good catch under pressure and his long kick out was headed back towards his own goal by a Stratford defender and Traylor latched onto it but another defender snooked in and put it out of play for a throw.  Stratford made progress into the Merthyr half and Tulloch sent in a 30 yarder which went high over Bradley’s bar. 
 
On the 19^th minute Stratford broke into our half with Tulloch to the fore and the ball came out to Adie Harris.  He passed it straight to Tulloch who gave it to Halsall who went through and he placed the ball wide of Bradley and into our net and it was 1-0 to Stratford directly as a result of that mistake.  We were building quite well from the back but Stratford were defending well although they did give away a free kick about 25 yards out which Morgan put just past Kemp’s right hand post. 
 
Then, just before the half hour mark, Kerry Morgan was fouled on the halfway line.  He got up and instead of dusting himself down he swung an arm which struck the chest of a Stratford player.  After consulting with his lino the referee called Morgan towards him and showed him a straight red card and this show of petulance after he had been given a free kick put us behind the eight ball for the rest of the game. 
 
The resulting free kick was well cleared by Recci as he had done so for most of the game.  Green made progress over the halfway line and found McLaggon on the right.  He came inside and into the area but Kemp managed to smother the ball at McLaggon’s feet.  Davies took a throw down to Mclaggon on the left and he passed it inside to Newman who turned, had a look, and found Williams who put it square to Green who sent it forward to Summerfield on the edge of the Stratford area and he seemed to be brought down but the referee waved play on and Stratford cleared.  We were on top but were struggling to make an impact in the final third although Traylor had a good shot which went just over the bar when he picked up a loose ball given away by Clark.  Our best outlet was Traylor who was working hard with little luck and a few minutes later he sent in another shot from about 25 yards but this one went well over Kemp’s bar.  We gained a throw on the right and Harris found Summerfield who gave it back to Harris who crossed the ball and Recci in an effort to clear the ball only managed to hoof it against the post and Stratford managed to scramble it away.  Stratford were working the flanks well and Tulloch was a constant thorn in our side but like us created little with our defenders and Bradley holding firm.  Half time came with Stratford 1 up.
 
The second half almost had a sensational start when the ball found its way back to Bradley.  As he was about to clear, he slipped and Fagan got a shot in which Bradley did well to stop but it came out to Tulloch who sent his shot high over the bar, under pressure from Summerfield.  McLaggon seemed to be fouled just inside the Stratford half and he required treatment from Chubbsy but the referee gave a free kick to Stratford, which came to nothing.  Later, Williams sent a long ball out to the Merthyr right which was picked up by Summerfield but he was fouled by Brathwaite.  Williams took the kick which went high into the area and Kemp did well to paw it away under pressure from Wright and Fagan completed the clearance.  There was a bit of end to end play with both defences dealing easily with any slight threats posed but Harris against lost the ball in midfield and Adkins intercepted and sent Fagan away but Bradley came out and made a good save at Fagan’s feet and the ball went away for a throw to Stratford which in turn led to a corner and the ball was headed on by a Stratford attacker and it came back out to Tulloch whose shot was well saved at his post by Bradley. 
 
Green was prompting well from the back with some good balls forward but we couldn’t take advantage and that may have been the catalyst for a triple substitution made on the hour by Steve Jenkins.  Off came Adie Harris, Summerfield & Newman to be replaced by Rewbury, Prosser and Leek and we pushed Davies further forward on the left and played with a back three.
 
There then followed our best period of the game.  After a period of defending with Rewbury to the fore, Davies played a long ball over the top.  With Kemp coming out, Leek just about managed to reach the ball on the edge of the 18 yard area and his toe poke went up over the onrushing Kemp but unfortunately for Leek it just cleared the bar.  Shortly afterwards McLaggon picked the ball up and sent it back to Williams on the halfway line.  He pushed it wide right to Traylor who came inside and ran towards the 18 yard area and sent in a shot which Kemp tipped really well over the bar.  Williams took the corner which Green headed on at the near post and it was half cleared out to Rewbury whose shot was blocked on the line and Wright’s follow up shot from about 5 yards went over the bar.  Williams again found Traylor on the right and he went around Reid and his cross was miskicked by McLaggon and Stratford cleared.  McLaggon seemed to be struggling a little with what looked like a hamstring but with 3 subs on, he carried on.  Rewbury was fouled on the halfway line by Tulloch and Williams took the kick high towards the Stratford area with virtually all the Merthyr players forward.  Prosser jumped and got his head on the ball and there followed a bit of a scramble and the ball came out to Green on the right hand side of the 18 yard area and his goalbound shot seemed to hit McLaggon and again Stratford got the ball clear. 
 
At this stage of the game we were showing far more energy and it was difficult to see which team only had 10 men.  We were breaking down both flanks and looking good.  Davies put a good ball across the pitch to Traylor on the right and he came inside and his shot was excellently saved by Kemp.  With all our emphasis on attack we had to be wary of breaks from Stratford but we were coping well at the back no real alarms although Brathwaite did break into our half and he put it across field to Tulloch who laid it back to substitute Price who was about 30 yards from goal.  He looked inside and found Hadland who put it out wide to Stringfellow who sent it further right to Tulloch who put the ball into the middle where it was picked up again by Price whose chip just cleared the bar.  Leek & Traylor were combining well but Stratford were defending deeply and well and breaking quickly.  Traylor was fouled just inside the Stratford half and Williams took the kick which went high into the Stratford area.  Wright and Kemp both jumped for the ball and the keeper spilled it and it came out to Rewbury whose shot whistled along the ground and into the back of the Stratford net only for the Merthyr celebrations to be cut short by the referee blowing for a foul on Kemp.  The referee then intercepted a Merthyr pass which allowed Stratford to break but the attack was broken up by the Merthyr defence and Williams found Leek who pushed it down the right to Traylor who outstripped Hadland and he got down to the byline and sent in a good low cross which was put over his own bar by Recci.  Williams took the corner on the Merthyr right and it went high into the area where it was met by Rewbury who was under a great deal of pressure and he put his header over the bar.  Stratford had another break when Headley sent the ball across which was headed towards goal by a Stratford attacker and Bradley made an excellent save near the top of his right hand post and the ball went for a corner which Merthyr dealt with easily.  Stratford did get the ball into the back of the net when Recci, after defending well, sent a long ball into the Merthyr half and found Headley who ran off towards goal and put it into the back of the net but the referee had already blown his whistle for a foul by Headley on Rewbury.  We kept on plugging away and Traylor had a shot blocked after a Prosser head on and after a long kick out by Bradley, which was controlled by Rewbury, who now seemed to be playing as an auxiliary striker and he slid it to Traylor who gave it to Prosser in the penalty area and he looked across and sent in a good shot which was deflected into the air by a Stratford defender and safely gathered in by Kemp.  The game ended with us on the attack but we had been unable to beat Kemp or the resolute Stratford defence and Stratford win 1-0.
 
It was a game that was decided as a result of several pivotal occurrences.  Firstly, Kemp in the Stratford goal played really well and was rightly named as MOTM as he made some excellent saves against 10 man Merthyr.  The only goal of the game was poor from our point of view as Harris, for the second time in the game, made a gift of the ball to a Stratford player and this time they took full advantage.  The sending off was also poor and although it wasn’t a full blooded jack-knife elbow Morgan did stupidly raise his arm and caught the player and it must be said that the Stratford players took full advantage of the situation.  Although we were largely in control for the last 2 thirds of the game, it was not until the final third when we made the triple substitution did we display a cutting edge and we thoroughly deserved at least a point and probably with a full complement of players we would have done so.  The disallowed goal was also a factor as the referee was the only one on the ground to see the alleged push by Wright on the keeper – even the Stratford fans I spoke to could see nothing wrong.  Leek and Rewbury were excellent when they came on and they brought the best out of Traylor who had a good game throughout but my Merthyr MOTM was Ryan Green who was cool and dominant at the back and prompted some of our best attacks.  
 
We fought well for the last 2 thirds of the game when we were down to 10 and the grit and determination showed by the players particularly in the final third of the game after the substitutions were made does bode well for the future and we will win many more games than we’ll lose this season.
 
Onwards & upwards, lads!

Merthyr Imp wrote:According to my records Kerry Morgan's only sending off last season was for two bookable offences in the first game of the season at North Leigh. We did have several incidences of other players being sent off in the first half of last season!

As for today's events, the following is from a neutral spectator's report on http://www.nonleaguematters.co.uk/forum/gforum.cgi?post=617509;search_string=merthyr;#617509

'On 26m there was a brief midfield fracas which didn’t look that serious but Stratford’s Hadland was booked and Merthyr’s Morgan very harshly sent off. That injustice spurred Merthyr on...'

Mind you, in the same report he mentions a Merthyr player called Clarke, so I'm not sure how reliable that is!

The other red I can now remember was at Slough in the FA Trophy game where we won 2-1 with nine men! Kerry & Rewbs were sent off.

Merthyr Imp wrote:According to my records Kerry Morgan's only sending off last season was for two bookable offences in the first game of the season at North Leigh. We did have several incidences of other players being sent off in the first half of last season!

As for today's events, the following is from a neutral spectator's report on it http://www.nonleaguematters.co.uk/forum/gforum.cgi?ipost=617509;search_string=merthyr;#617509

'On 26m there was a brief midfield fracas which didn’t look that serious but Stratford’s Hadland was booked and Merthyr’s Morgan very harshly sent off. That injustice spurred Merthyr on...'

Mind you, in the same report he mentions a Merthyr player called Clarke, so I'm not sure how reliable that is!

it wasnt Harsh at all, he deserved the red for his stupidity