Media Watch - Mangotsfield United

Winning four out of four games, including the immediate pre and post Festive period, is a delightful ‘Christmas present’ for all Martyrs supporters.

On the back of our current success you may also have noticed the superb support that we attracted for both home fixtures over the holiday period and long may that continue.

We now go into the rest of January on the back of six consecutive wins and in a difficult run of away fixtures, we will need to be our own agents of chaos if we are to perpetuate this current vein of form.

The main reason for our eleven point advantage at the top of the table is because we have been consistently consistent. We have relentlessly strangled the life out of games this season with our dominant ball retention. Crucially, we can also increase the pace of the game in the blink of an eye once an opening is apparent. Think dark and moody Argentine Tango rather than the vision of a graceful flowing waltz.

We’ve regularly been able to kill teams off when in the ascendancy. Wimborne, Cinderford and Bishops Cleeve were not allowed back into games which we finished emphatically. Cast your minds back to last season against this same trio when we dropped eight points. Yes eight points from the three corresponding fixtures!

The visit to Cossham Street will be difficult. We face former players Gary Colbourne, who enjoyed two good seasons at Penydarren Park before returning to Mangotsfield, and Joe Perry playing for his third employers since leaving us. The Mango’s have also recently signed Lewis Hogg from Conference North side Gloucester City and Karim Rendall has returned from Bridgwater.

After a poor start to the league campaign Mangotsfield are currently enjoying their best run of results, winning four out of the last five games. They will be looking to extend their winning home run hoping to repeat the 4-0 drubbing that they inflicted on us last season.

With injuries and availability issues, it doesn’t really matter who starts for us, if all the players continue to do their jobs efficiently and contribute everything to the team ethic, they will eventually get their just rewards.

Merthyr Town facing crucial spell of away fixtures in quest for promotion to Southern League Premier
Wales On Line

Merthyr Town are facing a crucial spell of four successive Southern League away matches, starting at Mangotsfield United on Tuesday (7.45pm). The Martyrs stand 11 points clear at the top after their 7-0 home win against Wantage and now hit the road.

They follow their trip to Mangotsfield, near Bristol, with by visiting North Leigh, Bridgwater and Clevedon. Their next home match is against Hampshire club Fleet Town on Saturday, January 24.

Manager Steve Jenkins is delighted his team are making progress towards their promotion target and he says: “We are facing a tough run of fixtures, but if we can come through this period strongly, as I believe we will, then we will be in a good position. We have a difficult match at Bishop’s Cleeve on New Year’s Day and came through that with a win even though we were down to 10 men for the last half an hour.

Considering that we looked bright as a team against Wantage. Fitness levels are good, we passed the ball pretty well and it was pleasing that we were able to play and win at home when a lot of fixtures in our division were postponed because of the weather. We had been conceding sloppy goals, but we have worked on that and look a lot more solid. We have a young team with players like goalkeeper Tom Bradley, Dan Summerfield, Adam Davies and Jarrad Wright all in their early 20s and they will grow with this club. Ryan Green, our captain, Gavin Williams, Steve Williams, Guillermo Bauza and more add experience. It’s a good mix.”

Midfield playmaker Williams has been out injured and Matthew Harris is also ruled out for a couple more weeks, while Bauza has a three-match suspension to serve after being sent off at Bishop’s Cleeve. Bauza is available for the next three fixtures, but will them miss Clevedon away, Fleet home and Evesham United away.

The Martyrs have won 19 of their 23 league games played so far, scoring 78 goals and conceding 19. But having missed out on promotion for the last two seasons in the play-offs Merthyr are focused on securing the title. There is only one automatic promotion place available and Merthyr would be devastated to miss out for a third season after dominating over the season so far.

Wandering wrote:...Think dark and moody Argentine Tango rather than the vision of a graceful flowing waltz.

Always thought of you as more of a Macarena man myself!