Merthyr v. North Leigh

When did we sign ben davies? haha

Boz1964 wrote:Goal....Imp please note the first penalty scored by a beard this season....Boz

You're surely not saying it's so long since Ryan Prosser last scored with a penalty he didn't have a beard then?

Into injury time...hope the commentating presenters don't slip a disc....Boz

In fairness a great radio coverage tonight! who needs Five Live with commentary like this !

1-1 great commentary

Many thanks to the commentators on Oxford Sports On Line for the entertainment the last couple of hours. Hopefully you'll be covering the Didcot v. Merthyr game on Sat 28th Feb.

4mad.anubis wrote:Many thanks to the commentators on Oxford Sports On Line for the entertainment the last couple of hours.

Yes, definitely.

So because of that we can say it sounded like a good point in the end - once again the sort of away game that last season would have ended in defeat. We should also remember that North Leigh are the only side to have scored anywhere near as many goals as we have this season - 79 to our 86.

A point gained from one of the games in hand and now 10 clear at the top.

My link to the radio died....What was the final score anyone?.....Boz

they seemed up for a visit to P/P ! they mentioned costs wonder how much they would want ! we could offer them some strongbow and crisps and a free fanzine

1-1

Amazingly, the result and an updated league table are already on the Southern League website.

Really good coverage fair play. They seem to have a lot of work on and they seem pretty experienced. Maybe one day we can do do something similar.

On the pitch, take the point and crack on, starting on Saturday.

Soz - no signal at the ground.

Hard earned point against a decent side. Even first half I'd say. Second half North Leigh came out, and I don't think we touched the ball for the first 15 minutes! After going behind in the 55th minute (it had been coming) the management team took off Jenkins and Traylor - who had been decent first half but seem to fade in the second - and replaced them with Prosser and Traylor in a double substitution on 64mins. A good move, as we gradually wrestled a degree of control back. On 77mins Morgan replaced Patten. Minutes later we were awarded a stonewall penalty - possibly the one decision the ref gave us all night (although to be fair he rightly waved away claims for a home pen minutes later), and one of a handful he got correct all evening (the assessor must have had a field day!) - and on 80mins Prosser hammered home the equaliser.

We had a couple of chances - one long ball well controlled by McLaggon which he somehow steered wide springs to mind - however overall North Leigh had the majority, including somehow contriving to put the ball over the bar from 3 yards!

Anyhow, another point. Not a game that will linger long in the memory. And one we could have easily lost. So credit to the team and management. Similarly to the 40 or so (perhaps more) that made the long trek to deepest, darkest Oxfordshire, and enduring a cold and windy evening. Onwards and upwards as our Hobbit-like reporter will no doubt post later!

Oh - and the Oxford radio crowd - interesting series of electrical connections to allow them to broadcast!

Solihull Martyr wrote:Soz - After going behind in the 55th minute (it had been coming) the management team took off Jenkins and Traylor - who had been decent first half but seem to fade in the second - and replaced them with Prosser and Traylor in a double substitution on 64mins.

How long have we had twin brothers playing for us?

Next time some Manager from across the Bridge moans about us having an advantage due to a plastic pitch...it is time to bring out the issue is sloping pitches like this one at North Leigh...the Ox Box commentators mentioned that there is a way to play up and down this slope on a tactical basis...and an underground lever to lower or raise the incline....only joking Imp...don't put that one in the programme....Boz

North Leigh so close to taking Merthyr scalp
Oxford Mail

A LATE penalty denied North Leigh victory against runaway leaders Merthyr Town, who hit back to claim a 1-1 draw at Eynsham Park. The Evo-Stik Southern League pace-setters have lost just twice in Division 1 South & West this season, but were happier with the point.

Merthyr packed the midfield and played a lone striker as they frustrated the Millers in a dour first half.

But North Leigh came flying out of the blocks after the break and deservedly opened the scoring on 55 minutes. Kieran Sanders and Callum McNish combined down the right flank to carve out a glorious chance for Morgan Williams, who gave goalkeeper Tom Bradley no chance from six yards.

The home side then had opportunities to take the game away from Merthyr. The best chance fell to Williams, who just failed to make contact as he attempted to turn in a free-kick.

Merthyr introduced the giant Ryan Prosser as a substitute and he immediately caused problems.

Kayne McLaggon fired wide after one flick-on, but the striker made amends when he was felled for a clear penalty by Brian Bowles nine minutes from time. Prosser scored from the spot to earn a share of the spoils.

The draw moved North Leigh up a place to sixth, three points from the play-offs.

Substitute Ryan Prosser fires late Merthyr Town equaliser on Southern League awayday at North Leigh in Oxfordshire
Wales On Line

Ryan Prosser scored his 13th goal of the season to earn Merthyr Town a 1-1 draw against North Leigh away in EvoStik Southern League South and West. Centre-forward Prosser struck to equalise from an 81st minute penalty at Eynsham Park in Oxfordshire.

That goal extended Merthyr's unbeaten run to 12 matches and they have earned an impressive haul of 32 points from that run.

After a goalless first half Morgan Williams put the home team ahead on 55 minutes, but the Martyrs were good value for a hard-earned draw. Kyle Patten, a midfield player on loan from Newport County, returned to action after serving a one match suspension, while defender Jarrad Wright was again deployed in central midfield.

Wright was outstanding during Merthyr's 2-1 home win against second-placed Taunton on Saturday and again played with authority as he broke up Leigh attacks. Corey Jenkins has also hit a rich vein of form as Merthyr maintain focus on the South and West title.

They are 10 points clear at the top and at home against Bridgwater Town this weekend. That match is at the Cigg-E Stadium, Merthyr on Saturday (3pm).

The strength of the squad manager Steve Jenkins has recruited this season is underlined by their substitutes. Prosser has fired 13 goals in only eight starts plus 26 appearances as a substitute, while former Swansea City players Kerry Morgan and Guillermo Bauza were also on the bench at North Leigh, alongside Richard Evans and Matthew Harris.

Merthyr now have 12 fixtures left in their quest to be crowned champions and claim the one automatic promotion place available.

From the sounds of the commentary a point was a good return from that one

MattMartyr87 wrote:Player of the season is genuinely difficult this year

My pick for player of the season would be Ryan Green, been like a brick wall at the back at times. Also another pick for me would be Tom Bradley, also been brilliant this season.

Loved the reference to 'Giant Ryan Prosser' in the Oxford Mail report....do they have tribes of pygmies in the area then ?...I wonder what the reporter would call the Evesham Keeper when he sees him?....apart from SIR that is....!.....Boz

It’s 24 hours since our game at North Leigh and I’ve forgotten most of it already so it’s a good job I had my Dickyphone although there’s very little to report.  Before Solihull (Mr Weeble) mentions short term memory loss it’s because the game was almost totally forgettable with few high spots.  The first half was probably the worse half of football I’ve seen for a while and whilst the 2^nd half was an improvement it still wasn’t great.
 
Our team was –
 
Bradley
Summerfield, Green, Rewbury & Davies
Wright, Patten & Williams (G),
Jenkins, McLaggon & Traylor
 
Subs – Evans, Harris, Bauza, Morgan & Prosser
 
North Leigh kicked the game off playing down the slope in the first half and moved forward but we easily repelled the initial foray and the clearance from Bradley after kicking out a back pass from Rewbury went straight through to Bulman in the NL goal.  That set the pattern for the half with neither attack really troubling the 2 defences although, in fairness, both sets of defenders had a relatively easy half. 
 
With a referee’s assessor in attendance the game was punctuated with free kicks given by an over fussy referee, Mr Wootton and 3 bookings for Merthyr players for relatively innocuous challenges.  The NL players were going down under virtually every challenge, whining like babies and writhing in agony with the rest of the team shouting “hey, hey” and surrounding the referee to get him to issue a card.  He fell for it most times ignoring the fact that the “injured” players got up and were running around like 2 year olds as soon as the card had been brandished.  Rewbury, Jenkins & Wright all received yellows with Osbourne-Ricketts being the main culprit for NL.  Later Wright was fouled on the halfway line by the said Osbourne-Ricketts and he received a yellow from Mr Wootton without any assistance from the Merthyr team.  The resulting free kick was sent by Williams into the NL area where an NL defender headed behind for a corner under pressure from McLaggon but the referee awarded a goal kick summing up his performance.    
 
There was very little goalmouth action throughout the half and it wasn’t until a few minutes before half time that the first corner of the game was awarded and it went to NL.  The kick was taken by Morgan Williams and went low towards our area and was sent back Williams who crossed it to Westlake and his shot was deflected behind by Wright for the second corner in as many minutes which we cleared easily.  A few minutes later, Green sent yet another clearance up to the halfway line and thankfully the referee brought the half to an end with just the 2 corners to the home team and Merthyr not having an effort on goal.
 
The second half started in a similar fashion to the first but playing up the slope, North Leigh were showing a bit more endeavour and Woodley broke and sent a good ball across our area and an NL attacker shot towards our goal and it looked to be going somewhere close when it hit one of his own players and rebounded back to the attacker but he spooned his second effort well over the Merthyr bar. 
 
NL were having more of the game and we just couldn’t get into it at all and when we did approach the NL area the defence coped without any trouble.  NL gained a couple more corners against which we defended well although our flanks were being exposed by the NL wide men. 
 
It came as a surprise when NL opened the scoring, not because it was unexpected but because one of the teams on show could string a couple of passes together.  NL broke down their right after we lost the ball from our own throw in and a low ball came into our area and from about 6 yards an unmarked Morgan Williams sent the ball past Bradley, giving him no chance, and into the back of the Merthyr net and after 10 minutes of the second half Merthyr were 1 down.
 
After yet another period of indeterminate play Merthyr made a double substitution with Prosser & Bauza replacing Traylor & Jenkins.  Prosser’s first contribution to the game came when he challenged an NL defender for a long ball hit upfield by Bradley.  The NL player went down like a sack of spuds and Prosser received a yellow card.  The resulting free kick went high towards the Merthyr area and Osbourne-Ricketts challenged Summerfield for the ball in a similar challenge to that made by Prosser.  This time the referee awarded a free kick to Merthyr but no card for the NL player. 
 
We were showing a bit more energy in the middle with the introduction of Bauza and he tried to set Prosser free but the ball went all the way through to Bulman.  After about 75 minutes, Merthyr gained their first corner of the game after good play by McLaggon, Williams & Davies led to an NL defender pushing it behind.  Williams took the corner but it was headed clear by an NL defender but only as far as Bauza who sent it back out to Williams but his cross was headed out back to him by Westlake and Williams 3^rd attempt tried to find Prosser at the near post but the ball ran through to Bulman. 
 
The game was a bit more end to end now as we started to make some inroads into the NL half but NL were still fairly dangerous as they came forward but Green & Rewbury held firm.  Wright then made a good tackle on the halfway line and he slipped it to Williams who held it up before giving it inside to Bauza who sent it right towards Summerfield who gave it back to Patten who sent a high ball into the NL area and Prosser headed it down to McLaggon who shot towards goal but it went just wide and at just under the 80 minute mark it was Merthyr’s first real effort on goal in the game.  Shortly afterwards Morgan replaced Patten.
 
A ball into the NL half found McLaggon.  He tried to find Wright but it was intercepted and came back to McLaggon on the edge of the area.  McLaggon twisted and turned and his legs were taken by Bowles (an NL substitute who had only been on for a minute and it was his first taste of the action) and it was a clear penalty kick.  Prosser placed the ball and ran up to take the kick and was stopped in his tracks by the referee who insisted the ball be respotted about 1 millimetre to the left.  Prosser did so and he sent the ball to the right of Bulman, who had dived to his left, and into the net to make the score 1-1 with about 10 minutes left.
 
We could have sneaked an unlikely victory when Wright picked the ball up on the halfway line and he gave it forward to McLaggon who got it back to Prosser who passed it wide right to Morgan.  Morgan was faced by 2 defenders but he got to the byline and sent in a good high cross into the area and from about 4 yards Prosser just failed to get above the ball and he sent in a header just over the NL bar.  Almost from the restart the ball was sent towards the Merthyr area and Bowles went for it and did a “Rooney” when tackled by Summerfield but for once, Mr Wootton was not taken in and he waved play on.  There was still time for NL to gain a corner on our left and from the kick an NL attacker sent in a header just wide of Bradley’s left hand post.  Bradley took the goal kick and as the ball crossed the halfway line the referee blew the final whistle with the score level at 1-1.
 
It was a poor game with few rises above mediocrity.  The pitch looked flat but was damp and did tend to cut up which is why, maybe, we did not play many passes and concentrated largely on the long ball against which North Leigh defended well and it was only when we got it down on the floor did we look relatively dangerous.  NL had the better of the second half and made progress down our flanks but Rewbury & Green – apart from the goal – dealt well with crosses that came in.  In midfield, only Wright came out with any credit and we certainly looked better when Bauza came on.  Traylor, Jenkins & McLaggon saw little of the ball and when they did the NL defence were their match.  Prosser made a difference when he came on winning a few balls in the air and Morgan created a good chance for him when he got to the byline for the only time in the game. 
 
We were far from our best but gained a point against a useful North Leigh side and we are now 10 points ahead so things aren’t all bad!  No team can play well every game and after the fare we’ve been provided with so far this season I don’t think we need be too worried.

You make it sound better than it was!

Ps. I told you to keep it short!!!

Solihull Martyr wrote:You make it sound better than it was!

Ps. I told you to keep it short!!!

Brevity is not my strong point! It was a bloody awful game and I did my best to highlight how poor it was and I thought I succeeded. Never mind - hope for a better game today and at Diddy next week.