MERTHYR v Weymouth

Team:
Bradley
Jones Belle Baggridge Davies
Wright Evans Scotcher
Traylor Bauza Brown
Subs:
Hugh Clarke Bowen Jenkins McLaggon

H/t 0-0

1-0 up, Jenkins 55th min
1 1 from a 18 yard free kick 58mins
1 2 down an unstoppable volley 69mins
3 1 down poor defending 79mins

Full time. Lost 3-1. Disappointing

Today's team:

Bradley;
Jones,Belle,Baggridge,Davies;
Evans,Wright,Scotcher;
Brown,Bauza,Traylor;

Subs:
Jenkins for Brown (injured) after about 28 minutes
McLaggon for Scotcher after about 71 minutes
Hugh for Bauza after about 82 minutes
Bowen
Clarke

No sign of Ryan Prosser, but at least Kayne McLaggon was fit enough for the bench.

Our first chance was after about 5 minutes when a long free kick into the area was headed past the far post by Rhys Baggridge.

After about 15 minutes Tom Bradley had to field a shot from Weymouth's left back. We then went down the other end and Ian Traylor put in a good shot from the left which the Weymouth keeper tipped over the bar. About 8 minutes after that the keeper fumbled a shot from Guillermo Bauza, but the ball was cleared.

Jon Brown then limped after about 28 minutes off to be replaced by Corey Jenkins. A couple of minutes later Weymouth had the ball in the net but the player was given offside.

Weymouth came close after about 38 minutes when they broke forward quickly and a shot from the edge of the area went inches past the post. At the other end, about 4 minutes later we also broke forward well, with several players involved, the ball reaching Corey Jenkins on the left of the area, but when he eventually got in a shot it was blocked.

It was a fair scoreline at half time, with both sides having come close.

We took the lead about 10 minutes after the break when Ian Traylor used his pace to good effect down the left wing and clipped over a left-foot cross to the far post for Corey Jenkins to head down and into the net off the goalkeeper.

But about a couple of minutes after the goal we gave a free kick away about 25 yards out right in the centre, and Weymouth's Chris Shephard hit it over the wall and into the net with his left foot. He nearly repeated the feat not long afterwards, but from further out put his shot just over the bar.

We began to look a bit ragged after the equaliser, and it was no real surprise when Weymouth went ahead about 10 minutes later when the ball was played across to the left of the area for Adam Kelly to put a shot across Bradley and inside the far post. A couple of minutes later Kayne McLaggon came on for Elliot Scotcher, who after a reasonable first half had not seemed to be in the game after the break, and we switched to 4-2-4.

After about 79 minutes we gave away a sloppy goal to go 1-3 down when first Cortez Belle then Gethin Jones made a mess of things just outside the area leaving Weymouth's Shephard to seize on the ball and put his shot past Bradley.

With about 8 minutes to go (plus 3 or 4 minutes added time) Chris Hugh came on for Bauza as we piled men forward with Belle up front, but with Weymouth's goalkeeper going off injured we failed to trouble their stand-in keeper, striker Stewart Yetton.

Well, the mini-revival came to an end, but it was against a good side who looked very sharp in all areas of the pitch except maybe for the goalkeeper (who is also the manager!). It was a game against a standard of opposition where we needed everyone in the team to be at the top of their game, but not all were, especially in defence in the second half. It could have gone either way in the first half, and there were no complaints there, but in a way we took the lead with too much of the game to play - and then allowed Weymouth back into it far too soon. They then took control of the game.

The trouble was all three of their goals were preventable - especially the third, which was a really poor one to give away. For their first, you could say you can't do much about a well-taken free kick, but what's preventable is not giving the free kick away in the first place.

But on the evidence of today's game, although the team at the top of the division seems to change from week to week at the moment I wouldn't be surprised to see Weymouth come out on top at the end. I think they showed the standard we need to aspire to if we are to win promotion from this division, and we are some way off it yet. On the other hand - and we keep saying this - once we're able to field a full strength side we should have no trouble picking up points from the majority of teams in this division.

on the way out all i could here was how bad the ref was, the simple fact of the game was we were not good enough in all departments

Our performance made them look better than they were,the referee gave them everything but that did not give them the win it was our mediocre performance.

Ryan Prosser & Kerry Morgan were next to me buying chips.

And what is wrong with that? They are both injured and not playing.

GordonTheGopher wrote:And what is wrong with that? They are both injured and not playing.

Perhaps they didn't offer him any.

HA HA maybe.

Well, at least Mr $trand will be happy with the additional income.

Besides, Craig Steins used to have several portions @ 1/2 time when he played for us - reputedly!!

Just uploaded some images from yesterday's game on the new website (Flickr).

Although Weymouth wasted a number of good chances in the first half we also had three good opportunities to have taken the lead. An early header from Baggridge beat Matthews, who was off his line, but it also drifted wide of the post when he really should have done much better. Trailor brought a superb finger tip save from a full stretch Matthews with a shot that was curling into the top corner and Corey Jenkins had another of those almost moments when he could have taken a shot in his stride at the far post but instead he decided to try to beat an extra defender in limited space.

Missing a number of important players through injury we had safely negotiated the first half and there wasn’t a great deal between the teams. At this stage it felt as though one goal from either side would be all that was needed to win the game and when Corey made amends for the first half aberration by forcing his far post header past Matthews at the start of the second half, it looked as though by breaking the deadlock that we may have created a chance to go on to win the game.

We needed to hold onto the lead for ten minutes but unfortunately they equalised from a delicious free kick almost immediately, bent with Shepherds left foot into the top right hand corner.

After this we found it difficult to build any kind of rhythm and lost our shape with Weymouth sensing the three points were up for grabs and increased their tempo and urgency. Following the equalizer the visitors were much sharper, more direct and squeezed us into making a few errors that they punished.

It’s now time for us to regroup but any criticism of the team would be odd considering that we’d come into this game having beaten Poole, Hungerford and St Neots all in very quick succession. It was one of those days when you just wished that we had both Prosser and McLaggon up front.

The referee didn’t help either as he was just very inconsistent, which is being kind!

IMO Weymouth are a very good side & I have to agree with IMP that this is the standard we have to aspire to if we are to progress up the Pyramid. Having said that I believe that when Prossor & Kayne are fully fit SJ is not far away from achieving this standard & we will give most sides a good game in this league home or away, hopefully when the new facilities are completed in March they will bring in the addional revenue that the Board have intimated they should thus giving SJ the funds to bring in at least 2 maybe 3 quality players for a really good go at progressing out of this league next season.

Yetton steps in to help out injured boss
Dorset Echo

PLAYER-MANAGER Jason Matthews will assess the extent of his heel injury over the course of this week. The Terras’ boss, who played through the pain barrier during his side’s sublime 3-1 victory at Merthyr Town on Saturday, was forced to hand the gloves to striker Stewart Yetton for the latter stages in South Wales after no goalkeeping replacement was named on the bench by the visitors.

Speaking about how the injury occurred, Matthews told Echosport: “I came down awkwardly on the back of it. “I did it in the first half and couldn’t stay on any longer. I was in a bit of pain. Obviously when the third goal went in I could leave the gloves in safe hands with Yetts! Sillsy was also warming up with Paul (Maitland’s) gloves on. It was covered.”

It was not the first time the Terras had to make the decision to use captain Yetton as a replacement between the sticks. Then a new signing, the former Plymouth Argyle man took a spot in goal during a pre-season clash at Portland United after gloveman Simon Evans was stretchered off at Grove Corner in July 2013.

Explaining the decision not to include number-two keeper Steve Boore on the bench, Matthews, who was set to see a physio about his injury yesterday, added: “In a lot of the vital games we do put a keeper on the bench, it’s just a gamble I usually take and on Saturday I got away with it. Steve Boore will play (against Poole) on Tuesday anyway, we will see how he does and we will see how quickly I recover as to what we go and do next.”

Commenting further on his side’s impressive victory over the Martyrs, Matthews claimed: “We played some good stuff on a 3G surface which was always going to suit the way we play but you still have to go out and do it. I felt in the second half we put in a phenomenal performance and scored three great goals. Even when we went one down we never looked in doubt. I keep reiterating to the squad that we are good enough and we need to make sure we don’t fall away like we did last year. At the moment we are ticking along nicely.”

Nothing wrong with the chaps buying chips, playing or not! And, no, they didn't offer me any

Yetts dons the gloves as Weymouth beat Merthyr
Dorset Echo

WEYMOUTH bagged a second-half treble in South Wales to come from behind and beat Merthyr Town. Two goals from Chris Shephard either side of a special strike from Adam Kelly gave the Terras victory, in a dramatic contest which saw striker Stewart Yetton step between the sticks in place of goalkeeper Jason Matthews during the latter stages.

The Terras made two changes from the side that beat Winchester City 2-1 in the FA Trophy last time out. Billy Lowes went out of the travelling party all together, meaning Chris McPhee returned to the Weymouth midfield. Jordan Copp also made way for the returning Shephard, following the latter’s recovery from illness.

As expected, Mark Molesley was also named in the Weymouth squad for the first time since the Red Insure Cup clash at Wimborne Town last month. The former AFC Bournemouth midfielder had recovered from a calf problem. George Rigg had to wait to make his return to the Terras’ fold while there was a spot among the substitutes for full-back Jake Wannell. Player-manager Matthews’ men squared off against a Martyrs outfit in fine form.

Merthyr had won their last four games in all competitions, including a 1-0 triumph over Evo-Stik Southern Premier Division high-flyers Poole Town in the Trophy the previous weekend, thanks to a late goal from Gethin Jones.

The Martyrs named ex-Terra Rhys Baggridge in the heart of their defence.

Weymouth took a while to find their feet on Merthyr’s 3G artificial surface and avoided a scare early on as the hosts failed to take advantage of a free header on goal. But with around 15 minutes on the clock, the Terras fashioned their first chance.

Skipper Yetton did well to find marauding full-back Mark Cooper, who burst forward and forced a comfortable save from Tom Bradley in the home goal. Boss Matthews was then on hand to save a strike from distance at the other end moments later. Yetton had to shake off a knock after he was challenged heavily in the middle of the pitch and the Terras had to withstand slight pressure from the Martyrs, who were forced into an early change.

Jonny Brown failed to continue through injury, meaning Corey Jenkins was introduced for the hosts. Just short of the half-hour mark, Weymouth had the ball in the net through Yetton. Looking to score in three consecutive league games, the Weymouth captain smashed the ball in from close range, only to be flagged offside.

Yetton’s strike partner Ben Thomson then went close, as did Kelly, but the Terras’ skipper had the best of the chances to put his side a goal to the good. Yetton pounced on a defensive mistake and put the ball just wide from 12 yards out.

And with just five minutes gone following the break, Merthyr drew first blood. Ian Traylor’s cross to the back post was headed in by replacement Jenkins at the far post.

But, on his return to the side, it was Shephard who conjured up some magic to make it 1-1 four minutes later. He whipped a free-kick into the top corner to level things up.

Shephard then almost struck his second free-kick in to turn the game on its head, the strike just falling over the bar. That came shortly after the Terras almost managed to scramble the ball over the Martyrs’ goal line.

Kelly then made sure he was not to be outdone. He let fly with a stunning strike from range which flew into the back of the net to put Weymouth ahead. Shephard then netted his second and Weymouth’s third of the afternoon for 3-1 but that was not the end of the drama.

Suffering a heel injury, player-boss Matthews had to be replaced by Molesley. With no replacement keeper on the bench, up stepped Yetton to don the gloves and take his manager’s place. But it was at the other end where the action took place as Weymouth's Dean Evans struck a post late on.

Yetton was left untroubled in goal at the Terras’ push for promotion continues to gather pace.