Media Watch - Dorchester Town

After a ten day break from competitive football its back to the ‘bread and butter’ stuff at the weekend when Dorchester Town pay us a visit.

It finished all square when we went to Dorset earlier in the season, but things have changed considerably since September as we have gone through a series of metamorphisms in our attempts to adapt to the cut and thrust of the Premier Division. With only one win in their last four games the Magpies will be seeking all three points this weekend to push themselves closer to the other play-off contenders.

Steve Jenkins will not only be looking for another home win but a much improved performance after the disappointment of our display in the draw with Frome, who’s tactical strategy served them so well on the night. After gradually establishing a foothold in the game and taking the lead, most of the credit must go to Frome for forcing our numerous errors. Of course, there was a psychological element at play too: it was Nick Bunyard’s tactical masterclass for Paulton that destroyed our play-off hopes in 2013/14 season!

Bunyard said after the game “I think upon reflection a point away to Merthyr is a good result. I felt we should have won and had the better of it with quite a few chances late in the game. We were very disappointed to concede on the stroke of half time. We had defended ever so well against the wind and then it was an innocuous ball from the halfway line that was drilled in flat and the lad has headed it from outside the box and it has looped over Chitty.”

A negative assessment may conclude that if Frome hadn’t scored that naïve early goal, perhaps the game would have eventually gone in our favour. In fact, to compensate our system could have all been about small chain reactions activating triggers to exploit weaknesses, but this just didn’t happen on the night mainly because of Frome’s hard work.

“I thought we reacted well in the second half and it was a good game of football considering the wind and the rain. I just can’t fault the boys’ attitude and their work rate” said Bunyard.

Well, he must have witnessed a completely different game from the dugout because it was certainly a night for the paying customers to instantly forget!!

So often it depends on how well you execute your plans and to be fair Frome frustrated us until the final whistle.

Since his appointment at The Avenue as player/manager Mark Jermyn seems to have introduced significant improvements to the Magpies. After suffering relegation from National South in 2013/14, it was Jermyn appointed in January 2015 who eventual steered Dorchester to a 17th place finish last season after flirting with a second consecutive relegation, suffering 22 defeats in the process. Following the recent sale of 18-year old Jonah Ayunga to Brighton & Hove Albion, Jermyn moved quickly to bring in Toby Holmes from Poole Town. While the Magpies average a fraction over 1.5 goals scored per game, they have managed to keep eleven clean sheets while still managing to conceded just over 1 goal per game!

This will be their first league visit to Penydarren Park since the 2003/04 season, when they secured promotion to the Conference South via a play-off win against Tiverton after finishing in 17th place.

New faces may join Jermyn's men
Dorset Echo

MAGPIES’ chief Mark Jermyn revealed that he is still on the hunt to add to his squad, citing a midfielder and a striker as his two main recruitment targets.

While the county town club moved to recruit striker Toby Holmes last week following the departure of promising frontman Jonah Ayunga to Brighton, the Avenue chief has not ruled out bringing further fresh faces to boost their push for the top five.

He told Echosport: “We have got Toby Holmes in at the moment and we are going to work with him for the next couple of months and see how he progresses. We are still on the lookout for a striker as well as a midfielder at the moment. We are just keeping tabs on a couple of people. At this stage of the season the players you really want are the ones that other clubs are reluctant to let go. We are facing a little bit of a battle with that.”

He added: “It’s no secret to know that we are not really looking for a finished article, we are not looking for a 30-year-old out-and-out goalscorer who is on like £300 or £400 a week. We are after the opposite, we are after a youngster that shows potential for the future. There are several reasons behind that, one of them is a financial reason but it’s more to fit in with what we have already got. We have had a chat with somebody else as well who would be keen to come should we need help with a final push.”

Jermyn politely declined to reveal the names of any potential targets.

It looks like we shall be in for a deluge and more gusty wind again on Saturday.

Heavy rain forecast between 9.00am and 4.00pm tomorrow afternoon.
We shouldn't really need to be watching the weather.

Red card is learning curve for Charlie Davis
Dorset Echo

DORCHESTER midfielder Charlie Davis has spoken out about his red card against Slough Town last weekend and cited the sending off as a “bit of a learning curve” for him.

Having already been booked, Davis was awarded a straight red during the second half in the 2-1 defeat against the Rebels at the Avenue. That has landed him a three-match ban, which is set to start on Saturday, February 27.

Speaking about the sending off as a whole, an incident which player-manager Mark Jermyn said he could not defend following the game, Davis told Echosport: “I have no questions that it was a sending off but I felt it was harsh (as a straight red) as I had already been booked. To be fair, I have looked back at the video and I think their lad has jumped at the ball as much as I have but I had further to travel than he had. I won the ball but, as soon as I heard the contact, I thought ‘oh no he’s going to send me off here’. I can’t really complain with the sending off but I do think it could have been managed better. I think a straight red was very harsh. Obviously the referee doesn’t think it at the time but a three-match ban to a one-match ban is a big difference.”

He added: “It’s just one of those things that happens and it’s done now. I just have to get on with it. It’s just a case of being a bit cleverer. With the area of the pitch it’s in, I probably could have just stood up and tried to win the ball that way. But if there’s a ball rolling in between you and someone else you just want to win it. It’s just a bit of a learning curve really.”

Looking ahead to tomorrow’s fixture, Dorchester make the trip to Merthyr Town in a bid to get back to winning ways in the Evo-Stik Southern Premier Division after picking up one point from a possible six.

And Davis believes the Magpies will be suited to the Martyrs’ 3G pitch at Penydarren Park.

He added: “I think it’s come at the right time for us to play on a good surface, we don’t have to be so direct and it will suit us a bit more. They are good side and have good quality, you can understand the quality they have because of playing on that surface. But I think it should play perfectly into our hands.”

A win for the Magpies could put them within three points of the play-off places.

Newport County clinch signing of Tom Meechan from St Neots Town
Cambridge News

Tom Meechan admitted he thought his chance to play in the Football League would never come after leaving St Neots to join Newport County.

The 25-year-old striker has made the move to the Sky Bet League Two outfit after scoring 21 goals for St Neots in the Evo-Stik League Southern, Premier Division this season.

Meechan was with Newport last Saturday discussing terms and is now looking forward to getting started in the professional ranks.

"I had thought that maybe it was a little bit too late for me to make the step up to the Football League, but I am delighted to have the chance to make the progression here at Newport County AFC," said Meechan. "I watched the team against Carlisle on Saturday and they look like a good bunch of lads and I have heard good things about them from the manager, so I am looking forward to meeting them. At the moment I just want to come in and work hard and see where things go from there."

Meechan shot to prominence last season with 53 goals for Godmanchester. He has continued in that form and Newport boss Warren Feeney has high hopes for Meechan.

"It is a great chance for Tom, coming into a professional environment and we have all seen his impressive goalscoring record," said Feeney. "I have been impressed with Tom's desire to play in the Football League and hopefully he can take this great opportunity to make a name for himself."

Robins aiming to repel Bluebirds’ invasion of their nest
Wiltshire Times

NICK Bunyard is hoping that his Frome Town side can continue their steady advancement by maintaining their unbeaten run when they host local rivals Chippenham Town on Saturday.

The Robins are unbeaten in three matches, having followed up a 1-1 draw at Merthyr Town on February 9 with draws on the road at Cirencester Town last weekend and Kettering Town on Tuesday – both with the same scoreline.

Frome have drawn twice with the Bluebirds already this season and lost 1-0 in an FA Cup first qualifying round replay, but boss Bunyard doesn’t see any reason why they can’t hand their high-flying rivals another tough test.

“Both teams know each other well and neither will have to do much homework on each other,” said the Frome manager. “Luke Ballinger, who was nice enough to give me a scouting report on Kettering, is a former Frome player and so are Matt Smith and Ollie Taylor. I played with Alan Griffin and Andy Sandell, so it will be nice to see those guys. Chippenham are a good side and Andy Sandell is key for them. If we can stop him, then we should hopefully be able to give them another hard game and keep our unbeaten run going.”

Dan Cleverley’s strike cancelled out Zack Kotwica’s penalty at Cirencester last weekend before Kris Miller netted from the penalty spot against Kettering after the home team’s Wilson Carvalho had done the same.

Bunyard reckons his side could easily have more to show for their efforts in their last three games, but takes that as a sign of progress. The Robins chief said: “In a normal season, where we’re in a normal position, you’d say they were good results but we felt that we left six points out there and the lads were disappointed with that, which is a good thing. I think that Kettering were the best team we’ve played all season. Their front three of Wilson Carvalho, Rene Howe and Spencer Weir-Daley are all way too good for this level and we defended valiantly.”

Ex-Chippenham players Jon Davies and Darren Jefferies could return to face their former club on Saturday whilst Ricky Hulbert is also set to return to the squad.

Storer aims to make rivals sweat
Nuneaton News

BEDWORTH boss Stuart Storer has issued a bullish statement to the club's relegation rivals: 'Let's drag them in and see how they handle the pressure'.

The Greenbacks have won three on the spin to put the heat on the likes of Histon and Chesham United, who are sitting anxiously above the relegation zone.

"We've given ourselves a bit of a sniff," Storer tole News Sport. "What's helped, though, is having a few of the lads back fit. This season, in terms of player availability, has been a bit sporadic. We've been hit by a lot of injuries. The problem has been budget-based. We have got a small budget compared to most teams and that means you can't have a squad of 30 players. We've got a small squad here and you have to keep your fingers crossed and hope your main players stay fit. And, without a doubt, that's the secret to doing well in this league. But we've got a chance and all we can do is concentrate on ourselves and hope to drag other clubs into the mix and let's see how they handle the pressure."

Bedworth's three-game winning run started last month with a hard-fought victory over Weymouth which, according to Storer, has given his side a reasonable chance of survival.

And when asked if staying in the division tops gaining promotion last season, Storer said: "Every day of the week! Realistically we set ourselves the aim of staying in the division and that would be a massive achievement if we manage it. There's still lots to play for and we still have to play the likes of Histon and Chesham, who are just above is in the league. But, as a I mentioned, we've given ourselves a hell of a chance and if we can keep up the momentum who knows what can happen now? There's 11 games to go and we will be concentrating solely on how we handle the situation, leaving other clubs to watch over their shoulders."

Ahead of Saturday's trip to seventh-placed Kings Lynn Town, Storer is sweating on the fitness of centre-back duo Nathan Haines and Richard Bryan; central midfielder Andrew Westwood and full-back Jamie Ashmore, who are all rated at 50-50 for the clash in East Anglia.

"It'll be a tough game down there," Storer added, "but we've got a chance so let's throw the dice and see what happens."

Stuart Heath has style plan for Dorchester
Dorset Echo

MAGPIES’ first team coach Stuart Heath believes the Dorchester Town squad can express themselves and play with a style that will suit them at Merthyr Town this afternoon (3pm).

The Magpies have only recorded one point from their last two home games on a tricky surface at the Avenue, which has forced them to go slightly more direct in their approach. But the county town outfit know a win against the Martyrs on the 3G pitch at Penydarren Park will put them right back in the mix for a play-off place.

Heath told Echosport: “Hopefully we can get the ball down and pass and move to a good standard, like it is in training really. We train on a 3G almost every week so the players are used to that surface. We enjoy playing on decent pitches and it will be nice to play a passing game all around the pitch when we are in possession at Merthyr. Hopefully it will be a slightly different game and will suit our style a bit more. It’s not a style that we have just plucked out the air, it’s a style that we want to play because we feel we have the players at the club that are best suited to that style."

While Heath admitted the Magpies’ management team were disappointed with their last two results against Cirencester and Slough, he remained upbeat and is proud of the club’s achievements as a whole this term.

He said: “You are going to get setbacks and slip-ups no matter who you are, whether you are top of the league or bottom of the league. It’s come to that stage now where you have to just keep your composure and have a little bit of luck along the way and try and be as consistent as possible. If you do sustain setbacks, like we have in the last two home games, you don’t want a long hangover from it. You want to bounce back quickly from it. There are plenty of points still to play for. The management team are really pleased with the players and what they have done so far this season,” Heath added.

“The belief in themselves and each other continues to show and development and progression is what we are looking for. Results are ultimately the most important thing but, in terms of development, we want players that have the character and the personality to keep progressing and improving, with a view to sustaining a really competitive team in this league and the league above in the next two to three years.”