Banbury v MERTHYR

Team:
Garner, Watkins, Tancock, Evans, Mcdonald, Baggridge,Scotcher, Wright, McLaggon, Reffell, Traylor.

Subs: Prosser, Clarke, Williams, Hutson.

Decent side considering , let's hope it's a good win for the boys .been a hard few weeks on the road !!!! Have to take your hat off to them not easy working then traveling all the best lads

Goal inside the first few minutes - chalked off for an alleged shirt-pull. Very dubious to me!

Fantastic Live coverage on Puritans Radio

1up 29mins. Wright with a bullet header from a good Kenyon cross!

H.T 1-0 up

Solihull Martyr wrote:1up 29mins. Wright with a bullet header from a good Kenyon cross!

Great news.

cliffyboy wrote:Fantastic Live coverage on Puritans Radio  

Wish I could listen. Computer's buggered. Using an ancient laptop that's so slow, it's only just updated Saturday's score!

H/t 1 up. Well worth it. Good opportunity right at the end, great tackle inside the box.

Att: 306

Yes Cliff Brilliant radio coverage !!!!!

Mclaggon off - Prosser on

1-1 90 min goal !

1-1 89mins. Un-be-leave-able!

F.T 1-1 - 2 pts dropped according to the radio coverage

F/t 1-1.

Massive kick in the teeth for Merthyr according to the radio coverage.
Really should have seen that game out lads.
Two points we never Gona see again.

Well, we'd have settled for a point at the start of play... however after that dominant performance it feels like a loss.

Not having the rub of the green at moment. Well done lads excellent performance deserved more

Before the game I would have taken a draw midweek....but sounds like we deserved all three points.

It keeps the away run going....the boys are working hard and are on track for a play-off place....well done all...

Boz

Yep - for once it may be worth persevering withe the Dick-o-phone write up!

Those two points would have seen us in 5th place.
Sorry, that's my last negative post, just gutted is all.

However,
Sounds like martyrs put a good shift in tonight, so keep it up lads.

Missing the likes of Jones, Davies, Barrow, Jenkins and Brown through injury Merthyr were very unlucky not to come away with all 3 points at Banbury who scored a last minute equaliser to steal a point.

Merthyr’s line up had Garner in goal and a back 4 of Ben Watkins who had been recalled from his loan spell at Abergavenny, Baggridge and Tancock in the middle with McDonald on the left.  Wright, Evans and Scotcher were in midfield with McLaggon, Reffell and Traylor upfront.  Prosser, Williams, Hutson and Clarke (Cameron and not Dean) gave us a 4 man bench.

Merthyr started well after an early attack from Banbury which was cleared by McDonald, the Martyrs quickly got into the game and after a foul on McLaggon by Fawke, Scotcher sent the kick towards the far post and the ball came off the back of McDonald’s head and away for a goal kick.  Then in the 4th minute Merthyr got what they thought was the first goal of the game when after a short free kick from goalkeeper Harding was returned to him by Gunn, the keeper, under pressure from Reffell lost out and Reffell neatly dispatched but the referee, Mr Smith, saw fit to disallow the goal for a shirt pull spotted by the lino which seemed harsh.  

Merthyr were playing well, displaying energy and determination and closed Banbury down at every opportunity so that the home side were able to create little whereas Merthyr looked sharp and incisive going forward.  After a period of interplay starting off with Watkins and involving most of the rest of the team, McLaggon was fouled by Johnson and although Banbury managed to get the ball away from Scotcher’s kick it was picked up by Evans who got it to Wright and his cross was deflected behind for the first corner of the game.  Scotcher took the kick short to Evans and he found Traylor on the right and he ran towards the area and sent in a low shot from about 20 yards which went just wide of Harding’s right hand post.  

Another period of Martyr possession followed with Banbury chasing shadows and Traylor found Reffell halfway inside the Puritans half on the left.  He sent in a far post cross for Watkins to challenge for and he held it under pressure from White and got it back to Baggridge and Merthyr launched another attack which Banbury managed to clear.  A few minutes later, Watkins was again in on the act when he did well to reach a McLaggon cross but his header went wide of the Banbury goal.  Banbury were struggling to get out of their half or even get the ball as Merthyr were keeping it, making simple passes to draw the home team out and create openings.  Good work by McDonald led to a shot from McLaggon from 16 yards which went along the ground and into the arms of Harding.  In a rare Banbury incursion into Merthyr territory White managed to get a long cross into the area which Garner did well to catch under pressure from Jeacock.

Wright, looking his old self after getting in some game time made one of his trademark marauding run in the Banbury half and he sent in a good right footed shot from just over 20 yards which went just wide of Harding’s right hand post with the keeper scrambling.  Reffell did well on the left gaining a corner for the Martyrs which Scotcher took and Johnson managed to get it away for another corner on the opposite side.  Scotcher made the long trek to take it and this time it went high into the area and Wright’s header bounced down and up into Harding’s hands.

Then just before the half hour, Merthyr got the goal they deserved.  A throw on the Banbury left, halfway inside their half was taken by Traylor to Reffell who gave it back to Traylor on the touchline.  He slipped it inside to Scotcher who sent in an excellent, curling cross towards the far post where it was met by the head of Wright whose bullet header went to the left of Harding’s left hand and into the back of the net and the Martyrs were 1 up.  

Merthyr continued to press for the final quarter of an hour of the half and could easily have increased their lead with Banbury defending desperately against the almost incessant Merthyr pressure.  A good move on the left involving Traylor and Reffell set McLaggon free near the byline.  He got past Gunn and ran along the line towards goal and set the ball back into the 6 yard area but there was no Merthyr player there to poke it home and Banbury managed to get it up to the halfway line only for Merthyr to gain possession again.  McLaggon again did well when he got hold of the ball in the Banbury half and skipped past Johnson and sent in a shot from the edge of the area but put it wide of Harding’s left hand post.  Banbury did get a chance before the break when Nash sent a long cross into the Merthyr area and a Banbury forward headed it up and over Garner’s bar.  Merthyr retaliated and McLaggon did well to get hold of a Reffell ball into the area and seemed to be felled by Fawke but Mr Smith waved play on as Banbury cleared.  The final chance of the half fell to Reffell who found Traylor on the left who returned the compliment and Reffell ran into the Banbury area and seemed certain to get a shot in on goal but the ball seemed to get caught between his feet and as Banbury cleared the danger the referee blew the whistle bringing an end to a one sided half with Merthyr’s excellent play deserving more than the 1-0 lead they held.

Banbury made a couple of changes at half time in an attempt to stem the flow and to get into the game but Merthyr continued to have the upper hand looking composed on the ball and passing the ball well.  After about 10 passes involving half the team, Watkins sent in a good low cross towards Reffell and it came off him to Scotcher who sent in a shot from the D which went over the bar.  Reffell then set up McLaggon with a cross from the left which McLaggon got a foot to but under pressure from Gunn he could only steer the ball into the arms of Harding.  A little later, Self managed to get hold of the ball in the Merthyr half but from about 35 yards he shot well over the Merthyr bar.  McLaggon, Reffell and Traylor were causing problems and when Banbury did have the ball, Merthyr pressed it allowing Banbury little room to play and did not allow them close to the Merthyr area.  Traylor sent in a long ball into the area where McLaggon went for it and seemed to be bowled over by Gunn but again the referee waved play on as Harding caught the ball.  McLaggon then got his head to the ball and found Reffell who hot it back to McLaggon and from the byline his cross was put behind by Johnson for another Merthyr corner.  Scotcher’s kick was met at the far post by Wright but his header was cleared.  

Merthyr were still having the lion’s share of the game but at only 1-0 there was always the chance of an equaliser although Banbury did not look like getting one at this stage and Merthyr still looked the more likely and Banbury made their last throw of the dice when they made their 3rd substitution.  McLaggon was a constant thorn in the Banbury side and stretched their defence regularly and one cross found Scotcher in the box but he was crowded out and Banbury cleared and made a break into the Merthyr half involving Janes but a combination of Watkins and Evans snuffed out any potential danger.

Banbury were getting into the game a bit more and a free kick from the left, after a foul by Reffell was headed clear by McDonald but it went back to the taker and he got it back into the box where it was deflected behind by Watkins for a rare Banbury corner which was headed clear by Evans.  Reffell had a shot charged down by Fawke and after yet more passing Reffell was again involved and he got it inside to Evans who stretched for a volley and sent it wide of Banbury’s right hand post from about 16 yards.  Banbury could only offer long balls which were being easily dealt with by the Merthyr back 4.  About 15 minutes from the end Williams replaced McLaggon and joined Reffell upfront.  

Merthyr were largely snuffing out the Banbury attacks near the halfway line with their pressing tactics and Williams was holding the ball up deep in the Banbury half with Watkins helping out as Merthyr tried to manage the game to its conclusion but Banbury did get a foothold in the Merthyr half when a long clearance got to the left hand edge of the Merthyr area and it was sent to McEachran near the touchline but his cross was intercepted by Watkins and away for a corner which was headed behind by Baggridge at the far post for another corner.  This time the corner was dealt with easily by the Merthyr defence.  Reffell and Williams linked well on the left and the former got it into Wright who sent it back to Reffell who broke into the box, beating Gunn in the process but his shot was well saved by Harding low down to his left and a bit of indecision between the keeper and Johnson allowed the ball to roll perilously close to the Banbury goal line but they eventually pulled themselves together and cleared for a throw to Merthyr.  A few minutes later a Scotcher cross went all the way across the Banbury area about 8 yards out and Harding failed to collect but again there was no Merthyr player there to add the final touch.   Reffell also got a shot in from the D which cannoned off Johnson and away for a corner which was taken short by Scotcher to Williams and back to Scotcher whose cross was again deflected behind for a corner.  William’s long far post corner found the head of Wright but Johnson got in to clear.  

The game was flowing towards its conclusion with Merthyr looking comfortable as they defended their 18 yard area well and holding the ball upfront but they did allow Jeacock to cut in from the left but his shot went well wide of the Merthyr goal, almost going out for a throw but a goal kick was the result.  A few minutes later a ball was put into the Merthyr area and Garner did well to get down and smother it and seemed to get a knock on the head from an onrushing Banbury forward.  Garner used his experience and stayed down for a while but eventually got up and cleared long.  

Then just as the full time whistle was imminent Traylor broke into the Banbury half and instead of holding it up and looking for a pass he opted to shoot from about 30 yards which was easily dealt with by Harding.  He kicked it long into the Merthyr half where it was head on by Johnson who had moved up from the back.  The ball went out right and ended up with Jeacock cutting inside McDonald and he put the ball all the way across the 6 yard area to find Self at the far post and he hammered it towards goal and although Watkins got his head to it, he couldn’t prevent the ball crossing the line and at the death, Banbury got their undeserved equaliser.  Almost immediately, Hutson replaced Traylor and shortly afterwards, Mr Smith blew the final whistle with the score 1-1.

I suppose taking into account all the travelling in the last few weeks plus the players absent through injury, if you’d offered me a point before the game I would have snapped your hand off.  But after dominating large parts of the game and keeping Banbury at arms length until their last gasp equaliser it felt more like a defeat.  The boys displayed energy and their normal commitment and deserved better.  They all played well – Wright, Evans and Scotcher bossed the middle and Traylor, Reffell and McLaggon kept the Banbury defenders busy all evening.  Watkins made a superb debut at right back and he looked very good indeed and did not look out of place alongside Baggridge, Tancock and McDonald and it’s difficult to pick a MOTM but I will opt for Wright as he scored a good goal and looked more his old self as he contributed a lot to our performance.  No doubt others will have other names in the frame and I wouldn’t argue with any choice as they all played well.

What impressed me was how we kept the ball with many passing movements and kept it simple and looked organised and well disciplined and manager Williams could have a selection conundrum to solve when all our players are fit again.  3 away games with 2 in midweek all ending in draws is a good return and it could have been better and things are looking bright under the stewardship of Gavin Williams.

Well done boys – Onwards and Upwards!

Sorry, Sol but it was a packed game as you saw. Brevity is not my strong point

Highlights of the game on here:

http://www.banburyunitedfc.co.uk/news/banbury-united-1-merthyr-town-1--six-and-a-half-mi-1699826.html

Well, I couldn't see anything wrong with the disallowed goal, and their keeper didn't seem to be complaining.

I totally agree Hirwaunman.

Strange decision from the Lino.

Boz