MERTHYR v Cambridge

Team:
Davies
Davies Tancock McDonald Barrow Evans Copp Compton
Traylor Jenkins Richards

Subs:
Patten Bowen Bull Prosser

4 subs...

23rd min, McDonald has gone off injured and Patten has come on

1-0 up, Barrow with a free kick from just outside of the area. 43rd min

1-0 up half time. And Banbury are losing 2-0 so it's been a good afternoon so far

Bull and Prosser on for Copp and Crompton 62mins.

2-0 63rd min! Bull crosses for Prosser to score.
His 150th goal!

3-0 in the 70th min, Bull with his first goal for the club - let's hope it's the first of many! Nice finish into the bottom corner.

4-0 Traylor in the 80th min. Hint of a possible OG. Hopefully the goal difference will be an advantage!

5-0 in injury time. Traylor with a penalty after handball by their defender.

5-0 full time. Back on track for the playoffs!

brilliant stuff
thanks for updates mate

Only on for half hour but Josh Bull was a breath of fresh air with his movement and positional play.

Today’s team:

O.Davies;
A.Davies,Tancock,McDonald,Barrow;
Evans.Copp;
Traylor,Compton,Jenkins;
Richards;

Subs:
Patten for McDonald (injured) after about 23 minutes
Bull for Copp after about 60 minutes
Prosser for Compton at the same time
Bowen

Changes from the last game were with Scott Barrow back from suspension, Scott Tancock starting in central defence in place of Jarrad Wright, who I think I heard the club’s Honorary President say on the radio this morning was away on holiday. Kyle Copp came in for Kyle Patten who was on the bench, and in the absence from the starting lineup through injury and suspension of Kayne McLaggon, Ryan Prosser and Keyon Reffell we had Eliot Richards as the main striker with Jack Compton in midfield.

We had an early chance with about 2 minutes gone when Scott Barrow put over a good cross from the left to Ian Traylor on the far side of the area, but he completely miskicked the ball. About 6 minutes after that a cross-shot from Traylor on the right went wide of the far post.

We worked a good chance after about 11 minutes when an excellent run down the left by Corey Jenkins saw him cross to Ian Traylor on the far side of the area. He laid the ball back for Jack Compton but his shot was charged down.

Merthyr were having almost all of the play, but the unfamiliar lineup was perhaps partly the reason for us not really putting our game together.

With about 23 minutes gone Curtis McDonald unfortunately had to leave the field through an injury which I didn’t really see. Kyle Patten took his place at the back.

Cambridge continued to show very little going forward as we continued to dominate without really threatening. After about 26 minutes a ball over a defender’s head left Ian Traylor with a good chance of a shot but he missed the ball completely.

With about 39 minutes gone there was the first effort at goal from Cambridge with a free kick from the edge of the area after a foul by Adam Davies for which he was booked. But the free kick over the Merthyr wall was an easy catch for Oliver Davies.

A couple of minutes before the break we had another good opening when Ian Traylor down the left put over a good cross to the far post where Corey Jenkins headed the ball down but a defender got in ahead of Eliot Richards.

However, a minute later Scott Barrow showed Cambridge how it should be done from a free kick outside the area, putting it over the defensive wall with the keeper unable to prevent it from going in.

Certainly a deserved lead on the balance of play in the first half, but for all our dominance we’d been unable to test their keeper until the goal. Eliot Richards had battled away up front, with some good touches, but had won practically nothing in the air. Our main threat had come from the occasional run down the left by Corey Jenkins, with Ian Traylor again not looking at his best.

A minute after the break Cambridge’s first shot at goal from open play came with a long range drive which had Oliver Davies diving across but was always going wide.

Cambridge were forcing us back for the first time in the match, but with about 55 minutes gone we mounted a rare attack which saw Jack Compton put a good shot just over the bar from the edge of the area.

Despite Cambridge’s pressure they were unable to really test Oliver Davies, and then, not for the first time this season, a double substitution turned the game Merthyr’s way. Ryan Prosser, fitter than expected, came on to play the last half hour, together with new signing Josh Bull. With Jack Compton and Kyle Copp going off we changed initially to a 4-4-2 formation with the two subs up front and Eliot Richards now back in midfield.

About 3 minutes later, and against the run of play in the half so far, Ashley Evans did well to win the ball in midfield and put Ian Traylor away down the left. He laid the ball forward for Josh Bull and although with a chance of a shot he unselfishly squared the ball across the area for the unmarked Ryan Prosser to score his 150th Merthyr goal and probably one of the easiest of all of them. Then, just 6 minutes later, Eliot Richards, looking 100% more effective in midfield played a good through ball to Josh Bull on the left of the area to make no mistake with a good finish from 15 yards.

After about 75 minutes it was 4-0 when Corey Jenkins, playing on the right since the substitutions went to the line for the first time since then and put the ball into the middle for Ian Traylor to turn into the net from 6 yards.

About 5 minutes from the end Cambridge were down to 10 men when their no. 11 limped off after they had used all their substitutes.

We rubbed it in right on time when a long ball into the area from Corey Jenkins was adjudged to have been handled by a defender as he kept it away from Ian Traylor. It was Traylor himself who took the penalty, hammering the ball home.

Well, 5-0 was probably the difference between the two sides, with I'd say Cambridge being one of the three poorest to have visited Penydarren Park this season. I’ve put our lacklustre first half display down to the much-changed lineup, and it was only when we had Ryan Prosser on up front that we began to cause Cambridge any real trouble in defence. Full marks to Josh Bull, with a dream debut, creating one goal and scoring another and who worked well as one of two strikers. Ian Traylor improved after the break, punishing Cambridge right at the end, Corey Jenkins had one of his better games when on either wing he always looked like beating the defenders to the line, and Oliver Davies gave a very steady performance in a game when steadiness was all that was required of him. But, the well-worn phrase, I thought man of the match was Ashley Evans.

So we move back 3 points ahead of Banbury (thanks to Dan Summerfield and company at Stratford) and further improve a goal difference which is worth a point. With Slough losing at Frome we’re now 4 points behind them, and with our run-in slightly easier than theirs who knows if we could catch them? A home semi-final play-off game does look out of reach though.

A good attendance in the circumstances of 441, with some supporters evidently still not back from Ireland.

Points on the board

Any news on the injury McDonald suffered, saw him pull up, looked like a hamstring to me.

Yesterday's goals:-

Scott's free kick:-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPeMk9c2juA

The Beard's 150th:-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSayLwzwQ5g

The Bull's 1st ever Martyrs goal:-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXvhifhb87g

Traylz' 1st or was it an OG?:-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAbfujkEQgU

Traylz' Penalty:-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Ctmw4YheI4

Just uploaded some photos from yesterday's game.