MERTHYR v Wimborne

Updates here!

Team: Cutlan Newall Howe rewbs Colborne harris Newman Jones Prosser preen Traylor. Subs marcus willo Tubbs Cornwall Alun.

1 down 20mins

Sort yourselves out boys. Latest, Swindon Supermarine 2-0 up

HT ; yate 1-1
Swindon sm 2 up
paulton 0-0

H/t 1 down

56th min subs. Marcus Griffiths and Cornwall on. Jones and Preen off

1 1 m griffiths 68mins

2 1 m griffiths 72mins

1 1 m griffiths 68mins!

Merthyr 3 - Wimborne 1

3 1 ft get in!

Congratulations to the team, coaches and all concerned with Merthyr town.
It's the play offs, lets still go for 3 pts from our other games

Swindon SM won 2-1
Paulton 0-0
yate 1-1
Hungerford, don't know yet.

Well done to players and management on achieving the play off spot .

Poor first half today,but we certainly came alive in the second half
the subs.changed the game today.Giles had very little to do really
but a couple of first class saves certainly helped the cause,keep it going
lads well done on reaching the play offs.

Today's team:

Cutlan;
Newall,Rewbury,Colborne,Howe;
Jones,Harris,Newman;
Preen,Prosser,Traylor;

Subs:
M. Griffiths for Preen (injured) after about 55 minutes
Cornwall for Jones at the same time
Thomas
A.Griffiths
Williams

With Kris Leek now injured as well as Nathan Davies we did have Matthew Harris back, and Steve Williams fit enough to be on the bench.

Wimborne almost scored after about 4 minutes following a free kick out on the right which led to a 20-yard shot which was deflected and was heading just inside the post until Giles Cutlan got to it with a fine save.

We were unable to mount a worthwhile attack and it was no surprise when Wimborne took the lead after about 18 minutes. A free kick out on the right was headed back across goal and inside the far post. We did come into the game a bit more then, but without really threatening to score.

After about 35 minutes Giles Cutlan kept us in the game, saving with his legs after a Wimborne player found himself clean through. About 5 minutes later our first decent attack of the game ended with Ian Traylor having a shot blocked, but just before half time Wimborne almost scored again with a header going inches wide after we'd been unable to clear the ball. Then at the other end there was still time for Ryan Newman to have a shot cleared off the line after Ryan Prosser headed the ball down to him.

But it was a really sloppy performance in the first half, and only thanks to good goalkeeping and a bit of luck that we were still in the game.

A minute after the break Garyn Preen created an opening for himself but shot over the bar, and about 3 minutes later Ryan Newman put a good right-foot shot inches wide. The worry was that we might regret these missed chances, and the clearance off the line at the end of the first half, and after about 50 minutes we had to make a clearance off the line ourselves as Wimborne attacked down the middle.

Garyn Preen had gone down injured, and went off after about 55 minutes to be replaced by Marcus Griffiths. At the same time Aaron Cornwall came on for Luke Jones. We changed to 4-2-4 then, with Cornwall alongside Ryan Prosser and Marcus Griffiths out wide.

After about 60 minutes Aaron Cornwall and Ryan Newman combined to set up Matthew Harris, but he put a shot over the bar from 20 yards. But about 6 minutes after that the substitutions paid off when Ryan Prosser headed the ball down for Cornwall who set up Marcus Griffiths to hit a left-foot shot in off the underside of the bar from 15 yards.

Although we were pushing Wimborne back now they weren't out of it yet, and Ryan Newman had to make a saving tackle with Giles Cutlan a long way out of his goal.

After about 70 minutes we turned the game round, taking the lead when a long ball from deep by Jamie Rewbury gave Marcus Griffiths the chance to use his pace to get to it first inside the area on the right and make no mistake, lifting it over the keeper for a neat finish..

About 5 minutes after that there was a header off the line from a lob from Ian Traylor after he ran into the area on the left. But the corner, swung in from Ryan Newman on the right found one of the smaller men on the pitch in Aaron Cornwall to head in from 6 yards.

Wimborne looked well beaten by then, but on 90 minutes Giles Cutlan had to make another fine save, getting down well to push away a well-hit volley.

Well, it was - to put the old cliche into sensible English - a game of two contrasting halves. We just couldn't put our game together for most of the first half when Wimborne were much the better side. At 1-0 after the break, I don't know if they sat back too much, or if we raised our game but it was a tremendous comeback, and the substitutions really worked, with Marcus Griffiths at his best.

Really difficult to select a man of the match - Giles Cutlan kept us in the game in the first half, and Ryan Newman not only had a good second half, but was one of the few who played well in the first half. But you've got to say Marcus Griffiths for his finishing that turned the game around.

A point needed to ensure a Play-offs spot but just 307 attendance. At the awards evening afterwards, Garry Shephard praised the fans, especially those who at much expense travelled to away games but said better support was needed at home!

Thanks to all of the Junior Martyrs who took part in the sponsored ball dribble at half time today. The event has raised over £340.00, with more donations pending, so far due once again to the generosity of our supporters.

A big thank you too to Wingnut for sorting out the sponsored footballs from Uhlsport for each of the children to keep as a souvenir.

Well done to everyone involved.

Great day all round nice weather and a great 2nd half comeback. The opposition looked resolute and put up a stern challenge but once the Martyrs started knocking the ball around we had too much for them going forward. I thought there seemed more than 307 there I estimated a bit more than that but fantastic result. Up the town

Seemed more like 407 to me.

Good to see the supporters who live outside the borough- and there are lots of them. Hooe they continue.

There is video of almost the whole game here (no commentary though):-

https://www.youtube.com/user/Cuthbury/videos?view=0

I haven't bothered watching the first half coverage - once was enough!

Yesterdays game was full of cliches ......a game of two halves...sick as a parrot early on but over the moon Jim with the second half .....inspired substitutions and it turned into a funny old game saint...well we made the play offs and we did so at a canter....fair play to gilo he kept us in the game early on...but I thought Aaron Cornwall had his best game yet...his touch was sublime and put the ball on a plate for Marcus so that he couldn't miss...not that he does anyway....two more for our sponsored shirt....now worth 3 million zloty on eBay....the injection of pace and formation change turned the second half into glebe land street - one way traffic- and it was soon a question of when rather than if we would score....hope we perform as well in the second half today against bridge water....sadly cant be there on parental duties in north east England but hope to hear the result to be a bit of a landslide ....Poole can do us a favour against Swindon and we get third place and a money spinning home tie.....happy as a policeman in excreta with the result....up the town ...boz

yes a tale of 2 halfs, dire in the first but sublime in the second .
cornwall did well fair play im off up today so should be intresting to who plays !!!
as for the crowd looked more than 307 id go for the 400 plus mark myself which aint bad really lets hope we get a good tie and get the final at home .
plenty of x cardiff fans up there today i reckon next season we will see a few more up there with the city pricing fans out aswell as the rebrand which stinks ..........
up the TOWN !!!!