Merthyr Towns Record breaking season

As programmes sold out early yesterday, people may be interested in some statistics that were included in an article in yesterday's programme.

Taking the original Merthyr Town FC, Merthyr Tydfil FC and our reformed Merthyr Town FC, teams playing at Penydarren Park have played for 68 seasons in the Southern League, plus a further three appearances of a Merthyr Town reserve side in the 1920s.
During those 68 seasons the different versions of the club have won various divisions of the league 10 times, winning the league top position on six of those occasions, a record only equalled by Southampton FC in the late 19th and early 20th century.
Our superb record this season is in all respects one of our best performances in comparison with previous sides playing at Penydarren Park as follows;

• The 122 goals scored during this season has only been surpassed on five occasions during the glory years of the late 1940s and early 1950s, when the club could justifiably claim to be the best non league side in the country, winning the Southern League 5 times in 7 years.
• In addition to having one of the best goals for record in 68 seasons, the team has achieved the third lowest goals against in our Southern League history, letting in only thirty four goals at a rate of .8 goals per game. This has been bettered only once by the 1911/12 Division Two winning side and the 2002/2003 Western Division winners.
• If we look at goals scored divided by goals against (goal average, which years ago was the method used instead of goal difference for dividing teams with the same points) our record this year is 2.81 goals scored for every goal against. That is bettered only by the 1911/12 side which achieved a ratio of 4.28.
• The most important measure of success is the number of points gained per game. Our record for this season is 2.42, which is our best performance in 68 years of Southern League competition. Points totals received in earlier seasons have been adjusted to give three points for a win and one for a draw. The league winning team of 1950/51 amassed 105 points but these were earned over 46 games.

Not only does our record this season compare favourably with Merthyr teams of the past, but we have put in the best statistical performance of all the teams in the top 12 divisions in the non league pyramid.
• Only two teams have a marginally better goals against per game record than us (Bristol Rovers and FC United).
• Merthyr has the best goals for per game in all twelve divisions.
• We also have the best points per game record in those divisions.

Imp....I think you just lost your Statistical Crown.....Boz

Wanderin' will be furious!!

I've been working on the Tables off and on for a few days (Honest)!

Boz1964 wrote:Imp....I think you just lost your Statistical Crown.....Boz

I did get in my own two pennorth in the editorial notes!

If anyone would like to have John's above article in hard copy form, as I've said in the other thread further copies of the programme can be printed on request - contact Liam Toomey:

liamtoomey@merthyrtownfc.co.uk

To have the best goals for record and almost the best goals against record is remarkable - and all done in style