MERTHYR v Poo le

Updates here (hopefully!)

Team: Bradley Jones Davies Evans Belle Baggridge Brown Wright Prosser Scotcher Traylor.

Subs: Hugh Clarke Bauza Bowen Jenkins

Bauza on in place of Prosser - groin strain

Prosser still not recovered from last weekend then I take it?

Come on Bauza!!

0-0 half time. Very little to report!

1 up Gethin Jones 84mins

F/At 1-0. Get in!!

Bloody marvellous!

Aye, I am! Thanks!!

Not a classic I understand, although our defence was well marshalled. Heard Fistral was at the game - hopefully gave him plenty to moan about!!

Today's team:

Bradley;
Jones,Belle,Baggridge,Davies;
Scotcher;
Traylor,Evans,Wright,Brown;
Bauza;

Subs:
Jenkins for Traylor after about 71 minutes
Hugh
Bloom
Bowen
Clarke

Apparently Ryan Prosser broke down during the warm-up. He was replaced up front by Guillermo Bauza, with James Bloom taking the latter's place on the bench.

Early on there were mis-kicks by both sides in our area, including following a corner rather needlessly conceded by Tom Bradley.  Poole made the better start, and after about 6 minutes Luke Roberts for them might have done better than put a rather weak header straight at Bradley from a left wing cross.

It developed into a rather scrappy game as we were not quite getting our game together and there was little of note until after about 30 minutes when Jarrad Wright headed the ball into the net from an Elliot Scotcher free kick but was given offside.

Poole came the closest to scoring in the first half after about 37 minutes when Roberts avoided being given offside on the right of the area but fired his shot wide of the far post.

That was about it for the first half with the Poole goalkeeper being untroubled and both sides showing few signs of being able to get through the other's defence.

We came nearest to scoring just before the hour mark when Elliot Scotcher took a free kick about 25 yards out and saw the ball come back off the post to be cleared.

Ian Traylor had been on one trademark run before being fouled and was doing a lot of chasing about before being replaced by the fresh legs of Corey Jenkins with just over 20 minutes to go.

With Poole looking even less likely to score than they had in the first half and seeming happy to settle for a replay it was looking as though we were in for a rare goal-less draw at Penydarren Park. However, after about 84 minutes Jon Brown put over a cross from the right which was headed behind for a corner on the left. Elliot Scotcher put the kick beyond the far post for Gethin Jones to head it back across and into the net.

About 3 minutes after the goal Poole were close to an equaliser when a through ball from the right forced Tom Bradley to come almost to the edge of his area to force the attacker to get in a shot which Rhys Baggridge deflected just past the post.

And there's not much more to record about the match. Both sides will point to injury-hit squads, and we suffered again up front with no recognised target man - Guillermo Bauza doing a fair job when the ball came to him on the ground but usually beaten when it was in the air. Jon Brown chased everything as usual and almost forced a goal when he blocked a clearance by the goalkeeper, when the ball might have gone anywhere but luckily for Poole went some way wide. After an uncertain first few minutes of the match we looked untroubled in defence, where Cortez Belle won just about everything, and I made him man of the match.

So, with the next round on 14th November the away match with Slough will have to be rearranged, also the following Tuesday night's game at Stratford should a replay be necessary.

Great result today and tremendous effort by the lads. Poole like the away game didn't offer too much and the result was a fair score. We hit the crossbar, and had a goal disallowed along the way. Bauza was leading them a merry dance towards the end and tempers boiled over as they accused him diving. But coming from a coastal resort the wind had been blown out of the Poole sails and they were men overboard. The Martyrs cruise on , bring on the draw for the next round. all aboard.

Excellent win today, Belle was MOTM for me. Shame about the attendance (270) why is it never announced these days

Jon brown mom for me .
His work rate and determination is top class.

I wish he try having a couple of shots at goal because his work rate like you say is tremendous

Belle matm great work however Bauza best game yet fair result

One of the quietest games I've ever been to at PP. Lovely weather too. Maybe the bl00dy rugby made a difference?
Anyway, not a great game but a good result and a few quid in the coffers. Can't pick a MOTM, would be unfair, but I'll hint at the three B's ;-)

nocturnalme wrote:Can't pick a MOTM, would be unfair, but I'll hint at the three B's ;-)

Would they be Bradley, Baggridge and Bowen by any chance?

Baggridge Belle. and Bauza

Just uploaded a few images on the new site from yesterday's game.

Killick rues 'sloppy' moment as Poole Town exit in Wales
Bournemouth Echo

MANAGER Tom Killick blamed a "sloppy" lapse in concentration as Poole Town fell at the FA Trophy's first hurdle at league rivals Merthyr.

Gethin Jones crashed home the winner seven minutes from the end to seal a tight 1-0 victory for the Martyrs in a match where chances had been few and far between.

Luke Roberts went close for the Dolphins, flashing wide after good build-up play by on-loan Jamie White seven minutes before the interval.

Goalkeeper Nick Hutchings produced a fingertip save early in the second half to retain parity but the Martyrs landed the killer blow when Jones converted from a corner during the dying embers, sending down a cul de sac on their road to Wembley.

Killick told the Daily Echo: "It was quite an even game and we looked like we would come away with a replay but a sloppy moment where we lost concentration briefly at a corner cost us our place in the competition. It was frustrating because other than a free-kick where they hit the bar, they wasn't an awful lot in the game. I thought we had the better of it but it wasn't to be."

Good report on the game from a Poole perspective - http://www.southcoastjournalism.co.uk/football-15-16-poole-town-vs-merthyr-town.php

Very fair I think.