MERTHYR v Histon

Team:
Clarke
Davies Jones Baggridge Bloom
Traylor Wright Evans Brown
Prosser McLaggon

Subs: Tancock Scotcher Bowen Morgan Reffell

Goal disallowed, foul on their keeper. 20 mins. Rain easing off slightly!

0-0 half-time.

Reffell on for Prosser.

Penalty!

1-0! Traylor. About 57 mins gone.

2-0 Traylor. About 60 mins.

1-0 Traylor Penalty 65mins

Histon, Chesham and Bedworth all losing. At the moment we're 15th and closer to the play-offs than the relegation zone

Brown off, Kerry on.

2-0 now. Traylor again! 70th min

Kayne off, Scotcher on.

3-0! Kerry Morgan 91 mins.

Won 3-0.

3-0 Morgan at the death!

Great win boys. Sounds like they have their confidence back.
Looking forward to next Saturday.

Attendance 453. Pretty good considering the weather.

Much better performance alround today totally outplayed Huston well done all.

Great display today. hopefully another win vs chippenham on Tuesday night

couldn't get there today,

great win, come on lads well done

Today's team:

Clarke;
Davies,Jones,Baggridge,Bloom;
Traylor,Evans,Wright,Brown;
McLaggon,Prosser;

Subs:
Reffell for Prosser (injured?) at half time
Morgan for Brown after about 73 minutes
Scotcher for McLaggon after about 85 minutes
Tancock
Bowen

Evidently Tom Bradley was still unfit so Cameron Clarke retained his place in goal, and is unlikely to have an easier game than this one. So it was an unchanged team from midweek, with Keyon Reffell on the bench. An encouraging sight was Matthew Harris taking part in the pre-match and half time kickabouts, although it may not be significant.

With heavy rain either side of 3 o'clock I think this was another of those occasions when we can say it was the 3G pitch that allowed the game to be played.

We apparently played 4-4-2 at King's Lynn, and did the same today, which is quite a new departure for the team in recent seasons and will no doubt please those calling for two up front.

It was after about 3 minutes when we had our first opening. Kayne McLaggon and Ryan Prosser combined to give Jon Brown the chance of a shot from the left of the area but he put it well over the bar.

With Histon set up very defensively, it was 22 minutes before we had another real effort at goal, with a shot from Ryan Prosser parried away by the keeper.

We weren't really putting our game together going forward, and it was on about 35 minutes before another decent shot came in - from 25 yards by Jarrad Wright which went just wide with the keeper scrambling across. Just before the break, Adam Davies did well down the right before the ball came across to Ian Traylor on the left of the area, and he saw his shot pushed past the far post by the keeper. From the corner a shot hit the top of the bar.

Histon were looking as a poor a side as Cirencester had in the last match - and we know what happened then! - with Cameron Clarke hardly in the game in the first half, with the win there for the taking if we could raise our game a bit.

Presumably Ryan Prosser had taken a knock of some sort as he was replaced by Keyon Reffell for the second half, and he looked distinctly lively as we started in storming fashion winning a series of corners. Histon somehow weathered the storm though, pulling every player back to defend them, and on about 56 minutes Cameron Clarke had to make his first save of the match, to a header from a free kick. We went straight down the other end and had our best chance of the game so far when Histon presented Jon Brown with the ball close to the byline. He pulled it back to set up Kayne McLaggon for a shot which he put across goal and past the far post when it looked as if he must score.

It was about 6 minutes after that when Reffell won the ball on the halfway line and ran at the Histon defence. He slipped the ball through to put Kayne McLaggon clear on the right of the area, and by the time he had sorted himself out he was brought down by the Histon keeper for a penalty. There then followed lengthy delaying tactics by Histon, starting with arguments with referee and linesman. When the ball was placed on the spot for Ian Traylor to take the kick the Histon number 8 continued to complain with the linesman on the edge of the area, and by the time that was sorted out the ball had been removed from the spot and the majority of the rest of the players were engaged in some mild pushing and shoving. All of this was simply watched by the referee, apparently content to let them get on with it instead of actually taking any action to get the game going again. Eventually he called both captains over for a lengthy chat, and after more delays from Histon, Ian Traylor thankfully kept a cool head to send the Histon keeper the wrong way from the spot. I timed the goal as at least four minutes after the penalty was awarded.

After about 69 minutes it was 2-0. After good work down the right by Kayne McLaggon and Jon Brown the ball came back to Ashley Evans. He sent the ball into the area where Ian Traylor met it with a looping header for the ball to drop in the top corner.

About 4 minutes after that Cameron Clarke was in action again, making a not too difficult sprawling save to a shot from the edge of the area.

Kerry Morgan replaced Jon Brown after about 73 minutes, and Elliot Scotcher came on for Kayne McLaggon after about 85 minutes.

At 2-0 the remainder of the game was more open, and in added time we gave the scoreline a realistic look when Ian Traylor broke forward and played the ball to Kerry Morgan in oceans of space on the left. He ran on, turned a defender one way then the other on the edge of area and hammered the ball past the keeper with almost the last kick of the match.

So in the end a scoreline which reflected the minimum we deserved on the balance of play. This was really what should have happened against Cirencester, but this time we were able to put our chances in the net. Not tor the first time I'd say Ashley Evans was man of the match, although Ian Traylor wasn't far behind. We were untroubled in defence, mainly because Histon never seemed to have more than one man in attack, although they pushed forward a bit more at 2-0 down. Kayne McLaggon had a decent game, but I couldn't help thinking that last season he would have put away the chance when Jon Brown pulled the ball back to him, and also would have got the ball in the net before the keeper brought him down for the penalty. Keyon Reffell impressed and looks as if he could become a real crowd favourite, deserving most of the credit for the crucial first goal.

As Nubs says, the attendance of 453 was very good considering the weather, and was a lot more than I was expecting, so if anyone was unable to buy a programme please contact Liam Toomey as it should be possible to print some more: liamtoomey@merthyrtownfc.co.uk

Merthyr Imp wrote:I timed the goal as at least four minutes after the penalty was awarded.

At least. JC called me when the pen was awarded. Five minutes later we were still chatting awaiting the pen.

Another much needed win. Thought the new lad was very impressive.

Quote from Histon Twitter:-
"Praise for the 3g surface. Without that no game today and a totally wasted journey."

Very good display today.
You could see the confidence coming back