Frome v MERTHYR

Team:
Garner
Watkins Wright McDonald Tancock
Evans Yorwerth Richards
Traylor Prosser McLaggon.

Subs:
Baggridge Barrow Jenkins Williams

An attacking line-up.

Boz

H/t 1 down.
Goal scored right on half time, against the run of play. Poor defending.

Twitter says 1-0 diwn at Half Time .....Boz

2 down just after starting second half.

Twitter says 2-0

Subs Tancock, Watkins and Prosser off; Baggridge, Williams and Barrow on.
Wholesale changes.

Let's hope for a Merthyr Revival.

I'd take a draw now.


Boz

2-1. Wright pulls a goal back around the hour mark.

It starts in earnest.

Jarrad Wright 1-2

Boz

2-2! Traylor with a 40 yard lob as we approach full time.

Let's hope that 'sews' up a draw.


Don't want to be greedy....Boz

Ft 2-2. Better 2nd half - despite the defence parting like the Red Sea for Fromes second!

Sounds like the best comeback since Bobby Ewing.

2-2 Full Time .

Can't wait to read Ancient Turf's tome.

Second Half particularly.

Boz

Thanks for the updates. Another result of the kind we've been having lately which shows the character of the side.

Great result , but who is earnest that turned the game around ?

Under par performance from the lads tonight, Gavin was class when he came on when we were 2 down - game changer. The point takes us up a place to 5th in a play off spot. The second goal from Traylor was worth the trip to Frome

There's a match report on Frome Town's website, although perhaps not to be 100% relied on;

http://www.frometownfc.co.uk/reports/merthyr_home.htm

He is birds brother Jeff.

A bold triple substitution by manager Gavin Williams earned a point at Frome as the Martyrs came back from 2 down and in doing so they leapfrogged Dunstable and eased themselves into the play off positions.

With Reffell unavailable due to work commitments Merthyr gave a start to on loan player Eliot Richards playing in the hole behind Prosser and McLaggon.  As usual, Garner was in goal playing behind a back 4 of Watkins, Wright, McDonald and Tancock with Yorwerth, Evans and Traylor in midfield.  Baggridge, Barrow, Jenkins and Williams gave us a 4 man bench.

Frome kicked off playing down the considerable slope a la the Hungerford pitch and Merthyr broke up the initial foray into the Merthyr half and broke up the right through McLaggon but his ball into Prosser was intercepted and cleared.  In the early exchanges, Merthyr were keeping Frome pegged in their own half without really threatening as the Frome defence were looking strong.  Frome gained a free kick as a wayward Evens pass found Davies who was fouled by Yorwerth. The kick was sent diagonally downfield by Summers and it was headed across into the Merthyr area but was easily dealt with and Merthyr cleared.  Merthyr retaliated but Richards’s ball towards McLaggon was intercepted by Greghan and he got the ball away to safety.  Richards was involved in a lot of the early play and it was he who was fouled on the halfway line on the Merthyr left and Tancock’s kick was sent forward to McLaggon near the byline and he held it up and ran along the line and came inside beating a couple of Frome defenders in the process and aimed a shot across goal towards the far post where it was cleared off the line by Mapstone and it bounced kindly into the hands of the Frome keeper, Phillips who grasped it gratefully.  Merthyr were on top with Evans and Yorwerth winning the ball well in midfield and moving the ball forward but the resolute Frome defence were keeping the likes of Traylor, McLaggon and Prosser at bay.  Frome’s main threat were from long balls down the slope towards the Merthyr area and from a free kick taken by Davies, Page headed it on towards the byline but the resulting cross went out of play for a Merthyr goal kick.  

Prosser then received a throw from Tancock on the left and he did well to get into the area in a bit of space but instead of having a pop at goal he elected to try and find McLaggon, who was in a better position but his pass was intercepted by Green who got the ball away and out of play for a Merthyr throw which came to nothing.  Frome then broke down their right through Jackson and he got the ball all the way across the Merthyr area but Watkins was in the right place and cleared well into the Frome half over both Prosser and Summers and as Prosser chased after it he seemed to be impeded by the flatfooted centre half but the referee saw nothing wrong and the ball went through to Phillips who cleared.  Shortly afterwards Merthyr gained the first corner of the game when McLaggon was challenged near the right hand touchline by Greghan after receiving a good ball from Yorwerth.  Richards sent the kick high into the area but Yorwerth was beaten to it in the air by Mapstone who cleared it towards the touchline and Miller completed the clearance by hammering the ball out of the ground for a Merthyr throw which Frome dealt with.  A few minutes later good work by McLaggon and Prosser allowed Richards to have a shot from about 18 yards which was charged down and the ball rebounded out to Yorwerth who from about 20 yards fizzed in a shot which went about a foot wide of Phillips’s right hand post.  Merthyr were keeping Frome penned in their half without really threatening and Frome’s main outlet were long balls forward which were either being cleared or the Frome forwards being flagged for offside.  

Merthyr gained a free kick just outside the D following good work on the left by McLaggon after he received an excellent diagonal ball across field by McDonald and as he found Yorwerth, Mapstone brought the Merthyr midfielder down.  Yorwerth took the kick up and over the Frome wall but it cleared Phillip’s bar by about 6 inches leading to a goal kick for the home side.  Later, Traylor made a good break towards the Frome area after yet another good diagonal by McDonald but his ball across the area was not met by a Merthyr forward and Mapstone hoicked it away to safety.  As the half was drawing to a close Merthyr continued to press forward and Tancock found Traylor on the left and he took Miller to the cleaners and got the ball high into the area but it went over McLaggon’s head and Phillips did well to get down to make a good safe catch near his far post.   As the first half drew to a close Merthyr came close to opening the scoring.  Watkins did well to get down the right and passed the ball inside to Evans and he sent forward to the right and found McLaggon who gave it back to Watkins whose cross into the box was charged down and it rebounded to McLaggon who again ran along the byline and into the Frome area and set it back to Yorwerth on the edge of the area in a central position but he sent his shot just wide of Phillips’s right hand post.  Then Frome, as last season, took the lead against the run of play.  Jefferies had the ball deep in the Merthyr half on the right and he pushed it towards the area and came back out to him and he took advantage by running down towards the byline and got in a low cross, out of reach of Garner and after an initial effort was blocked the ball ran to Davies who sent in a shot which hit the back of the net of an unguarded goal and Frome went into the break a goal to the good.

Merthyr had the advantage of the slope in the second half but any chance of a quick equaliser was quickly dashed as within 2 minutes Frome increased their lead. After Prosser was pushed in the back in the Frome half, an offence which went unpunished by the officials Frome broke forward and Jackson got hold of the ball and gave it back to Walker and the ball eventually reached Miller on the right and he got it into Davies and he gave it back to Jefferies, who had continued his run and was all on his own on the right of the Merthyr area and from a narrow angle he sent in a shot across goal which hit the side netting near Garner’s far post and Frome were leading 2-0.

Merthyr came forward looking to get one back but the Frome defence held firm and within a matter of minutes, Williams acted decisively and made a triple substitution with himself, Barrow and Baggridge replacing Prosser, Watkins and Tancock and it also meant a change in formation with Baggridge joining Wright and McDonald to form a back 3 with Traylor and Barrow playing wingback and Williams slotting into midfield and Richards moving forward to join McLaggon.  Even with the changes, initially Frome held firm and kept their calm.  Traylor was spending more time forward and Evans found him all on his own on the right and he cut inside but send a rather scuffed right footed shot wide of Phillips’s near post but it did represent Merthyr’s best effort of the half so far.  Williams was starting to exert his influence on the game and gained several free kicks as Frome tried to stop him which were well defended by Frome.  Evans was also receiving some rough treatment but Mr Fuller saw no reason to issue yellow cards as the Frome defending was getting more desperate and after the referee stopped play for the Frome physio to treat one of their players who was off the pitch Mr Fuller restarted play with a dropped ball and instead of sending it down to Garner, Frome kicked it out of play for a throw close to the Merthyr byline.  

A few minutes later, Merthyr gained a corner when McLaggon did well on the right but his cross was charged down.  Barrow came across to take it and as the game became a bit fractious, Mr Fuller delayed its taking and had a word with Wright and Mitchell who seemed to be having a bit of argy bargy in the penalty area and then allowed Barrow to take the kick which went high into the Frome area and dropped to Wright who shot towards goal and with McLaggon, deep in the Frome 6 yard area and he seemed to get the final touch on the turn (but maybe he didn't) to get the ball over the line to cut the arrears in half after 68 minutes.  The Frome bench went apoplectic claiming offside but when Wright got the ball forward he was clearly onside with the keeper and Greghan playing him on.  The antics on the Frome bench seemed to translate to the players on the pitch as they became more and more frantic to keep the Martyrs out and the lack of control from Mr Fuller didn’t help matters.  Baggridge, against one of his former clubs, was moving forward at every opportunity and virtually straight from the Frome kick off, Merthyr attacked with Williams heavily involved and he sent an excellent pass across field to find Barrow on the left and he came inside and gave it back to Williams who gave it back to Wright and across to McDonald who was fouled by Jeffries.  Barrow took the kick across field to Traylor who gave it back inside to Williams who gave it to Evans who sent it wide left to Barrow who sent a good cross into the Frome area and Baggridge at the far post sent in a looping header which went just over the Frome bar.

Merthyr continued to have most of the play with Frome struggling to get out of their own half but they did get close to the Merthyr area with Jeffries, Page and Davies involved but a combination of Williams and Wright cleared any danger and the ball was cleared to Richards who turned and he sent it wide right towards Traylor who beat Greghan and opted to send it back to Baggridge who gave it inside to Williams who sent it across field towards McDonald who found Barrow on the left who got the ball into the area and after a defensive miskick the ball came to Traylor who sent a shot towards the Frome goal but Phillips got down well to make a good save.  Frome had a rare attack when Jeffries sent the ball left towards Davies who was challenged by Baggridge at the expense of a corner.  The ball was sent high into the area and there was a bit of a scramble in the box but Wright got it clear and McLaggon got the ball to Barrow who gave it to Yorwerth who gave it to Baggridge on the halfway line who gave it to Traylor who got it inside to Richards who slipped it inside to Baggridge whose chip towards goal went wide of Phillips’s post.  A few minutes later Yorwerth picked up a loose ball in midfield and gave it to Barrow who made a good run down the left hand touchline, came inside towards the edge of the area and sent in a great near post cross towards McLaggon who flicked it just wide of Phillips’s right hand post and away for a goal kick and another chance to equalise was lost.  Shortly afterwards Teale replaced Page in a defensive Frome move and Page took an age to leave the field of play which added to the timewasting tactics employed by the home side.
Further Merthyr attacks were repelled and then Williams was a victim of a poor tackle by Greghan but for some reason Mr Fuller chose to book the unfortunate Walker and Barrow’s kick was easily cleared.  Frome, from a Merthyr throw near the halfway line nicked the ball and broke up their left and Jeffries broke forward and got into the Merthyr area and sent in a near post shot which Garner deflected into the side netting and behind for a corner.  The corner was cleared by Wright to Williams who sent it long into the Frome half towards McLaggon.  The ball bounced and Phillips came well out of his area and headed the ball clear towards Traylor who controlled the ball and didn’t rush and looked up and like Rory McIlroy lining up a pitch towards the green, he sent in an exquisite chip from about 40 yards which dipped just under the bar beating the retreating Phillips and Mapstone in the process and Merthyr were deservedly level with about 10 minutes left to play.

Virtually from the kick off Williams was fouled again and he sent a high far post cross which was met by the head of Yorwerth and Phillips did really well to get down to his right to make a good save.  Merthyr now looked for the winner and Frome’s defending became even more desperate.  McDonald did well to send a long ball into the Frome half which went over the Frome defensive line and as it bounced, McLaggon latched onto it.  Phillips came rushing out and got too close to McLaggon to enable the Merthyr striker to chip the keeper so he pushed it to his left and got passed Phillips but by the time he got in a shot on goal the Frome defence had got back and cleared it for a corner.  Before the corner could be taken Frome replaced Davies with Bryant and eventually the corner was cleared.  Further Merthyr pressure went unrewarded and Frome managed to hang on for an undeserved draw.

From being 2 down this must be seen as a point gained although Merthyr had enough chances to have won the game.  However the boys showed a great fighting spirit in adversity and fought back well and the manager’s substitutions were inspired.  I’m tempted to give my MOTM award to Williams for those changes and his play when he was on but Traylor’s superb goal, which would have graced any game plus his overall contribution to our attacks clinches the MOTM for me.

Yet another game which we would have lost last season has given us a reward which lifts us into the playoff positions and it’s Onwards and Upwards from here!

Well done Ancient Turf,

Glad to have a decent report to read on the game.

Much better than the mere 140 Twitter characters can convey.

Another long midweek trek for the lads in which they added to the points total.

Consistent once more and lovely when your substitions work out well.

Boz

Boz as apt and quick as ever. More one liners than Tim Vine.