Slough v MERTHYR

Team:
Davies
Davies Tancock McDonald Barrow
Reffell Evans Copp
Traylor Prosser McLaggon

Subs:
Wright Patten Richards Compton Jenkins

Same starters as last week but a couple of changes to the bench

Sub: 40mins Compton and Wright on for Prosser and Copp

Sub: 40mins Compton and Wright on for Prosser and Copp

Hitchin 0 Frome 1 HT

Dan Summerfield 0 Chippenham 0 HT


Boz

the hills have dai's

H/t 0-0

Crowd 757 - with a good Merthyr contingent!

Early subs.

Slough one up on the hour mark from Flood.

Boz

1 down - deflected goal around the hour mark.

Corey Jenkins for Adam Davies.

Let's hope he can add an S to his Christian name.

Boz

sub: Jenkins on for A Davies 75mins

Late goal for Chippenham.

Cmon Town sneak a last minute one.

Boz

McLaggon shoots wide in injury time - that was the chance.

F/t 1-0 loss.

Other results:

Chesham 0 Leamington 1
Hitchin 2 Frome 2
Stratford 0 Chippenham 1

We stay second on goal difference.

A deflected effort on the Merthyr goal and the non awarding of a first half penalty consigned the Martyrs to their first defeat in 12 games but despite that we remain in second place in the Southern League Premier Division.

New signing Jack Compton took his place on the bench alongside Jenkins, Wright, Patten and Richards as manager Williams kept faith with the eleven who started in the comprehensive defeat of Chesham the previous Saturday.

The game kicked off in bright sunshine and Slough attacked from the off and gained a corner after Tancock deflected an attempted cross behind. Evans got the resulting kick clear and Williams latched onto it but sent his shot high over the bar. Merthyr retaliated thanks to Barrow and Traylor but Reffell was robbed and Slough broke forward and although McDonald cleared the immediate danger, Copp was robbed by Williams but his shot was safely caught by Ollie in the Merthyr goal. Slough had started brightly and Tancock was again forced to concede another corner when he cut out a cross hit by James. Evans cleared the near post corner but it went out of play for a Slough throw and from that Flood managed to get a header in which went high over the Merthyr bar.

After the first 4 minutes, Merthyr started to make inroads themselves and Barrow, at his second attempt sent in a long high cross into the Slough area which was met at the far post by Prosser who headed it back across goal but Traylor sent his header over Scott’s bar. Both sides were trying to move forward but were largely cancelling themselves out and the game was being largely played in midfield but Adam did manage to send a long ball towards the Slough area and Scott had to come out of the box to head clear under pressure from Traylor. The ball came back to Adam and he found Traylor whose cross was well caught by Scott under pressure from Prosser.

Then after about 15 minutes good play by Merthyr in the Slough half led to McLaggon picking the ball up on the right and he sent it wider towards Adam who passed it back inside towards McLaggon who got into the Slough area where he was brought down by Smart but the referee, Mr Atkin, much to the chagrin of all players, staff and supporters of the Martyrs and to the amazement and relief of those connected with Slough waved play on and the ball ran through to Scott.

Merthyr were now having more of the play and it was Slough’s turn to be under pressure but like the Merthyr defence the home equivalent defended well. The game seemed deadlocked seven minutes before the break Williams decided to do something about it and made bold substitutions replacing Prosser and Copp with new signing Compton and Wright. Shortly afterwards Evans was fouled near the halfway line and Ollie came out to send a long kick forward which was defended but the ball fell to Compton but his cross was put out of play for a throw. Barrow took it to Compton who slid it back to Barrow who sent in a long far post cross which Mclaggon leapt for and he was fouled by Stonehouse but again Mr Atkin awarded nothing and the ball went through to Traylor but his shot was charged down by Nisbet and away for a corner. The corner went high into the area over the head of McDonald and the ball came off McLaggon’s body and went just wide of Scott’s left hand post. Shortly afterwards the referee brought that half to an end with Merthyr in the ascendancy with a 0-0 scoreline with the Martyrs feeling hard done by after being denied a clear spot kick.

Merthyr kicked off at the start of the 2nd half and in the initial stages the half followed a similar pattern to the first and Merthyr caused the first problem when Reffell did well on the halfway line to shield the ball and slipped it right to Wright. He sent it further forward to Compton who stepped inside and sent a 30 yard shot just wide of Scott’s right hand post. Shortly afterwards a Slough ball into the Merthyr half was intercepted by McDonald who found Adam on the right who sent it long towards McLaggon and the ball ran through to Scott but Mr Atkin saw a foul by the Merthyr striker and issued a yellow card. A few minutes later, Barrow picked up the ball in the Merthyr half and sent it forward to Reffell who held it up and moved inside only to be tackled but the loose ball fell to Barrow who advanced into the Slough area and sent a left footed shot just over the Slough bar. a few minutes later the referee spotted a foul on McLaggon just outside the Slough area and Compton sent it back towards Barrow but this time his 20 yard strike at goal went high over Scott’s bar.

Merthyr were in the ascendancy but with about 20 minutes left Slough broke the deadlock with fortuitous goal. They gained a free kick just inside the Merthyr half on their right and Fraser sent it towards the Merthyr area. A combination of Traylor and Evans got it clear and despite a foul being committed on the latter play was allowed to carry on and Fraser got the ball forward down the right and Harris’s cross was met by Flood who turned and his shot took a deflection off Adam Davies which totally wrong footed his namesake Ollie and the ball nestled in the back of the Merthyr net and Slough were one up.

Merthyr, in an attempt to get back into the game pressed forwards but Slough were defending well but they did give away a free kick when Smart was pulled up for a foul about 30 yards out from the Slough goal in a central position. Compton too the kick and Scott got down well at his right hand post to pull off a good save. Merthyr were still coming forward and Compton was on the receiving end of a foul and before Barrow could take the kick, Smart and Wright got themselves involved in a fracas on the edge of the Slough area which was dealt with sensibly by the referee and Barrow ran up and took the kick into the area and Traylor and Scott went for the ball and the Slough keeper palmed the ball away, scuttled after it and fell on the ball near the right hand edge of his area. Slough then made a good break down their right and got the ball into the area and Davies did well to save at the feet of James at the expense of a corner. Smart’s kick went far post and Webb headed it back across goal and James’s header went wide of the Merthyr goal. In a last throw of the dice, Merthyr replaced Davies with Jenkins in an attempt to use his pace to prise open the home defence but the Slough defenders were doing well. The nearest Merthyr got to an equaliser was when Wright found Barrow on the left and he got it inside to McLaggon on the edge of the area who held it up and slipped it right to Traylor who got inside the area towards goal but his shot from a relatively narrow angle was well saved by Scott in the air and maybe a cross to McLaggon may have been the better bet but you can’t really criticise a striker for having a pop at goal. Later McLaggon had a shot on goal which went just wide of the keepers right hand post and then in the last minute after a long throw by Barrow, McLaggon had a shot on the turn from about 10 yards which went just wide of Scott’s right hand post and the last chance was gone and Slough ended up winning 1-0.

It was a game where both sides tended to cancel each other out and it was always going to be a stroke of luck which would lead to a winner. Merthyr didn’t get that in the first half when an obvious penalty for a foul on McLaggon was not given but Slough did in the second when a shot by Flood which Davies (O) may have got to was involuntarily deflected by Davies (A) sending it past the keeper. Overall a draw would have been a fair result as neither side really did enough to win the game. McLaggon was probably Merthyr’s MOTM and Compton looked more than useful on his debut. Our next 2 games at home to Hitchin on Tuesday and Frome on Saturday now have added importance as it is getting very tight at the top of the table.

For me yesterday’s result paled into insignificance when I learned of the death of Granville Morris after speaking to Mrs OS after the game. He was one of our oldest supporters and a kind, gentle man and will be sadly missed at the Park as well as at several away grounds throughout the country. RIP Granville.

This was another game that we should have one again,great to see Compton at Merthyr but we really need is a striker.
Too many chances lost and if we are trying to stay in the playoffs we have to have a striker.

'This was another game that we should have one again,great to see Compton at Merthyr but we really need is a striker.
Too many chances lost and if we are trying to stay in the playoffs we have to have a striker'

If you look at the Southern League Premier statistics, you will see that the top three scorers (discounting penalties) each have 17 goals. Kayne McLaggon is fourth with 15 and Ian Traylor 14, so we have proven strikers already. Goals are hard to come by against stiff opposition like Slough and missed chances are more significant.

However, time marches on and no-one will be more aware than Gavin Williams of the importance of competition for places and the need, eventually, to bring in new blood in place of those who have served us well, whatever their role in the team.

It doesn't matter where traylor or Mclaggon are in the standings,what we are sorely missing is a quality striker.
We have a fantastic team at the moment in a positions but we have no one up front putting them away,if Merthyr hope to progress then is the one area that needs looking at imho

Agree, we need a quality striker if we are serious about progressing this season, especially for the play offs where chances will be at a minimum and must be taken.