MERTHYR v Hayes & Yeading

Updates here!

Team:
Davies
Davies Tancock Wright Barrow
Reffell Evans Richards
McLaggon Bull Jenkins.

Subs:
Patten Bowen Copp Compton Prosser

Late change Patten for Tancock. 4 subs now

H/t 0-0
Hitchen 1 down

1-0 up! Corey Jenkins straight after half time!

2-0 Richards on 52nd min. Fingers crossed!

60th min sub. Bull off and Prosser on
Richards makes it 3 on 61minutes!

4-0 McClaggon 62nd min

72nd min subs. McClaggon and Evans off, Copp and Compton on

4-0 full time
We finish third!!

Today’s team:

O.Davies;
A.Davies,Wright,Patten,Barrow;
Evans,Richards;
McLaggon,Reffell,Jenkins;
Bull;

Subs:
Prosser for Bull after about 58 minutes
Copp for Evans after about 70 minutes
Compton for McLaggon at the same time
Bowen

With Scott Tancock originally on the team sheet there was a late change with Kyle Patten replacing him in defence due to his evidently not recovered from his injury in time. With Ian Traylor still not fit, Jack Compton had recovered enough from his own injury to be on the bench.

There was a fairly uneventful start to the game with not much threat from Hayes & Yeading until after 15 minutes when an attacker slipped past Jarrad Wright on the right, and as Oliver Davies came out squared the ball across the area, but we had men back to clear the danger.

It was Davies who had to make the first save of the match, going down at the near post to a shot after the ball came across from a quickly taken free kick.

With about 25 minutes gone Corey Jenkins got free down the left and took the ball to the line, but his ball across found no-one.  We put a bit of pressure on then, with a ball across from the right by Keyon Reffell to Jenkins at the far post but his shot was blocked. About three minutes later we won an indirect free kick in the area when a ball into the area was fiercely hit by a defender back to his own keeper who dropped on the ball for it to be classed as a back pass. No more than 7 yards out, as usually happens in such circumstances the massed defenders on the line were able to block the shot that came in from Scott Barrow.

Kayne McLaggon’s best moment of the first half came after about 38 minutes when Ashley Evans put him away down the right. He stepped past a defender and hit a shot to the near post which the keeper blocked. About 4 minutes after that Scott Barrow sent a free kick from nearly 30 yards out just wide.

Hayes & Yeading.were looking by no means the worst side to visit Penydarren Park this season and certainly weren’t interested only in defending like St Ives last week. In fact, perhaps playing with a certain amount of freedom knowing they were already relegated, and they came the closest of either side to a goal in the first half right on 45 minutes when a corner was headed back across goal and Ashley Evans had to head the ball off the line.

We would hardly have deserved it if we’d been ahead at half time as we were having difficulty putting our attacking game together and creating little clear cut, with whatever threat we had coming from Corey Jenkins on the left who soon showed he had the full back beaten for pace.

But we got just the start we wanted in the first minute after the break when Kayne McLaggon battled for the ball in the middle for Corey Jenkins to quickly seize on it and use his pace to run clear of the defenders and make no mistake with a shot under the keeper.

After about 52 minutes it was 2-0, with Corey Jenkins the provider this time, using his pace to beat first one man then another to get to the line on the left and pull the ball back for Eliot Richards, running in, to fire into the net. A couple of minutes later Oliver Davies did well to tip a long range shot over the bar to preserve the lead.  

Ryan Prosser came on for Josh Bull, who had battled away without a great deal of success, after about 58 minutes. Then a minute later we made it 3-0 with a good break forward seeing Kayne McLaggon give the ball to Eliot Richards on the left of the area. From a narrow angle he put the ball across the goalmouth close to the line, and while I thought at the time it had gone in off a defender (and may have been going in anyway) it seems it was McLaggon who got a touch.  Two minutes later it was definitely McLaggon when the ball reached him just inside the area to the right. He took it on and put his shot inside the far post to make it 4 goals in about 15 minutes.

With about 20 minutes to go Ashley Evans and Kayne McLaggon were given rests, with Kyle Copp and Jack Compton coming on, the latter playing on the right (not his best position) and Keyon Reffell dropping deeper alongside Eliot Richards.

With the game effectively over Hayes & Yeading resorted to long range shots, with Oliver Davies having to go down to save one on about 76 minutes, and again on 85 minutes, but we never looked in any real danger of conceding, playing well within ourselves.

Man of the match for me was Corey Jenkins – best attacker in the first half, scored the important first goal at an ideal time, then set up the second. Eliot Richards wasn’t far behind him.

So, a home semi-final with Hitchin next Tuesday, with what should be an even bigger attendance than today’s best-of-season 686. If anyone would like to help out on Tuesday or Wednesday in assembling the extra copies of the match programme that will need to be made ready please contact either me or Matthew Davies.

Whatever happens in the play-offs, this season’s 3rd place finish is the highest by a Merthyr side since 2004/05 – let’s hope for more success than we had in the play-offs then.

Imp wrote:So, a home semi-final with Hitchin next Tuesday

The semi-Final is on Wednesday as stated on the Southern League website.

Risca Martyr wrote:

Imp wrote:So, a home semi-final with Hitchin next Tuesday

The semi-Final is on Wednesday as stated on the Southern League website.

Oops - yes, sorry - that's correct.

If it had been Tuesday it would have been no good assembling the programme on Wednesday, would it!

Just uploaded some photos from yesterday's game onto club website.

Yesterday's goals.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XqQQY_jdKso

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVqRMrGt0tU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w26pxFuUOAE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNtwaqCXmjc

Thanks Nubs,

Nice to see goal 3 for the first time.

I must be jinxed but the link for the first Corey Jenkins goal wont work so I can only assume the power of the Universe doesn't want me to see it.

Perhaps Corey could oblige a carbon copy on Wednesday Night against Hitchin?

Boz

Try this link:-

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=UU2Sh6zh4ouI7-GHqF6WUwDg

It'll take you straight to John's YouTube page.

Thank you Nubs.

Worth seeing....an individual goal created by the pace of our flying winger.

It is usually this time of the season when Corey Jenkins comes into his own....tired legs....in an extended season play offs ....all desperate for the Summer break that these young athletes deserve.

Boz