State of Play

Although you don’t actually win anything in November, dropping five points in the last two games has been a significant blow to the progress made over the previous few months.

Our away form to date has been average (some would say poor) – six points from six games. We no longer have a 100% record at home, the drawn game on Saturday was disappointing coming so soon after the defeat at Longwell Green in our previous league game.

If we apply the current average points per game over the remainder of the season we can crudely calculate the predicted final points total, inside the [ ] in the table below (if the current pattern of results for the teams in the top seven continue). Based on this we will need to win the next three games just to stay in touch with the top two.

Willand - 2.176 [74]
Larkhall - 2.214 [75]
Bitton - 1.800 [61]
Bristol MF - 1.412 [48]
Bishop Stn - 1.714 [58]
Merthyr T - 1.833 [62]
Hallen - 1.833 [62]

We now enter a pivotal period that will start to define our season. We can no longer take anything for granted at home and the Longwell match this weekend is now significant. Radstock (away) will be an opportunity to demonstrate whether we can pick up the points needed away from PP. While Illfracombe in a few weeks time are another side in the bottom six who will be looking to pick up points to pull away from the trap-door.

Going into the Willand game just before Christmas it will obviously be important to get a result in Devon, but ultimately it won’t actually decide who goes up. Then we play Hallen, Bristol Manor Farm and Bishop Sutton in a frenetic 12-day period.

You are just about spot on Wandering. I don't know if some fans will comment that you are very harsh, but there is a difference between reality and illusion. Those fans who have previously said if we don't get promotion, we don't get promotion -- I'm sorry but that attitude is going to result in MT going completely bust. Fans want success. They want to watch a winning team progressing and fans paying at the gate are the bread and butter of a club, IT'S lifeline, week in and week out.
There is nothing more depressing than watching a club dropping points when they are capable of winning.
I still believe MT will pull away from the chasing pack in February and be out of reach with a few games left to play, but the boys have got to believe in themselves and start tightening up defensively and being clinical in front of goal because they are missing golden chances to put games out of sight. They are wasting too many chances.
Gary Shep has got to motivate the team and cut out mistakes.
Wandering is right, December and January are crucial. It's when championships are won and lost and MT have lost championships in the past from dropping too many points over this period when they were in top spot leading into this period.
Saturday is a must for 3 points because at the moment we can't catch Longwell Green even if we win our games in hand. Come on team, BELIEVE

Sorry guys -- I meant we can't catch Larkhall at the moment even if we win our games in hand.
They are in 2nd spot, but can overtake the leaders if they win their games in hand

Every fan of every team wants success and to watch a winning team. But no team can win every game. For every side which finishes top of the league, there is a team which finishes bottom.
I hardly think that the board feel that the Merthyr Town FC club will go "completely bust! if they fail to get promotion this season!
And if they do go up, are we going to say next season we MUST have promotion again?
I agree that the team need to tighten up and to put away more of their chances but one could say that about every team in every league!
Everyone just has to roll up their sleeves and do their best. No-one can do more than that! And there is also a certain amount of luck in football.
It was noticeable on Saturday that at the end of the match, there was little applause as the players left the field just because we didn't get the three points!
I really hope we can climb up to the Southern League Division One at the end of this campaign but true supporters will be there next season anyway!
Someone asked me if I was still watching Merthyr. And when I said Yes, he said: You are still suffering, are you?"
I am not suffering. I am watching my team play football. I am here for the long ride, not just one whirl on the merry-go-round!
Let's get behind the players and the club but let's not have our heads in the clouds. And December and January may not be vital months if we have a recurrence of last winter's snow!

It is interesting that last season 57 teams applied for promotion from Step Five to Step Four. I am not sure offhand how many places there were available in the various leagues.
Only one applied from the Western League Division One - Larkhall.
I don't know how many clubs have applied this year, If there are more applicants than places, preference will be given to champions. So Merthyr really need to aim to win the league!!

Tim Drummond wrote:I don't know how many clubs have applied this year, if there are more applicants than places, preference will be given to champions. So Merthyr really need to aim to win the league!!

Clubs no longer need to make a physical application for promotion.

The National Game Board (?) are in the process of reducing the number of feeder leagues from 14 to 12, in order to match the number of places available for promotion to the Unibond Northern and Southern leagues and Ryman Isthmian League.

The Southern League in particular are in the process of grading all of the grounds in their feeder leagues, to actually determine which grounds currently meet the required standards and I assume to advise those that don't what work needs to be undertaken to obtain the required ground grading.

To date the main feeder leagues have never had more than the 12 clubs to consider for promotion but they ultimately want to reduce the possibility that there could be more candidates (14) then places for the promotion places available.

Cheers, Wandering, for that information which I think supporters will find interesting!

Wandering wrote:Clubs no longer need to make a physical application for promotion.

It's actually appeared on the Western League website today to say that interested clubs DO have to apply for promotion in writing:-

http://www.toolstationleague.com/

Cheers Imp, for that information which I think supporters will find interesting.
I hope Merthyr Town have applied!

Wandering wrote:Clubs no longer need to make a physical application for promotion.

Up until the start of last week this was actually correct.

Merthyr Imp wrote:It's actually appeared on the Western League website today to say that interested clubs DO have to apply for promotion in writing:-

http://www.toolstationleague.com/

Apparently, last Wednesday the Southern League received a communication from the National Game Board/Conference [not sure which one] consulting on their proposal to introduce the financial requirements that club's have to comply with in order to achieve promotion through the pyramid.

Obviously, this wasn't in the form of a formal consultation process because instructions were issued to the feeder leagues less than 24-hours later confirming that clubs would need to formally apply for promotion but they would also be required to submit audited accounts, which appears to be a new criteria on which promotion may be decided.

I understand that our AGM is likely to be held in the New Year after our accounts have been approved by our auditors. The closing date for applications is 31st December! However, the auditors could potentially approve the accounts prior to this deadline but before they are actually reported to the AGM.

The Trusts prudent 'house-keeping' will hopefully help our situation.

However, this latest development may deter a number of clubs from making an application for promotion in the future if they feel that their financial situation is precarious.

The process will also require the position with the lease of the ground to be clarified.