Opportunity Knocks For Merthyr

 

  Toolstation Premier League

            7th January 2012

    Penydarren Park, Merthyr

 

 

Merthyr Town made the perfect start to what will be a critical month as the club bid to muscle their way into the Toolstation Premier Division title race and secure promotion back to the Southern League 1st Division.  Facing a sequence of five consecutive home games, the first two of which are against teams from the upper echelons of the table, Merthyr came out with such intent and purpose that victory over Bristol Manor Farm was all but secure within 10 minutes.

Lee Hartshorn, a central defender who has recently been converted into a midfielder with great success, netted his fourth in just eight games this season after only three minutes to give the Martyrs a significant breakthrough.  Just two minutes later Ryan Newman, one of two players in the Merthyr team that have been loaned from Newport County, added a second with a shot that went in off the post and Ian Traylor added a third with still only 10 minutes on the clock.  Ryan Prosser made it four shortly after the half time interval, which was enough to secure a comprehensive win, despite a Fitzpatrick consolation for Bristol Manor Farm.

Pre season action against Newport County (courtesy of Sam Shingler), from whom Merthyr brought in Ryan Newman and Troy Greening on loan.

There were two further pieces of good news for the Martyrs to complete what was a very happy New Year.  The first was the return of Matthew Harris to competitive action for the first time since August when he replaced the other Newport loanee Troy Greening in the 75th minute, and the second was the shock news that Larkhall Athletic had fallen to a 2-1 defeat at relegation threatened Corsham Town.

Given the positive news from November concerning the stadium , when it was confirmed that a £130,000 grant had been awarded to the club, it is clear that the Martyrs are beginning to prepare for life at a higher level.  The £130,000 grant was divided into two portions, with £50,000 being directed towards ground improvements and £80,000 towards securing the futures of current staff and employing a new Business Development Manager, whose purpose is to expand and develop the business of the club.  At a special meeting of the supporters on 1 December, it was decided that the £50,000 being invested in ground improvements should be directed, amongst other things, towards the installation of new showers, new fencing, improved lighting in the family stand, renovation of the turnstiles and roof improvements in the grandstand.  Put simply, the grant enables the club to upgrade the grade in a significant way and is due in no small way to the commitment and efforts of trust secretary John Strand.

With such good news coming from off the field, which has been further supplemented by excellent attendances at Penydarren Park, and with form once again picking up on the pitch after some poor results which saw the club fail to win in November, Merthyr Town are in the perfect frame of mind for the arrival of fellow title rivals Bishop Sutton.

The Somerset based club were reformed in 1977 after just under £200 of funds were raised at a disco (the original club having been disbanded during the war), and gained promotion to the Western Premier Division in 1997/8 after winning the 1st Division Championship, a level that they have been playing at ever since.  However, a measure of the club’s progress can be gained by the fact that their highest ever finish of 4th was accomplished as recently as the 2009-10 season.

Bishop Sutton currently sit in 4th place in the table, having one more point than the Martyrs having played a game more and are one of the form teams in the division, having picked up an impressive 21 points away from home this season.  The most recent contributions to this haul of points were a 4-0 victory at Longwell Green Sports, who Merthyr failed to beat in either encounter this season, and a 5-0 drubbing of Barnstaple Town.  Given that Bishop Sutton also managed to pick up a draw in their home encounter with the Martyrs after a late equaliser, Gary Sheppard knows just how tough it will be to gain the victory that Merthyr Town so desperately need on Saturday afternoon.  However, with home advantage and a record of six wins and two draws from eight home games and the returning Matthew Harris, along with the added incentive that leaders Willand Rovers have to travel to Larkhall Athletic this afternoon, the Martyrs will hope that they have enough to gain a crucial victory.  However, with three home games coming up against teams from the lower end of the table, a draw may not be a bad result.

Prediction: Merthyr Town 1 Bishop Sutton 1

Whilst Merthyr Town are playing in the Toolstation Premier Division on Saturday, three Welsh teams will be involved in the FA Cup. Why not predict which teams will get through in the poll on the left of this page.

Merthyr Town v Bristol Manor Farm

 

               2nd January 2012

       Penydarren Park, Merthyr

 

 

The next month is hugely significant for Merthyr Town as they seek to gain back to back promotions and secure a place in Division 1 of the Southern League for the first time since the original Merthyr Tydfil club were liquidated two years ago.  The home game against Bristol Manor Farm on Monday is the first in a succession of five consecutive league games which the club hope will leave them challenging Larkhall Athletic and Willand Rovers at the top of the Toolstation Premier Division.

After a hugely successful first season in which Merthyr Town were promoted to the Premier Division after running away with the Toolstation Western League 1st Division title, the Martyrs are dreaming of another title.  A quick glance at the average attendances in the division provides an indication of the relative stature of the club compared to others in the division, with the Martyrs currently averaging over 400 people per home game, more than double many of the other clubs.  The return to Penydarren Park at the start of the season also means that, unlike most in the division, the club have a ground that is suitably equipped for the Southern League.  However, on the field itself, the challenge is much greater than it was last season. Current champions Larkhall Athletic also harbour ambitions of promotion after having failed to achieve the required Grade E status for their ground in sufficient time to be promoted last season and so far this season their form has been more consistent than Merthyr’s.

The Martyrs were in imperious form since their return to Penydarren Park, notching up five consecutive wins which included the seven goal thrashings of Odd Down and Barnstaple Town.  However, in their last two outings the club were held to disappointing draws by Bridport and Longwell Green Sports, meaning the loss of 4 very valuable points.  Merthyr need to try and pick up a minimum of four wins from these next five games if they are to be serious title contenders.  The return of former Neath player Matthew Harris, who has missed most of the season with a broken leg, and defender Steve Williams who has just served a three match ban, will provide manager Gary Shephard with options over the coming few weeks. Harris in particular is a useful asset as he is able to play in both midfield and at right back, though the Bristol Manor Farm game has come too soon for him.  Merthyr have been trying to organise friendlies to help Harris regain full fitness over the Christmas period, but have been thwarted on two of the three occasions, one of which was last Thursday against Welsh Cup giant killers Merthyr Saints.

Merthyr' Town’s opponents on Monday are Bristol Manor Farm, who are enjoying another decent season after having finished 7th in the Premier League in 2010-11.  Bristol Manor Farm are currently 6th in the table, just one place beneath Merthyr, though they have played 5 more games than the Welsh side.

Having won 3 of the last 4 games in all competitions, the Bristol side are experiencing their own decent run of form and they will therefore believe that they can get a result at Penydarren Park.  Much will depend upon striker Luke Clarke, who has returned to The Creek this season after a spell with Bitton.  His ability to lead the line has created numerous problems for defenders this season, as Ilfracombe and Sherborne found out to their cost in suffering heavy defeats to Bristol Manor Farm.

Given that Willand Rovers and Larkhall Athletic will expect to win their respective fixtures against Bridport and Corsham Town respectively, Merthyr desperately need to win this match.  That desire, coupled with the extra quality in their squad, should see the home in what will be a tightly fought game.