Post by Admin on Sept 26, 2024 7:18:11 GMT
Graham's Match Preview -
Merthyr Town vs Wimborne Town
Southern League Premier South - Sat 28 September 2024 3pm
Wimborne's Saturday awaydays take us far and wide over the next three weeks. First up it's our longest trip of the scheduled season as we travel over the Welsh border to Merthy Tydfil, some 20 miles north of Cardiff. This match was going to be played on a Tuesday evening, but as the two Towns have been knocked out of the FA Cup, it has sensibly been brought forward to Saturday.
Last season The Martyrs finished a point and a place outside the play-offs. Manager Paul Michael, who joined from Yate 2 1/2 years ago, will be planning to go at least one better this season. Over the Summer he signed Kane Simpson from Frome, who scored a hat-trick in his first game - a 6-0 thumping of Tiverton, Ricardo Rees also netted three that day. They followed this with a 2-0 win at Frome before losing 2-5 at Walton & Hersham. Those first three games were followed by a 2-1 win over Hanwell, a 1-2 loss at Gloucester, a 3-0 win over Sholing. a 5-1 win at Supermarine, a goal-less draw with Gosport, and Tuesday's 3-1 win over Winchester when Simpson bagged a brace and Rees the other. As well as those two, Merthyr have other sharpshooters: Lewys Twamley hit a hat-trick at Swindon, and Keiran Evans a brace at Sholing.
All of which leaves Merthyr sitting top of the table with a W6 D1 L2 GF 24 GA 10 record, they're the division's leading scorers. In the FA Cup they knocked Cribbs out 3-2 before going down 1-2 at Bath City.
On their first season back in the Southern Prem, Wimborne have faced six of the same teams as Merthyr. In the League we beat Hanwell 1-0, lost 0-1 at Gloucester, lost 0-4 at home to Walton, drew 0-0 with Supermarine, before beating Gosport 1-0 on Tuesday. And in the FA Cup Tim's team won 3-0 at Tiverton. There's been impressive clean sheets in the last two games. After Tuesday, when Matty Burrows ended a goal drought, The Magpies sit tenth in the early-season table with a W4 D1 L4 GF 8 GA 13 record.
Just as Tim was beginning to have a near full squad to choose from, numbers have taken another dip. Drew Eccott-Young and Jack Lovell are long-term absentees, skipper Sam Jackson will be missing after a red card on Saturday, and Jez Bedford and Ben Scorey are injury doubts. However, Tim has built a squad of starters, so whoever gets the nod to replace Jacko will view this as an opportunity to keep the shirt.
Can we learn anything from past encounters in the Southern League - 2012-2015 in Division One, and 2018-2022 through the Covid seasons in the Premier Div? At home we've won two, drawn two, and lost two. However, the picture isn't so good at Penydarren Park, and Magpies' supporters of a nervous disposition might want to skip the rest of this paragraph! In Division One we lost twice and drew once. But in the Premier Div we lost on each of our three visits: 0-2, 1-3, and 0-2 in 2021-22.
Despite our results in Wales, I really look forward to going to Penydarren Park. It's a proper football ground steeped in history, albeit with a 3G pitch. That history includes a famous 2-1 win over Italian giants Atalanta in the European Cup Winners Cup back in 1987. But it's not just the ground, it's the people too. I've always found them friendly, welcoming, hospitable and very knowledgeable.
There's a few places available on the team coach - contact Paula if you're interested in joining us.
So another tough test awaits Tim's team on Saturday. Merthyr will be hot favourites to stay at the top of the tree. But we've seen that our lads relish rising to a challenge, and have shown that on their day they can compete with any team in this division. It could be a cracker!
Venue: Penydarren Park, Park Terrace, Merthyr Tydfil, Glamorgan CF47 8RF approx 130 miles
Average league attendance: 812
Admission: Adults £13; Concessions £10; Under 16s £3.
Weather forecast: sunny intervals; 12oC; 20% chance of rain.
Merthyr Town vs Wimborne Town
Southern League Premier South - Sat 28 September 2024 3pm
Wimborne's Saturday awaydays take us far and wide over the next three weeks. First up it's our longest trip of the scheduled season as we travel over the Welsh border to Merthy Tydfil, some 20 miles north of Cardiff. This match was going to be played on a Tuesday evening, but as the two Towns have been knocked out of the FA Cup, it has sensibly been brought forward to Saturday.
Last season The Martyrs finished a point and a place outside the play-offs. Manager Paul Michael, who joined from Yate 2 1/2 years ago, will be planning to go at least one better this season. Over the Summer he signed Kane Simpson from Frome, who scored a hat-trick in his first game - a 6-0 thumping of Tiverton, Ricardo Rees also netted three that day. They followed this with a 2-0 win at Frome before losing 2-5 at Walton & Hersham. Those first three games were followed by a 2-1 win over Hanwell, a 1-2 loss at Gloucester, a 3-0 win over Sholing. a 5-1 win at Supermarine, a goal-less draw with Gosport, and Tuesday's 3-1 win over Winchester when Simpson bagged a brace and Rees the other. As well as those two, Merthyr have other sharpshooters: Lewys Twamley hit a hat-trick at Swindon, and Keiran Evans a brace at Sholing.
All of which leaves Merthyr sitting top of the table with a W6 D1 L2 GF 24 GA 10 record, they're the division's leading scorers. In the FA Cup they knocked Cribbs out 3-2 before going down 1-2 at Bath City.
On their first season back in the Southern Prem, Wimborne have faced six of the same teams as Merthyr. In the League we beat Hanwell 1-0, lost 0-1 at Gloucester, lost 0-4 at home to Walton, drew 0-0 with Supermarine, before beating Gosport 1-0 on Tuesday. And in the FA Cup Tim's team won 3-0 at Tiverton. There's been impressive clean sheets in the last two games. After Tuesday, when Matty Burrows ended a goal drought, The Magpies sit tenth in the early-season table with a W4 D1 L4 GF 8 GA 13 record.
Just as Tim was beginning to have a near full squad to choose from, numbers have taken another dip. Drew Eccott-Young and Jack Lovell are long-term absentees, skipper Sam Jackson will be missing after a red card on Saturday, and Jez Bedford and Ben Scorey are injury doubts. However, Tim has built a squad of starters, so whoever gets the nod to replace Jacko will view this as an opportunity to keep the shirt.
Can we learn anything from past encounters in the Southern League - 2012-2015 in Division One, and 2018-2022 through the Covid seasons in the Premier Div? At home we've won two, drawn two, and lost two. However, the picture isn't so good at Penydarren Park, and Magpies' supporters of a nervous disposition might want to skip the rest of this paragraph! In Division One we lost twice and drew once. But in the Premier Div we lost on each of our three visits: 0-2, 1-3, and 0-2 in 2021-22.
Despite our results in Wales, I really look forward to going to Penydarren Park. It's a proper football ground steeped in history, albeit with a 3G pitch. That history includes a famous 2-1 win over Italian giants Atalanta in the European Cup Winners Cup back in 1987. But it's not just the ground, it's the people too. I've always found them friendly, welcoming, hospitable and very knowledgeable.
There's a few places available on the team coach - contact Paula if you're interested in joining us.
So another tough test awaits Tim's team on Saturday. Merthyr will be hot favourites to stay at the top of the tree. But we've seen that our lads relish rising to a challenge, and have shown that on their day they can compete with any team in this division. It could be a cracker!
Venue: Penydarren Park, Park Terrace, Merthyr Tydfil, Glamorgan CF47 8RF approx 130 miles
Average league attendance: 812
Admission: Adults £13; Concessions £10; Under 16s £3.
Weather forecast: sunny intervals; 12oC; 20% chance of rain.