Saturday 28th December 2024. Southern League, Premier Division South.
Merthyr Town 5 Walton & Hersham 2.
Having played a tough match just 48 hours earlier, followed by a long trip into Wales, Swans needed everything to go for them if they were to get a positive result against the league leaders at their Penydarren Park stronghold, where they have only dropped two points all season. The Martyrs were also out to avenge their 5-2 defeat by Swans earlier in the season, one of only two league losses they have suffered. What Swans certainly didn’t need was to be reduced to ten players after just six minutes, virtue of a truly awful decision by the referee when he showed Junior Eccleston a straight red card for what was undoubtedly a perfectly fair tackle. There was a double whammy when Merthyr scored from the resultant free-kick, leaving Swans a mountain to climb. To their credit the team put on a good, battling performance, the game only running away from them late on when they tired, and over committed in trying to get a result.
With Jordan Esprit still not recovered from injury Swans were unchanged, Josh Blunkell continuing in goal for the not fully fit Jos Barker, who was named amongst the substitutes as emergency cover.
Swans went close to taking the lead inside the second minute. Elliott Bolton slid the ball down the right to Johl Powell, who drove into the box to get in a shot from a tight angle that brought a good tip over save from home keeper Jaimie Cogman. Mason Obeng’s corner from the left forced Cogman to punch away at the far-post to concede another kick on the right. Eoin Bolger swung the ball in to the far-post, where the keeper made a good catch.
The incident soon came that saw Swans go down to ten players and go behind. Kane Simpson was played through to the edge of the box to drive in a shot that was well blocked by Eccleston. Josh Tobin played the ball away to Nana Owusu, but his attempt to play it back was wayward, and Eccleston had to stretch to deny Ricardo Rees just outside the box. The ball was clearly cleanly won, and if there was any contact with the Merthyr player it was minimal. With Rees down clutching his leg the referee showed unseemly haste in producing a red card and sending the young Swans’ defender off.
After several minutes delay a free-kick was confirmed just outside the box to the right of the ‘D’. The injustice looked to have distracted Swans, as Lewys Twamley was able to take advantage of a gap to the left of the wall, curling the ball into the far, bottom corner.
The lead was only to last three minutes however. Dawid Rogalski hustled Merthyr’s Matt Harris as the ball was played back to him on Swans’ left, and when he tried to play it out to Aneurin Livermore, Tobin nipped in and got clear to the edge of the box to score past the advancing Cogman.
Powell again got clear after winning the ball on the right, playing the ball across to try to pick out the unmarked Rogalski, but a defender just got in front of him to clear behind for a right-side corner. Bolger swung the ball in, forcing Cogman to punch off the goal-line.
Swans however had to concede three corners in quick time as the home side put pressure on their depleted defence. The third, on the left, was played short and the ball laid back to Jack Evans 30 yards out, and he drove a shot wide of the left post. Another corner was soon being conceded when Bolton had to head behind at the far-post from a right-side cross.
Swans still had a threat however, and Powell got forward on the right before releasing Obeng, but his low ball in was well cut out by Cogman.
Merthyr however took the lead for the second time after 28 minutes with a fine goal. A patient build-up led to Jack Evans sliding the ball forward to Simpson on the edge of the box, and he played a neat one-two with Livermore to get in on the right and drive the ball low through the legs of the advancing Blunkell.
The Swans’ keeper was soon getting behind Rees’s shot from the left corner of the box.
Obeng played a good ball to find Powell on the right for Swans, and his low cross took a deflection, the ball finding the gloves of keeper Cogman.
Swans had to dig deep to not fall further behind, and after Blunkell managed to finally get the ball away after Merthyr got into the box, the keeper had to beat down a shot from Twamley, who had got forward to 22 yards out. Rees then sent a shot just wide of the far-post after Livermore had found him on the left corner of the box. The half entered the final five minutes with Swans having done well to keep the deficit to a single goal, and they blocked behind at the near-post when a shot came in from the right. In the final minute of normal-time Frazer Thomas and Tom Handley combined on the right for Thomas to drive in a shot that brought a fine save from Blunkell down at his near-post.
Straight from the resumption for the second-half Swans went close to equalising. Obeng clipped a neat ball over the top to pick out the run of Powell to the left corner of the 6 yard-box, and when he lobbed the ball in it bounced off the face of the crossbar at the far-post, and Thomas just prevented Bolton following in as he cleared behind for a corner on the right. Bolger swung in another excellent kick, and Cogman just managed to punch away from his goal-line.
Merthyr were soon going close at the other end, a high cross from the right touchline being pulled down at the far-post by Simpson, who sent a left foot shot just over.
Swans had not given up on getting back into the game, and Joey Jones played a good long ball to Rogalski on the right, and he battled to the byeline to force a corner. Bolger’s in-swinging kick was headed away in the 6 yard-box. Owusu then got Bolger through to the left byeline to hook the ball over, but there was no-one at the far-post.
Lucas Defise was then brought on to replace Paul Field.
With an hour played Merthyr’s Simpson ran on to Livermore’s long through pass to get into the right of the box, but Blunkell came out to make a fine block before falling on the ball.
The home side made it 3-1 after 65 minutes, and it came following a Swans’ attack. Bolton slipped Owusu into the right of the box to get to the byeline and lay the ball across the 6 yard-box. When the ball was cleared, Twamley picked it up just outside the box before driving down the middle of the pitch. After playing a one-two with Rees he got into the right of the box. Blunkell came out, but could not prevent Twamley cleverly taking the ball past him before placing a left foot shot into the far corner.
Swans immediately brought on Alex Body to replace Owusu, and he was soon making his presence felt. Chasing a ball into the right of the box he pressured keeper Cogman and a defender to get in each other’s way, but he just failed to capitalise as the ball ran loose. The ball went for a corner on the right, and Cogman again just managed to palm it away from his goal-line when Bolger delivered another fine kick.
Anis Nuur then came on for Obeng.
After 78 minutes Merthyr’s Jack Evans was guilty of pulling back Body, picking up a second yellow card and being sent-off after having been booked earlier.
Both sides now playing with ten men proved to be a mixed blessing for Swans, as sensing they could now get back into the game they were punished for over-committing. Bolger’s cross from the left forced a corner, but when Bolton’s ball into the box from the right was cleared to Simpson, there was only Jones between him and Swans’ goal. Jones could not prevent the Martyr’s striker from driving from deep in Swans’ half to the edge of the box and slipping the ball past the onrushing Blunkell to make it 4-1.
Swans had not given up, and Nuur got into the left of the box to have a shot deflected behind for a corner on the left. Bolger took the kick, and when the ball came back to him he crossed to the far-post, where Jones leapt to get in a looping header that was cleared off the line. The ball came to Tobin outside the box, and his shot ran through to Bolton, who found the net, but he was ruled offside.
The home side made it 5-1 after 83 minutes following a fine move that started with keeper Cogman. The ball was worked up the pitch, and when Rees found Twamley on the right he drove into the box before sending a fine, left foot shot past Blunkell to complete his hat-trick.
With five minutes of normal-time remaining Tobin found Bolton on the right, and his ball in deflected through to Powell, who made room to send a left foot shot against the right post, the second time he had struck the goal-frame. Swans continued to press, Rogalski forcing a corner on the right, and another following on the left after Bolger’s driven cross was deflected behind. Cogman just punched away from Bolger’s kick.
Three minutes into stoppage-time Swans made it 5-2, the exact reverse of the score of the earlier game between the two sides. Tobin crossed into the box from the right for Rogalski to chest the ball down and hook it against the right post, the third time Swans had struck the goal-frame. Keeper Cogman blocked Rogalski on the follow-up, and Powell drove in a shot that was also blocked, before Body found the back of the net.
Swans’ Team: Josh Blunkell, Paul Field (Lucas Defise 56’), Eoin Bolger, Joey Jones, Junior Eccleston, Josh Tobin, Elliott Bolton, Mason Obeng (Anis Nuur 72’), Dawid Rogalski, Johl Powell, Nana Owusu (Alex Body 65’). Scorers: Tobin (12’), Body (90+3’). Cautions: Powell (12’), Jones (43’), Rogalski (56’). Dismissal: Eccleston, foul (52’).
Merthyr Town Team: Cogman, Handley, Smerdon, Harris, Jarvis, J. Evans, Livermore (Williams 73’), Thomas (K. Evans 66’), Rees, Simpson (Preston-Watkins 85’), Twamley (Davies 85’). Sub. not used: Whale. Scorers: Twamley (9’, 65’ & 83’), Simpson (28’ & 80’). Dismissal: J. Evans, 2 cautions (59’ & 78’).
