Parkway show their metal with a point in Wales
Merthyr Town vs Parkway | Match ReportLorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry’s standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book.
Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry’s standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book.
Merthyr TownPlymouth Parkway
1 - 1Full Time |
Full Match Report
Parkway returned to league action with a visit to 2nd placed Merthyr Town. 3 changes were made to the starting line up from last week’s narrow 2-1 defeat to AFC Totton in the FA Trophy. Toby Down, Tom Purrington and Reece Thomson replaced Callum Rose, Henry Wilson and Matt Wright respectively.
The game got off to a cagey start with both sides feeling their way with the hosts the first to show forcing a corner on the left on 3 minutes which came to nothing. Merthyr were controlling the majority of possession building up patiently through midfield and on 7 minutes a cross from left by Ollie Mehew was gathered at full stretch at the second attempt by Adam Parkes. Parkway created their first opportunity on 9 minutes when a long ball picked out Jack Crago who squared to Reece Thomson whose first time shot from around 18 yards was comfortably saved by Jaimie Cogman. On 12 minutes clever play on the right by Thomas Hillman saw his dangerous cross fly across the 6 yard area with no one on hand to get a final touch.
Merthyr continued with their patient build up play probing an opening but mainly with lateral movement lacking the penetration to test the Parkway defence which remained solid. On 18 minutes a Merthyr free kick centrally from round 40 yards was fired well over by Tom Handley. Parkway gradually began to impose themselves on the game and look the more threatening and on 20 minutes a break along the right saw a dangerous cross driven into the 18 yard area with the hosts clearing and breaking away with Oscar Halls being cautioned for a foul in halting the hosts counter attack. Parkway continued to look the more threatening and on 25 minutes a strong run from Ryan Lane down the left saw Cogman make a superb save from a close range shot and go behind for a corner. Parkway continued to press and from the resultant corner and cross a goalmouth scramble ensued after Cogman had flapped at a cross creating pressure on the hosts defence.
Parkway continued to force the pace putting the home side under pressure and on 28 minutes they won the ball in midfield and broke forward forcing 2 successive corners creating another scramble in the 6 yard area with the ball eventually being cleared off the line. With the hosts now being restricted to playing on the counter, on 30 minutes a break along their right saw Mikey Williams do well to track Hillman and block the cross. With Callum Hall, Tom Purrington and Rio Garside tenacious and showing good energy in midfield by closing down and constantly winning second balls, Parkway continued to build pressure and create half chances. On 33 minutes Crago was dragged back on the left and won a free kick which was hastily cleared by the host’s defence. On 35 minutes a neat exchange of passes between Thomson and Crago opened up the Merthyr back line with Crago’s rasping drive from around 25 yards acrobatically tipped over by Cogman. The resultant corner created confusion in the 6 yard area with again the ball being cleared off the line by some desperate defending.
Play continued at a lively pace with both sides looking to utilise the flanks with the Parkway defence looking solid under pressure with Toby Down and Halls dominant in the air and Shane White showing his experience with his reading of situations, timely interceptions and setting up attacking positions. On 38 minutes a long clearance by Halls found Thomson who held the ball up well and released Hall who was just beaten to the ball by Cogman on the edge of the 18 yard area as Parkway continued to look the more dangerous going forward. Garside then pulled an angled drive just wide with his shot lacking the power and direction to trouble Cogman. Approaching half time either side could have scored with on 40 minutes Hillman again showing good skill squaring the ball to Aneurin Livermore some 18 yards out who fizzed a low shot narrowly wide. Parkway responded creating another opportunity with Cogman doing well to save Garside’s close range effort with the corner only cleared a far as Halls who volleyed narrowly over from around 20 yards.
A good half from both sides with Merthyr starting the sharper by dominating possession with their patient build up play but creating little with the Parkway defence looking strong and composed with Parkes rarely tested. Parkway grew into the game gaining an element of control, looking the more threatening in the final third, forcing a series of corners and creating some good chances with the hosts hanging on and defending desperately at times to leave the game scoreless at the break.
Parkway started the second half brightly with Thomson linking well on the right and driving in a cross which was well gathered by Cogman. Despite this, not for the first time this season, Parkway conceded a goal shortly after the restart with the hosts taking the lead on 48 minutes. A Merthyr break along the left saw a cross by Frazer Thomas pushed clear by Parkes with central defender Liam Angel bundling home the loose ball from close range. The hosts nearly doubled their lead almost immediately with Parkes doing well to spread himself and save a shot from Ricardo Rees with an outstretched leg. Parkway responded well with on 51 minutes Purrington linking smartly with Halls whose deflected shot drew a good save by Cogman. With play now switching from end to end, Merthyr forced a corner which was clawed away by Parkes and eventually cleared with Angel then being cautioned for a foul.
On 57 minutes a long range shot by Handley was pushed over by Parkes with Parkway clearing the resultant corner and deservedly drawing level on 58 minutes. A long clearance along the left saw Cogman, not for the first time in the game, race way out of his goal area only to beaten to the ball by Crago who rounded the stranded keeper and showing good composure calmly and accurately rolled the ball some 35 yards low into the unguarded net. A difficult but well executed finish. The goal provided Parkway with impetus and on 61 minutes White and the hard working Thomson linked well wide on the right with White’s well directed cross headed behind for a corner. On 62 minutes another long ball released Crago who with the keeper again off his line forced a timely clearance from the home defence. On 63 minutes a Parkway break along the right was halted by play being stopped for a head injury to a Merthyr player and after a lengthy stoppage, Lane’s free kick found Thomson rising at the far post with Cogman comfortably saving the header.
Parkway continued to press with Merthyr absorbing pressure and playing on the break with Parkway creating an opportunity on 65 minutes with Thomson’s shot being blocked and cleared. Merthyr made a double change on 70 minutes with Gethyn Hill and Keiran Evans replacing Thomas and Livermore. Entering the final 20 minutes Merthyr began to push forward and look the more threatening and on 72 minutes Parkes did well to save from substitute Hill. With Merthyr continuing to press Hall was booked on 76 minutes shortly before Merthyr made their final change with Lewys Twamley replacing Hillman. Merthyr continued to build patiently with Parkway dropping deeper and on 83 minutes the dangerous Rees fired over from around 18 yards when well placed. With Parkway now defending in numbers and playing on the counter, a long ball found Thomson in the 18 yard with the striker being clattered by a strong challenge with play surprisingly being allowed to continue with the hosts breaking clear and forcing a corner with Thomson still lying prone on the deck.
With Merthyr now looking the more threatening, on 86 minutes a corner saw Parkes flattened in a goalmouth scramble with a free kick being the outcome with Parkway continuing to come under pressure. On 88 minutes Williams put his body on the line with a brave sliding block on a powerful Rees shot around 15 yards out with a Merthyr header going just over from the resultant corner. The game remained on a knife edge in the 6 minutes of added time with Merthyr pressing but Parkway still managed to create an opportunity in the first minute with Williams and Thomson linking well on the left with Thomson firing an angled drive narrowly wide from around 12 yards. Parkway made their one and only change in the second added minute with Hall, who once again had put in a terrific, tireless shift, being replaced by Henry Wilson. Merthyr almost won the game in the fifth minute of added time only to be denied by a fantastic block with his feet by Parkes from a powerful shot from just inside the 18 yard area. Merthyr then forced a final corner which was pushed away by Parkes with the referee calling time shortly after.
An entertaining game which saw Parkway gain a valuable, hard fought and thoroughly deserved point with a fine collective all round performance against their high flying hosts. Parkway will probably consider themselves unfortunate not to be ahead at the break but with the second half ebbing and flowing and Merthyr finishing the stronger and Parkway defending manfully, the draw is considered a fair result. Other results on the day sees Parkway remain in 19th place but they will have been encouraged with their display and give them confidence moving forward knowing that on the day they can compete with the top sides.
Parkway now return to Bolitho Park next Saturday for the first time in 3 weeks when newly promoted 6th placed Basingstoke Town arrive off the back of a 4-2 win over Poole Town today with the visitors also having a game at Bracknell Town on Tuesday.
Match Info
Line-ups:
Merthyr Town
1 Cogman, 3 Handley, 4 Woodiwiss, 5 Angel ©, 6 Evans, 7 Thomas (Evans 65), 8 Livermore (Hill 65), 9 Mehew, 10 Rees, 12 Hillman (Twamley 77), 18 Rhodes.
Substitutes:
11 Twamley, 13 (Fuller (gk) (unused), 14 Hill, 16 Harris (unused), 19 Evans.
Plymouth Parkway
1 Parkes, 2 White, 3 Lane (c), 4 Hall (Wilson 90+2), 5 Halls, 6 Down, 7 Williams, 8 Purrington, 9 Thomson, 10 Garside, 11 Crago
Substitutes:
12 Belsten (unused), 14 Wilson, 15 Rose (unused), 16 Jones (unused), 17 Wright (unused)