Welsh Newspapers

Search 15 million Welsh newspaper articles

Hide Articles List

9 articles on this Page

I. j Football at Merthyr.

News
Cite
Share

I j Football at Merthyr. BIC IMPROVEMENT IN HOME DEFENCE. I CHIVERS' CREAT DISPLAY AT CENTRE- HALF. The three goal to nil! victory that Merthyr Tow n recorded on Penydarren Park against New- port County on Saturday last, was unquestion- ably a victory of merit. Just how much the- home. superiority is ascribable to the drastic re- slitifflifig that the visiting lines had to undergo, at the last moment it would require a longer and closer acquaintance than I possess of Newport to say, but this at all events it is possible tü: predicate, without reflecting It .III upon the Mertliyr defence last Saturday, that the weak- est set of forwards that have appeared on the- home ground this year was that which came from Newport last Saturday. The same cannot truth- fully he said about the back lines. Both Oollins and Griffin were hard-working and steady in the- back-line, and Cooper, despite one or two weak- nesses of play, including that shocking bloomer that left Nock with an absolutely open goal, eight minutes from tiie end, was not at all bad between the props. Hut probably the best line- Newport has is its half line, and the only reason that it did not get the praise it deserved was, that its work was merely steady and good, and not flambuoyant and showy as well. Nobody seemed to think over much of the line, yet a re- membrance of the many times that play was held for minutes at once just inside Newport territory was the* finest testimonial to the half hues' efficiency that it could have had. Of the visiting forwards, a poor lot, Kilson and Mann were easily best, and with Hindmarsh thex- opened two or three movements that could have developed into something useful if other support had been forthcoming. As it was they merelv presented Chamberlain with opportunities to. shine. But that brings me to a consideration of our own display. A display of mixed moments, ot brilliant sections, and bad. wofully bad moments,, that we should have heard much more about had. it not been for the three goals that were forth- coming.. Our defence was stronger than it has. ever been. Chamberlain played like a master., and Edwards was over-shone by his backs" sparkle and vim, and there was just enough* pepper in Kilson and Mann to give us a. chance- to admire Chamberlain improved form without ever bringing real danger to the home goal. And it was just as well. For la.st Saturday's display by Gibbon was not of the quality that he has led me to expect from hiin. He was too ready tc. run out for foolish distances. I was never one who could look tolerantly on a goalie who was- not quite sure where his position began and ended. I have seen disaster on that policy too. often. I like to iset, a custodian always within. reach of the posts that mark his charge, and when a keeper starts to wander up the field, as Gibbon did on Saturday, I begin to wish that f. had a voice on the selection committee, that I might give him a. short holiday to cool down 1 robert tind Yarwood were easilv masters of the visiting ri.ght wing, and the consequence was a paralysis of that side of the visiting line that was complete. But the best item in the defence was Olivers, who was out for the first time in a premier match, at centre-half. That has been our weak spot and consequently my eyes, a.t all events, looked anxiously there for some time.. and after that they dwelt there from sheer pleasure in watching the player and his play. Chi vers was as fast as a. Powderhall ehampintL in his sprints, as tricky in defence as he was subtle in attack, he was eel-like in threading for- ward, and when lie passed out for the final effort, it was the marksmanship of a Bislev prizeman that was his. In manv wavs lie re- minded me of Joe McCall last Saturday, and that's about the best praise I know. Saturday was generally a day of transmuted values, In. the front line the interest had switched from Turner and Nicholas, because of the weakness in particular of the inside man's play—a weak- ness that was glaringly in contradiction to his former exhibition.. On the contrary Davies and Brown came out of their shells with a jump, and their play, particularly during the second half, after they had given Merthyr the lead, was all that oould be desired. I was glad for that first goal, for it followed a slip of Davies that was not at all consistent with his play, and since he was the prime mover of the smart play that enabled Brown to score4 the crowd forgave him generously his mistake of a minute before. From then on Merthyr were streets ahead of the- visitors, and the game became a long tussle in front of Cooper, who was down when Browns made the score two, and out of goal, as I have before said, when Nock walked the third over with eight minutes still to go. And a fast eight minutes it was. A corner and two narrow es- capes for Cooper were amongst the exciting last moments of a match, that. with all the weak- nesses that were generously forgotten in the decisive victory, showed the steady building up. of Merthyr into a team as distinct from a mass- of football players. A.P.Y.

! The Theatre Royal

Merthyr Notes

Llantrisant and District Notes.I

Swansea Valley Notes.

Pontypridd Notes.

Gorseinon Notes.I

I Getting Ready in Aberdare

HONOUR FOR MR. MORRIS.I