The Bucks fell to a 4-2 defeat to Merthyr Town on a soggy Tuesday evening at the SEAH Stadium.

Match highlights

Match report

The Martyrs had the first chance of the game when a 6th minute corner fell to Merthyr captain Matthew Harris, but he could only shoot high and wide and may have felt that he should have done better. Four minutes later, a mistake in the Martyrs midfield led to a good chance for Jamie Meddows, but the Bucks winger’s drive flashed just wide of Jaimie Cogman’s post.

Both sides looked were creating chances, but it was the Bucks who took the lead in the 14th minute, when Jordan Cranston’s long ball forward found its way into the net via a touch from one or both of Matty Stenson or Town captain Harris. The Martyrs were level less than five minutes later, though. The Bucks had done well to prevent a combination of Ricardo Rees and Cawley Cox from finding the net as he broke forward. But Merthyr kept the pressure on with Lewys Twamley crossing for Rees in too much space, and the Martyrs’ dangerman headed home from six yards out.

It was end-to-end stuff now, with both sides going close to taking the lead. For the Bucks, Meddows cut inside but was denied by a good save from Cogman before Khanya Leshabela crashed a rocket of a shot against the bar, with Stenson only able to head the rebound wide. Twamley then jinked his way forward for Merthyr, but the tricky Town attacker was denied by the feet of Josh Gracey.

Martyrs were looking more and more dangerous though, and they were finding space in behind the Bucks on the right. And Town took the lead in the 31st minute; a long ball forward was misjudged by Jordan Piggott, and Rees was on hand to collect and calmly slot home past Gracey. Rees then made it 3-1 on 41 minutes. Another long diagonal found the league’s top scorer, and he collected well and drove into the box before lifting a shot over Gracey to collect a first half hat trick.

Rees nearly had a fourth just before halftime, but his shot dropped just over the bar, before then firing just wide from a corner. But the teams headed into the break with the visitors leading 3-1.

Kevin Wilkin’s men were looking to make a fast start after the interval, and they were forcing the visitors back. After good work down the right by Stenson, Remi Walker was the second Telford man to hit the crossbar, when his acrobatic scissor kick came back off the woodwork. Stenson then fired a shot into the side netting shortly afterwards.

But the Martyrs were still looking dangerous on the break, and nearly had a fourth in the 57th minute. Twamley was allowed to run through, and when his shot was saved, Alex Fletcher somehow cleared the ball off the line when it looked odds on that Town would scored. Merthyr did make it 4-1 on 71 minutes, though, when Rees was adjudged to have been impeded by Piggott in the box. It was a soft decision, but that didn’t bother Rees, as he smashed his penalty down the middle to make it 4-1.

Cole Jarvis could have added another for the visitors, but he could only fire wide when well placed. And there was still time for the Bucks to hit the bar again. This time it was Adan George to be denied by the woodwork, lofting a 25-yard shot over Cogman only to see it come back off the face of the bar. George wasn’t to be denied though, as he pulled a goal back for the Bucks in the 87th minute. When the ball was sent into George, he took one touch to bring the ball down before lashing a fierce shot past Cogman from close range.

On another day, the Kevin Wilkin’s men might have taken something from this one. But, as it was, the visitors were much more clinical than the Bucks and were well worth their 4-2 win.

Match reaction