"Bucks out for revenge against Martyrs"

Match Date : January 27th, 2026 7:45 pm
Competition : National League North
Ground : Penydarren Park
Kick Off : 19:45

The Bucks head to Wales on Tuesday night to face title-chasing Merthyr Town.

Formed in 2010 following the liquidation of the old Merthyr Tydfil AFC, Merthyr Town have won four league titles in 15 years, as the Martyrs have marched their way back up the non-league pyramid. Town held off AFC Totton to claim last season’s Southern League Premier South title and with it a place at Step 2 for the first time in the new club’s history.

The Welsh side’s momentum up the levels had taken a hit during Covid. With Wales under different lockdown rules, the Martyrs took the decision to mothball for the 2020-21, effectively disbanding their existing squad and management team. Having to start again virtually from scratch, Town finished second bottom in 2021-22, but they were reprieved from relegation after Walton Casuals went out of business. But that disappointing campaign led to the appointment of current manager Paul Michael at the end of April 2022, and the Martyrs have been on an upward curve ever since.

Michael has largely stuck with the same squad that not only earned Merthyr promotion but also recorded a 32-game unbeaten run along the way. The most notable summer addition was Lewys Twamley, who left for Yeovil Town in last January but returned to Penydarren Park in July. Twamley is one of Town’s key men and has become even more important since the Martyrs’ goalgetter-in-chief, 25-goal Ricardo Rees, joined Forest Green Rovers earlier this month. At the back, centre half Matthew Harris captains the side and made his 450th appearance for Merthyr earlier this season.

The Martyrs have impressed on their debut campaign at Step 2 and currently sit in 3rd on 56 points from 28 games. A small wobble at the end of September into October saw Town fall to three defeats from four, but Town have racked up 13 wins in their 16 league games since. Even after losing the league’s top scorer, the Martyrs recorded three wins from their first three fixtures in January, although they fell to a late 1-0 defeat at Southport on Saturday. Merthyr are strong on their own patch, though. The Welsh club have the division’s second-best home record, with only leaders South Shields outdoing Town’s 28 points from 14 games.

But the Bucks have been in good form too, registering nine wins, three draws, and only one defeat in the last 13 outings. The Martyrs ran out 4-2 winners at the SEAH Stadium earlier this season, but the Bucks were without defensive lynchpin Oliver Cawthorne while Merthyr are now without Rees, their four-goal hero from that night. And with the Bucks having picked up three wins from three in 2026, Kevin Wilkin’s men may well fancy their chances of upsetting title-chasing Town on Tuesday night.

MATCHDAY INFORMATION

Website: www.merthyrtownfc.co.uk

Ground Address: Penydarren Park, Park Terrace, Merthyr Tydfil, CF47 8RF