Merthyr Town 1-2 Marine; Enterprise NLN; Saturday 26th September 2026
Lydia Durband reports from Penydarren Park…
Marine secure three points with a dramatic last-minute winner
Following a long coach journey down to South Wales, Marine successfully brought three points back to the MTA. The Mariners fought hard in an intense battle against close table rivals, Merthyr Town FC.
Despite a strong start from the home side, minimal chances arose in the opening stages of the first half, as the ball travelled back and forth with neither side able to take control of the game. The first key chance fell to the Martyrs, as a corner was whipped into the box to find the head of a Merthyr attacker, producing an eye-catching save from Jack McIntyre. However, Marine reacted sharply to the early pressure, by scoring the opening goal just minutes later. A quick turnover in midfield, followed by a display of one touch football on the right side, left Ben Darby with the ball, leading to an incisive pass which found Matty McDonald who put it on a plate for George Newell.
With Marine on the front foot after the opening goal, the Mariners continued to apply pressure, causing trouble for the home side defence. This resulted in a possible chance for Marine to double their lead, as Matty McDonald fired a shot narrowly wide of the post, from the edge of the area. Shortly after, the ball found the feet of Ben Darby, playing it to Charlie Jolley, who fancied his chances from a promising position. However, he was denied by Merthyr’s keeper Cogman, bringing an end to a strong first half for Marine.
After an uneventful start to the second half, Marine found themselves with a handful of opportunities from set pieces, which fail to find a potential target in the box. With the Mariners wanting to strengthen their advantage, George Newell made a powerful run through the centre of the pitch, but limited options didn’t cause danger to the Merthyr defence. A short time later the Martyrs struck back with a well worked goal, leaving the game level with just twenty minutes left to play.
With pressure building and both teams wanting to take three points away from the game, a free kick taken by Leigh Whelan gives Marine a chance to get ahead, as the ball found the head of Josh Wardle which did not quite find the back of the net. However, with the support of the travelling Mariners behind the goal, Finlay Sinclair-Smith found a last-minute winner. An intercepted pass from Merthyr gave Marine a late opportunity as George Kattah played the ball into the box from wide, eventually finding its way to Sinclair-Smith who finished with ease. This finalised Marine’s three points on the road, rounding off a memorable journey for the Mariners.
Merthyr Town: Cogman, Foulston, Margetson, Humphries, Wigley (Maddox 46), Simpson (John 77), Pearson, Watts, J. Evans ©, K. Evans (Lucas 70), Spiers (Smerdon 88).
Unused subs: Thomas, Harris, Williams.
Marine: McIntyre, Abankwah, Doyle, Whelan, Wardle ©, Drysdale, Sinclair-Smith, Darby, Newell (Kattah 79), McDonald (Hilton 46), Jolley (McAleny 76).
Unused subs: Butler, Huby, Lawless, Potter.
Goal Scorers: Marine: George Newell (24’), Finlay Sinclair-Smith (90’); Merthyr Town Jack Evans (67’).
Attendance: 1,556.