TIM HARRIS - WHAT's THE SCORE? 2000
They say that revenge is sweet, and it doesn't come any sweeter than our 4-0 hammering of local rivals Newport Gounty on their own patch. With the papers predicting an easy win for the Gwent side, Skywalker's Martyrs turned up cast in the role of lambs to the slaughter. However, this was so far removed from the eventual truth, as the Nike boys handed out a lesson in football to an outclassed and outplayed Newport, which left their manager Tim Harris ln a terrible state. Having had his team reduced to a shambles by the P.P. crew, it was time for Tim to sample some rather large slices of humble pie ... and I bet he enjoyed every mouthful!
From the off, we overwhelmed a bemused County side, winning every 50/50 ball available. Loss, Clarke and Carter controlled the midfield, which released Regan to torment the home defence with his blistering runs down the right flank. When Newport did win some possession, they soon gave it away, which left Thommo, Needs, Lima, Baddeley and Power as virtual spectators. With so much possession ourselves, this constantly kept Newport on the back foot, which enabled our midfield to play quick ball up to Summers and Carter.
Sadly for County, the only reasonable chances they had fell to Garry Sheppard who made no valuable contribution to the game whatsoever. His striking partner Danny Hill was even worse ... and we thought we had problems up front ! At the other end, their defence was completely overrun, as chance after chance was created. Loss was simply awesome, as he controlled the midfield alongside the inspirational ball winner Mr. Clarke. Their dominance in this area was to prove vital .....
Our opening goal was a real gem. Regan collected the ball in his own half, and went on another one of those mercurial runs past the Newport defence, before pulling an inch perfect low cross into the path of Summers who made no mistake from eight yards. This led to some crazy celebrations both on and off the fleld, as a deserved lead was taken. However, before we had time to calm down, we were 2-0 up! Winning the ball out on the right, Lossy swung a high cross into their area, home keeper Pat Mountain and Summers both went for the high cross, and the ball ended up at the feet of Darren Ryan who made no mistake again from eight yards. This led to even more crazy celebrations ... but the best was still to come. With the half coming to an end, Carter was clattered by Thorne right alongside the corner flag. Enter Lee Lee Lee Baddeley! Lossy's perfectly flighted free-kick was met by the head of the centre-half, and the ball thundered into the net ... 3-0, and game over!!
The second half was a much more subdued affair, in that Newport knew that the game was lost, whereas we were content to settle for a three goal lead. Former Martyr, Shaun Chapple was replaced, to a series of boos from the travelling Merthyr crowd ... and by the way, he still won't tackle.
Regan and Summers made way for Mitchell and Perry, and it was the two substitutes who combined to set up our fourth goal in the last minute. Winning the ball on the edge of the box, Perry made a slide rule pass between two County defenders, for Mitchell to finish comfortably from six yards. At the final whistle, mass celebrations had begun amongst the players and fans. However, the demoralised and shell-shocked home side left the field to chants of "what a load of rubbish!" ... and to be honest, that's all their players deserved. I can imagine how they must be feeling, as last Boxing Day springs to mind. One thing is for sure though, we have definitely laid that ghost to rest! I am also delighted for Sky and Gilo, who have put in so much hard work. They had the players prepared both physically and mentally, which proved too much for the home side on the day. Hopefully, we can take this forward for the rest of the season, as we have proved our pedigree when we are top form.
As a die-hard Martyr, this result will take some beating. We have regained some credibility on the Welsh football circuit, and put County firmly in their place. With two DMP games against them still remaining, and a DMC game to be played away, there is plenty to look forward to. Admittedly, we have no chance of winning the competition but to the players and fans alike, our cup final took place at Spytty Park on 30th September 2000 and we won 4-0 !!!
An emotional Llama, 09.19 hours on 2nd October 2000
LLama
From the off, we overwhelmed a bemused County side, winning every 50/50 ball available. Loss, Clarke and Carter controlled the midfield, which released Regan to torment the home defence with his blistering runs down the right flank. When Newport did win some possession, they soon gave it away, which left Thommo, Needs, Lima, Baddeley and Power as virtual spectators. With so much possession ourselves, this constantly kept Newport on the back foot, which enabled our midfield to play quick ball up to Summers and Carter.
Sadly for County, the only reasonable chances they had fell to Garry Sheppard who made no valuable contribution to the game whatsoever. His striking partner Danny Hill was even worse ... and we thought we had problems up front ! At the other end, their defence was completely overrun, as chance after chance was created. Loss was simply awesome, as he controlled the midfield alongside the inspirational ball winner Mr. Clarke. Their dominance in this area was to prove vital .....
Our opening goal was a real gem. Regan collected the ball in his own half, and went on another one of those mercurial runs past the Newport defence, before pulling an inch perfect low cross into the path of Summers who made no mistake from eight yards. This led to some crazy celebrations both on and off the fleld, as a deserved lead was taken. However, before we had time to calm down, we were 2-0 up! Winning the ball out on the right, Lossy swung a high cross into their area, home keeper Pat Mountain and Summers both went for the high cross, and the ball ended up at the feet of Darren Ryan who made no mistake again from eight yards. This led to even more crazy celebrations ... but the best was still to come. With the half coming to an end, Carter was clattered by Thorne right alongside the corner flag. Enter Lee Lee Lee Baddeley! Lossy's perfectly flighted free-kick was met by the head of the centre-half, and the ball thundered into the net ... 3-0, and game over!!
The second half was a much more subdued affair, in that Newport knew that the game was lost, whereas we were content to settle for a three goal lead. Former Martyr, Shaun Chapple was replaced, to a series of boos from the travelling Merthyr crowd ... and by the way, he still won't tackle.
Regan and Summers made way for Mitchell and Perry, and it was the two substitutes who combined to set up our fourth goal in the last minute. Winning the ball on the edge of the box, Perry made a slide rule pass between two County defenders, for Mitchell to finish comfortably from six yards. At the final whistle, mass celebrations had begun amongst the players and fans. However, the demoralised and shell-shocked home side left the field to chants of "what a load of rubbish!" ... and to be honest, that's all their players deserved. I can imagine how they must be feeling, as last Boxing Day springs to mind. One thing is for sure though, we have definitely laid that ghost to rest! I am also delighted for Sky and Gilo, who have put in so much hard work. They had the players prepared both physically and mentally, which proved too much for the home side on the day. Hopefully, we can take this forward for the rest of the season, as we have proved our pedigree when we are top form.
As a die-hard Martyr, this result will take some beating. We have regained some credibility on the Welsh football circuit, and put County firmly in their place. With two DMP games against them still remaining, and a DMC game to be played away, there is plenty to look forward to. Admittedly, we have no chance of winning the competition but to the players and fans alike, our cup final took place at Spytty Park on 30th September 2000 and we won 4-0 !!!
An emotional Llama, 09.19 hours on 2nd October 2000
LLama
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