Walton Casuals 2, Merthyr Town 1
The Martyrs are having a having a bad time right now, but there is no question they have the quality to climb the BetVictor Southern Premier table.
They were shot down by a late goal scored by former Queens Park Rangers player Charlie Fox at the Excel Sports Hub, Walton-on-Thames.
Substitute Fox burst through on the left and fired home from an acute angle and home fans celebrated wildly.
There is no doubt Merthyr Town deserved better and, with Gethyn Hill fit enough to be among the substitutes, player-manager Gavin Williams and his team look certain to climb the table.
This was the worst time to play Casuals, who lost their first five league fixtures this season. They have now won five successive matches in all competitions.
Matchwinner Fox spent 12 years at QPR, joining them at the age of eight, and is now aged 30.
Midweek football returns this week 🙌
📆 Tuesday 1st October
🆚 @Cinderford_Town
⌚️7:45pm Kick Off
🏟 The Met Coaches Stadium
🏆 BetVictor Southern League Challenge Cup
💷 Adults £6, Concessions £3, Under 16’s £1 pic.twitter.com/yaFTCvWzAB— The Martyrs (@MerthyrTownFC) September 29, 2019
The Martyrs went ahead when Eliot Richards picked out Ian Traylor’s run with a stunning pass after 51 minutes and the striker finished with a composed finish.
David Fitzpatrick equalised after 65 minutes when he fired his shot from 30 yards flew over goalkeeper Alex Harris and into the net. Then Fox smashed home the winner on 90 minutes.
During a scrappy first half Merthyr pressed Walton and stopped the home team finding their rhythm.
The energetic Cheyce Grant had a shot saved by Harris in the Merthyr goal and then Mano Gogonas slipped a pass through to Fitzpatrick and he looked certain to score before defender Jarrad Wright made an unbelievable last ditch tackle to stop the ‘keeper being tested.
Walton Casuals paid tribute to Merthyr’s performance in a match report, saying: “Merthyr have suffered four losses on the trot, but they showed more than enough to suggest this is just a blip for them.”
Here come the teams 👊 pic.twitter.com/nvnuIZZfnK
— The Martyrs (@MerthyrTownFC) September 28, 2019
Merthyr now have back-to-back home League fixtures against Wimborne Town (Saturday, October 5) plus Blackfield and Langley (Saturday, October 12) at the MetCoaches Stadium.
Before those games, though, the Martyrs entertain Cinderford Town in the BetVictor Southern Lerague Cup.
Walton Casuals: Alex Tokarczyk (capt), Bradley Pearce, Jude Mason, Jorell Johnson, Jay Gasson, Michael Atkinson, Chayce Grant, Mano Gogonas, Rene Howe, David Fitzpatrick, Rohdell Gordon. Subs: Andrew Ofosu, Charlie Fox, Goldy Capela, Callum Webb, Brendan Murphyt-McVey.
Merthyr Town: Alex Harris, Adam Davies, Ben Swallow, Kyle Patten, Jarrad Wright, Ashley Evans (capt), Eliot Richards (Camden Duncan 71), Jamie Veale, Ryan Prosser (Kerry Morgan 62), Corey Jenkins (Gethyn Hill 49), Ian Traylor. Subs: Cameron Clarke (gk), Kerry Morgan, Gavin Williams, Camden Duncan, Gethyn Hill.
Attendance: 293