Gosport Borough 2, Merthyr Town 2
Scottish striker Matthew Paterson rocked Merthyr Town with an injury time goal for Gosport Borough at Privett Park.
The Martyrs were leading 2-1, thanks to goals by Lee Lucas and Owain Jones, when Dunfermline-born Paterson struck to snatch victory away from the Welsh club.
Rudy Plummer put Gosport ahead after 10 minutes before Lucas (56 mins) and Jones (62) gave Merthyr the lead.
Then came Paterson’s late equaliser to deny the Martyrs victory.
Merthyr now have back-to-back home fixtures against Hayes and Yeading on Tuesday and Metropolitan Police next Saturday, both at the MetCoaches Stadium.
The Welsh club have linked with the University of South Wales and the USW Sports Park for the use of the state of the art facilities.
Merthyr have been using the new full size indoor pitch for training sessions.
The Fifa 2-star pitch, one of three in the UK run by universities and the only one in Wales, meets all the requirements of the B license for football coaching The pitch has a shock pad underneath so it will play better, last longer and provide a safer playing environment.
Merthyr manager Gavin Williams said: “Our thanks to everyone at USW for allowing us to use this incredible facility ahead of a busy month or so, which includes a number of midweek fixtures.
“The indoor aspect of the facility allows us to get out of the bad weather and still work on what we need in order to be prepared.”
Gosport Borough: Patrick O’Flaherty, Sam Roberts, Ryan Woodford, Dan Strugnell, Liam Robinson, Alex John, Rory Williams, Charlie Davis, Charlie Kennedy, Rudy Plummer, Matt Paterson. Subs: George Barker, Tobi Adekunle, Chris Flood, Marley Ridge, Mike Carter
Merthyr Town: Alex Harris, Dan Summerfield, Adam Davies (capt), Ismail Yakubu, Jarrad Wright, Keiran Lewis, Lee Lucas, Owain Jones, Jamie Veale, Gethyn Hill, Ian Traylor. Subs: Ryan Prosser, Ben Swallow, Corey Jenkins, Kyle Patten, Eliot Richards
COOL AS YOU LIKE 🧊 |@owainjones39 picks up the ball just past the halfway, before fending off the defender and calmly slotting the ball home to score the Martyrs second today!
👏🏼👏🏼 pic.twitter.com/zjsgZBkkOD
— The Martyrs (@MerthyrTownFC) January 25, 2020
BetVictor Southern Premier South
| Club | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | -Pts | Pts | |
| Truro City | 25 | 17 | 3 | 5 | 51 | 25 | 26 | – | 54 | |
| Chesham United | 26 | 17 | 2 | 7 | 57 | 37 | 20 | – | 53 | |
| Tiverton Town | 25 | 15 | 5 | 5 | 63 | 33 | 30 | – | 50 | |
| Swindon Supermarine | 25 | 15 | 5 | 5 | 45 | 32 | 13 | – | 50 | |
| Taunton Town | 24 | 13 | 5 | 6 | 50 | 36 | 14 | – | 44 | |
| Salisbury | 23 | 12 | 6 | 5 | 47 | 31 | 16 | – | 42 | |
| Hayes & Yeading United | 25 | 12 | 4 | 9 | 50 | 37 | 13 | – | 40 | |
| Poole Town | 21 | 12 | 3 | 6 | 38 | 23 | 15 | – | 39 | |
| Gosport Borough | 26 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 29 | 26 | 3 | – | 36 | |
| Weston-super-Mare | 24 | 10 | 5 | 9 | 44 | 42 | 2 | – | 35 | |
| Farnborough | 25 | 11 | 2 | 12 | 31 | 39 | -8 | – | 35 | |
| Merthyr Town | 22 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 29 | 26 | 3 | – | 31 | |
| Metropolitan Police | 25 | 9 | 4 | 12 | 35 | 41 | -6 | – | 31 | |
| Hendon | 25 | 8 | 6 | 11 | 37 | 40 | -3 | – | 30 | |
| Blackfield & Langley | 26 | 8 | 6 | 12 | 31 | 40 | -9 | – | 30 | |
| Harrow Borough | 28 | 8 | 6 | 14 | 34 | 50 | -16 | – | 30 | |
| Wimborne Town | 26 | 8 | 5 | 13 | 32 | 42 | -10 | – | 29 | |
| Hartley Wintney | 23 | 7 | 6 | 10 | 31 | 36 | -5 | – | 27 | |
| Yate Town | 26 | 7 | 5 | 14 | 35 | 46 | -11 | – | 26 | |
| Walton Casuals | 28 | 7 | 5 | 16 | 38 | 62 | -24 | – | 26 | |
| Beaconsfield Town | 24 | 4 | 5 | 15 | 19 | 42 | -23 | – | 17 | |
| Dorchester Town | 28 | 3 | 6 | 19 | 34 | 74 | -40 | – | 15 | |
Finishing preparations for Gosport continued last night 💪
The Martyrs using @USWSport amazing facilities to enchance preparation for a busy fixture period ahead.
🎥 Watch here
(@danieldavies111) pic.twitter.com/0jUGHpQFJk
— The Martyrs (@MerthyrTownFC) January 24, 2020
Merthyr Town fixtures
January
Tuesday 28 Merthyr Town v Hayes and Yeading
February
Saturday 1 Merthyr Town v Metropolitan Police
Tuesday 4 Poole Town v Merthyr Town
Saturday 8 Chesham United v Merthyr Town
Tuesday 11 Merthyr Town v Taunton Town
Saturday 15 Merthyr Town v Dorchester Town
Saturday 22 Blackfield and Langley v Merthyr Town
Tuesday 25 Wimborne Town v Merthyr Town
Saturday 29 Merthyr Town v Beaconsfield Town
March
Saturday 7 Salisbury v Merthyr Town
Saturday 14 Taunton v Merthyr Town
Saturday 21 Merthyr Town v Truro City
Saturday 28 Hayes and Yeading v Merthyr Town
April
Saturday 4 Merthyr Town v Poole Town
Saturday 11 Merthyr Town v Tiverton Town
Monday 13 Yate Town v Merthyr Town
Saturday 18 Hartley Wintney v Merthyr Town
Saturday 25 Merthyr Town v Hendon