PREVIEW: Merthyr Town (a)

CHORLEY make the long trip across the border to Penydarren Park this weekend looking for their third win in a row.

The Magpies came out as 2-1 winners at home to Scarborough Athletic last Saturday, off the back of a 2-0 victory at Marine four days before.

The visit to South Wales will bring back good memories for Andy Preece’s side, with last season’s meeting seeing a dramatic comeback and 95th-minute winner from Tom Carr.

Last Time Out

After their first win of the season, Chorley returned home to the Grant Store Victory Park Stadium with confidence to face Scarborough, who reached the play-offs last season.

The Magpies began brightly with Jack Moore and Steven Bala firing left-footed efforts either narrowly high or wide of the Seadogs’ goal.

In the 23rd minute, Scarborough’s number 11 Luca Colville received a booking for a poor challenge on Bala and may have seen himself lucky not to have been sent off.

Former York City man Mo Fadera looked dangerous for the visitors, dancing past the Chorley defence but putting his shot over the bar.

Just after the restart, the Magpies could have felt they were harshly disallowed a goal as Elliot Taylor’s finish was ruled out due to Bala being deemed to have interfered with the play.

And they were left to feel more aggrieved when the away side took the lead soon after through Rio Allan, shortly before the hour mark.

However, they reacted brilliantly and were level just six minutes later with a thumping strike from close-range by Harvey Smith, who pounced on a loose ball in the box to fire past Ryan Whitley.

The hosts continued to fight and found their winning goal through skipper Mike Calveley in the 81st minute, who headed Adam Blakeman’s corner past Whitley for his second goal of the season.

The Magpies still had to hold on for the win and were saved by Li-Bau Stowell who excellently kept out Lewis Maloney’s free-kick and Dom Tear’s effort from inside the box in the dying minutes of the game.

Thankfully the full-time whistle came to give Andy Preece’s side another three points and continue their bright start to the 2026/27 season.

Opposition Focus

Saturday’s hosts Merthyr Town sit one point and two places behind Chorley in the Enterprise National League North table after four games.

The Welsh outfit, led by Paul Michael, started off with a 2-0 win over new boys Hednesford Town but have since lost to Spennymoor Town and drawn with AFC Telford United and South Shields.

Last weekend saw them grab a point in the North East thanks to summer signing Ben Margetson’s late goal.

Michael is in his fifth full season in charge at Penydarren Park after joining from Yate Town in 2022.

He led the Martyrs to promotion to Step Two in 2025 as champions of the Southern League Premier Division South and then took them to an eighth-placed finish last season, falling three points short of a play-off place.

Their high-flying early-season form was led by Ricardo Rees, who scored 25 goals in 24 games before earning a move to Forest Green Rovers in January.

Their campaign was full of goals, with them scoring 95 goals and conceding 86, meaning they had the division’s third-best attack but also the fourth-worst defence.

Michael has seen his side lose two of their most important players in Lewys Twamley and Tom Handley, who have both stepped up a league to join Southend United and Tamworth respectively.

Former Plymouth Argyle winger Jordon Garrick also departed the club.

However, they have brough in Eastleigh midfield duo Sam Pearson and Lloyd Humphries, Jacob Maddox, who was loan at the club last year, from Yeovil Town, full-back Jay Foulston from Torquay United and young striker Morgan Wigley from Cardiff City.

Maddox scored a brace in their opening-day win over Hednesford and is the team’s top-scorer.

Head-to-Head

In both meetings last season, the away side came out on top.

Two goals from Rees at Victory Park in October sealed a 2-0 win for the Martyrs, who were helped by Adam Blakeman’s first-half sending off.

But the Magpies got their revenge in February’s return fixture as they came back from two goals down to win 3-2, with strikes from Warren Clarke, Anjola Popoola and Tom Carr.

Match Details

Merthyr Town vs Chorley

Enterprise National League North

Saturday, August 29

3pm kick-off

Penydarren Park, Merthyr Tydfil, CF47 8RF