Big Crowd at Penydarren Park:
MERTHYR v  CITY:
14th September 1912

Last seasons three Cup-ties with Exeter City, together with the Welshmens' partial success at Portsmouth (they drew there on Saturday, no score) lent additional interest to Merthyr Town's first home match in the upper circle. Glorious weather favoured the contest, and the late time of the kick-off (4 p.m.) enabled a crowd of nearly ten thousand to grace the proceedings. Hurst, who was regarded as the best of the new backs, had not fully realised expectations so far, and played for the Reserves today. He was replaced by Ralph Nevin, the sturdy young back from Gateshead. Otherwise the City were unchanged. The Merthyr team included six of the men who appeared in one or more of the three cup-ties of last season, namely Churchill, Dodds, Gates, Holmes, Taylor, and White. Teams :

MERTHYR 
Burrows
White Holmes Beaumont Gates Churchill Lilley Jeffrey Arthurs Dodds Taylor

Referee: Mr C.W.Gillett, of London.

Ives Golightly Rutter Crompton Whittaker
Lockett Bassett Rigby
Nevin Fort
Pym
CITY:


The Game: Merthyr Town 2 City nil.

Merthyr Town won their first home Southern League match very decisively. Better than Exeter in most of the finer points of the game, they certainly showed the sort of form which justifies their inclusion in the first flight, and providing they can keep this up, next April should find them well away from the undesir able end of the League Table.
Forwards Below Form.
Both sets of forwards were lacking in finesse, though on
occasions Taylor, Lilley, and Jeffrey, of Merthyr, and Crompton and Golightly, of Exeter, exhibited glimpses of thoughtful and clever play, but combination between the forwards nevertheless was not often apparent, and generally both lines played below the form of which they are capable. The City's best players apart from the two mentioned, were Pym and Bassett. Nevin and Fort started well enough, but afterwards became uncertain of themselves and made several mistakes. Merthyr's goals were scored by Arthurs in the first half and Lilley in the second.

CITY RESERVES v ST. AUSTELL.
At St. James's Park,
Plymouth & District League.

Played in brilliant weather, before an attendance of 1,500. The Reserves turned out in the old green and white stripes, and the visitors in blue and white.

Reserves, Chapman; Morris, Hurst; Lagan, Pratt, Mullineux; Lewis, Cooper, Brooksbank, Bailey, Addicott.

St Austell Tyzzar; Glazier, Blight; Tomkin, Holberton, Ennis; Lobb, Kressinger, Collyer, Uren, Romer.

The first half was greatly in favour of the Reserves, who led at the interval by 3-nil, goals having been scored by Lewis, Bailey, and Addicott.

Brooksbank scored twice in the second half; the first when he shot in from close range after a drive from Mullineux had come back to him after hitting Glazier, and the second with a fast drive from fifteen yards which the goalkeeper never saw. The Cornishmen scored their only goal from a penalty taken by Blight against Chapman, who retaliated when he considered himself fouled whilst in possession of the ball.
Exeter nearly got a sixth goal when a sharp drive from Cooper flashed across the face of the goal only inches wide of the far post.
Final:
City Reserves 5 St Austell 1.