You look good for the promotion, good job

and your presentation makes me feel like I'm watching those Monday TV shows in which they show the goals of the weekend, I like that

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Merthyr Town manager Hugo Montgomery has been awarded the Manager of the Month award after leading the club to four wins in our first five games.

This is the first time Montgomery has won the award at this level, after winning 10 Manager of the Month awards over 4 seasons in the Vanarama North, and it is testament to both the early success of the side this season and the long term foundations set in place over the past 5 years.

In the other awards, centre back Liam Williams came third in the Player of the Month voting, after Darren Fisk (Chester) and De’marlio Brown-Sterling (South Shields), and Williams and loanee Charlie Delve were the runners-up for Young Player of the Month, again losing out to Fisk.

A thoroughly deserved accolade.

Well earned after a brilliant first month and topping the league with some dominant performances!

It's been a hell of a start to the season for Merthyr, and it's nice to see Hugo recognized for the great work he's doing so far. Keep up the good work man

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It was an excellent start for the club as we embarked on our second season in the Vanarama National. Merthyr scored 14 goals in their five fixtures, dropping just two points, and sit two points clear at the top of the league table at the end of August.

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The club opened the season with a trip south to play Eastleigh, and proved deadly from deadball situations in their 3-1 win. In their first home game of the season, we hosted the highly fancied Kidderminster, and looked on track to win before conceding twice in the last 15 minutes to only draw. A Charlie Delve wonderstrike was enough to close out Dag & Red on the road, and then it was back to Penydarren Park for the last two games of the month. Three first half goals was enough to hold off another late charge from Aldershot Town, and then we fired on all cylinders to thrash Ebbsfleet 5-1, again with every goal coming in the first half.

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Our excellent early form sees them sitting first in the league after 5 games, two points clear of Kidderminster. They have scored a league high 14 goals, and are one of just three teams yet to lose a game. It’s a great early foundation for success this season, but no one at the club will be getting ahead of themselves just yet.

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Liam Williams was more highly rated by league officials and came 3rd in the league POTM but I’ve decided to go with our loanee winger Charlie Delve. I knew he was a talent when I signed him but he’s exceeded expectations thus far and has been crucial to our success. He’s been involved in 5 goals in his 5 games thus far; 3 assists shows how important he is to our buildup play and 2 absolutely brilliant goals; a long range strike against Dag & Red and then a solo run from the halfway line against Aldershot.

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We’ve had a completely clean bill of health so far this season, with no players missing any games thus far which has allowed me to play a line-up with minimal changes each week.

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It’s a tale of two halves in September; the Chester game that was meant to be played on the 6th has been moved and so we play just once in the first 12 days and then five times in the last 18. It’ll be a tough slog, but it will mean plenty of rotation and a chance for bench players to impress me. I’m keen to push onwards and try and keep up the pressure at the top of the table.

A great start to the season with the help of a consistent side out every week. September is going to be another long one, with that second half of the month a real test of fitness.

September is going to be a good 'feeler' to see where your squad is at tbh, with the majority of your opposition being in the top-6. You're doing extremely well, and it's nice to see Delve doing well for you. You're not appearing to be overly reliant on Rowlands for goals, and that's great to see, as it means that even when he's not having the greatest game: you're still in with a chance. Keep it up, and good luck in September

TheLFCFan: You hit the nail on the head in terms of fitness, that's the big test.

J_ames: Thanks again for the support mate

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Merthyr Town’s Under-19 squad will travel to Romania to face Steaua Bucharest’s youth side on the 17th of September, before hosting them at Penydarren Park in the 1st of October, in today’s released UEFA Youth League fixtures.

As last season’s Welsh Development League champions, Merthyr will enter the competition at the 1st Qualifying Round stage and will play knockout fixtures over two legs for as long as they are in the competition.

The Martyrs youth team have won the last three WDL titles and will see Steaua Bucharest as their best opportunity to progress in the Youth League so far. In 2023/24, they almost upset Zenit over two legs, losing 5-4, and faded to a 6-3 loss against Galatasaray last season.

Merthyr Town are unique amongst the Welsh expatriate clubs in England, with their youth side playing in the Welsh youth system but also competing in the FA Youth Cup. A major upgrade to the club’s youth facilities are expected to be completed in time for the home leg in October.

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Merthyr Town have pulled off a late win against Boreham Wood, extending their unbeaten run to six games and solidifying their position atop the Vanarama National league table.

Boreham Wood had been seen as a dangerous opponent for the in-form side and went ahead after 7 minutes but Merthyr quickly equalised and then took control of the match, eventually breaking through with just 12 minutes to go.

The home team got off to a perfect start, exploiting Merthyr’s lack of defensive width with a number of incisive passes, culminating in a dangerous cross from James Ameobi. It found Reece Grego-Cox, who managed to beat Merthyr’s Rushesha in the air and skillfully direct it home from 7 yards.

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It took just 8 minutes for Merthyr to strike back, and it came through a piece of individual brilliance. Alan Williams, arguably the most naturally gifted player at the club, took the ball from a headed clearance and found the top right corner of the net from a tight angle in what was a remarkable equaliser.

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The match turned into an arm wrestle after the equaliser, with Merthyr slowly getting the upper hand as the game went on, dominating the statistical categories. A Ryan Bevan long shot was parried into the path of Gareth Evans who converted, but the goal was pulled back for offside.

After dominating most of the second half but failing to manufacture a quality chance to go ahead, Merthyr finally got their breakthrough through a quick and brutal counterattack inside Boreham Wood’s defensive third. A lazy short pass was quickly intercepted by Matt Blake, playing a one-two pass with Gareth Evans and then shooting, with his shot hitting the underside of the crossbar and bouncing out. But captain Rhydian Rowlands was there at the drop of the ball to ram it home, and give his side the 2-1 win.

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”I knew this would be a danger game as Boreham Wood have started the season well, so I was very impressed that we not only won away from home, we dominated the stats and we responded well to an early goal. Alan Williams’ form has been patchy this season so for him to pull out that goal was something special!”

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Merthyr will have another long break, waiting 12 days for their much-anticipated clash against Yeovil. The Somerset side looms as the Martyrs’ biggest test so far, sitting in 3rd and expected to be a real promotion challenger this season.

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Poor discipline cost Merthyr Town dearly, with Yeovil doing just enough to end the club’s unbeaten streak and knock them from the top of the table, albeit temporarily.

Abdullah Al-Rashid’s early penalty was the difference and the Martyrs were not able to recover after George Williams picked up his second yellow card just before the break.

A rash challenge by Merthyr right back Ryan Bevan on Gabby Rogers gave away a penalty just 12 minutes into the match. Saudi youth international Al-Rashid stepped up for the home side and tucked his penalty deftly into the bottom left corner.

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Gareth Evans had a prime chance to equalise less than 5 minutes later after a Tom Sparrow pass unlocked the defence but an acrobatic save by Brian Rowlands denied him. Yeovil almost doubled their advantage in the 25th minute after a mad goal-line scramble but a timely block by Charlie Delve saved the day for Merthyr.

But any chance of equalising was significantly reduced just before half time, when George Williams, already booked for a poor challenge, was shown a second yellow card for persistent fouling, forcing Merthyr manager Hugo Montgomery into pulling Gareth Evans and playing just one striker. Unsurprisingly, the Martyrs failed to manufacture any more chances.

”It’s a disappointing way for us to end our unbeaten streak because it was poor discipline that led to the defeat, not a poor performance. I’m proud of my backline for standing tall despite the disadvantage, to come out of the situation with only a 1-0 loss against a very strong Yeovil side is the main positive of the day. Disappointed in Williams for getting sent off, and Bevan in conceding the penalty. Need to be better.”

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Merthyr are set to play two matches this week, with a midweek trip to Stockport County who have started the season strongly before hosting Torquay United on the weekend. Montgomery will be hoping for a repeat of the last time Torquay visited Penydarren Park, with the Martyrs winning 5-1 in that fixture.

You had to lose at some point. Now comes the point where you see how your squad reacts.