Merton Football Club

Full-time: Merton 1st 4-8 Georgeham & Croyde Rovers

Not the result we wanted at the Clinton Hall, as Merton fell to an 8-4 defeat in a game that had no shortage of goals.

It was a lovely setting for football with the sun shining, the pitch looking superb, the weather kind, and the bar open — but Georgeham & Croyde Rovers were clinical and made the most of their chances.

There were still positives for Merton, with goals from Dan, Liam, Brendan and Henry, and it was also good to see Dan back involved.

In fact, after all the post-match chat about Dan walking to the chippy (250 yards) and possibly needing a taxi back, fair play to him for getting through 70 minutes and playing his part 😄

Merton scorers:
⚽ Dan
⚽ Liam
⚽ Brendan
⚽ Henry

A tough afternoon, but we go again in a couple weeks.
Thanks to everyone who came down to support the lads. 💙🤍

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☀️ HOME GAME DAY for Merton 1st! ⚽

The sun is shining, the pitch is looking great, and the bar will be open — perfect afternoon for football at Clinton Hall, Merton!

Today we take on Georgeham & Croyde Rovers at home.

🆚 Georgeham & Croyde Rovers
📍 Clinton Hall, Merton
🕒 Kick-off is 3:00pm

🚨 Please note: kick-off is 3 o’clock, not 2:30pm.

Come on down, enjoy the sunshine, and get behind the lads! 💙🤍

🏆 CUP MATCH
🔵⚪️ Merton v South Molton ⚪️🔵
📅 28th February
🕝 Kick Off – 2:30pm

South Molton are a strong side, but the lads are ready to put on a good show after no game for a long time!

RESULTS NOT GOING MERTON’S WAY, BUT PADDON SURVIVES ANOTHER DAY!

⚽ South Molton 6–2 Merton ⚽
📍 Tarka Astro, Barnstaple

A tough afternoon for Merton as we fell to a 6–2 defeat against a strong South Molton side, who went into the game sitting 3rd in the league.

The first half belonged to South Molton, who enjoyed far more of the ball and created the majority of the chances, heading into the break 4–0 up.

A change in formation after the interval had the desired effect and brought Merton greater stability. The second half was much more competitive, with South Molton restricted to far fewer chances and Merton showing real resilience.

👏 Goals for Merton:
• Seth Hodorowski – picked out by a long pass from the goalkeeper Steve Wright, Seth got around and held off the defender before coolly chipping the keeper.
• Dec DC – from a similar long ball, this time delivered by the man with the longest name in the North Devon Football League, Henry D’alberti-Nicholson. Dec’s finish was pure prime Cole Palmer. Ice cold. ❄️

Off the pitch, following Manchester United’s derby win after a change of manager, the North Devon rumour mill has inevitably gone into overdrive with calls of “Paddon out!” ringing out.

Thankfully, Director of Football Kenny Heaman has a wise old head on his shoulders. The noises suggest Paddon has a few more games to turn the tide…
And, let’s be honest — no bu**er else will do the job anyway! 😉

➡️ We go again in two weeks with an away trip to Combe Martin. 💪⚽

🏆 South Molton vs Merton🏆

🗓️ Saturday 17th Jan
📍 Venue: Tarka Astro, Barnstaple
⏰ Kick-off: 1.15pm

Merton head to South Molton (now at the Tarka Astro, Barnstaple & an early kick off) to face the league’s 3rd-placed side this Saturday!

The reverse fixture was a tough one with only the bare 11 available for Merton. South Molton came away 7-0 winners after a spirited first half from Merton saw us only 1 goal down. But tired legs and a sharp South Molton attack proved too strong in the second half.

Match Report: Merton 1–7 Bradworthy

Merton were beaten 7–1 by Bradworthy in a result that reflected the balance of the game. Bradworthy made their strengths count, particularly from wide areas, delivering a constant stream of crosses that caused problems throughout.

Strong in the air and well organised, Bradworthy capitalised on those situations, while Merton struggled to cope with the physical presence in the box. Despite this, Merton continued to compete and worked hard across the pitch.

Merton’s goal came through Will Croxford, who produced a tidy finish at the back post after meeting a cross, giving the home side a moment of quality on the scoresheet.

Although the scoreline told the story on the day, Merton can still take positives from the performance and look to build on them going forward. Merton also wish Bradworthy all the best for the remainder of the season.

🎄⚽ Merry Christmas from Merton FC ⚽🎄

Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. A huge thank you to our players, staff, supporters, and especially our sponsors and volunteers who keep the club going.

Have a great Christmas and New Year — see you all soon! 💙🤍

🔵 MATCH PREVIEW
Merton travel to Bideford AFC 2nd this Saturday (14:30 KO) for a tough test against one of the league’s in-form sides.

Despite the last match played ending in a 2–4 defeat to Shamwickshire Rovers 2nd, the lads put in one of their best performances of the season — goals from Liam Sayer and Luke Avery, plus a big penalty save from Nick Ward, showed plenty of positives to build on.

A big effort needed again, but confidence is growing.
💙 Up the Merton!

🔵 FULL-TIME: Merton 2–4 Shamwickshire Rovers 2nd 🔵

Pleasing to see the drains at Merton were in working order this weekend and only one of 3 games in the whole of the NDL on. Fantastic effort from the ground staff who worked on the pitch today.

Onto the match report……

A very even and competitive game at Merton today, with both sides creating opportunities, but Shammy proved more clinical in front of goal.

Merton performed well throughout the first half, moving the ball confidently and matching Shammy all over the pitch. Despite this, we went in 3–1 down at half-time, punished by little mistakes and moments that didn’t quite fall our way.

Our first goal though came from Liam Sayer, who smashed in a brilliant long-range strike after a loose touch from Luke Avery broke kindly for him.

The second half saw Merton remain competitive, pushing the tempo and creating several chances that, on another day, could easily have been converted.

⚽ Goals:
• 1–3: Liam Sayer – long-range effort after a loose Avery touch sat up nicely.
• 2–3: Luke Avery – superb header in off the bar from a pinpoint delivery by Shaun Hambley.

At 2–3, with ten minutes to play, Merton were well on top and pushing hard for an equaliser. A loose ball across the edge of the area was cleared, resulting in a counterattack that led to Shammy’s fourth.

👀 Notes:
• Merton were competitive throughout and created good chances but couldn’t quite convert enough of them.
• The back line organised well overall, leaving Nick Ward with little to do — but he still pulled off a massive penalty save, earning Man of the Match.
• Debut for Seth Hodorowski, who slotted in well and worked hard across the game.

A close, competitive match where the performance deserved more. Plenty of positives to take into next week. 💙

MATCH PREVIEW – Merton vs Shamwickshire Rovers 2nd

Merton are back at home this Saturday as we face Shamwickshire Rovers 2nds, who currently sit 4th in the table with 16 points after 7 games. It’ll be a challenging game, but the lads will be aiming to build on the positives from the last match which was hard-working 1–1 draw with AFC Dumnonii.

Shamwickshire have had a strong start to the season, but Merton showed real signs of progress in organisation, effort and team spirit last time out. With another committed performance, we’ll look to make it a competitive afternoon.

📍 Home – Merton
⏰ Kick-off: 2:30pm

Match Report

Merton 1–1 AFC Dumnonii
Goal: Luke “The Engine” Avery

Merton delivered a strong, disciplined display at home, taking a 1–0 lead into half-time and ultimately earning a 1–1 draw against AFC Dumnonii. The hosts were the better side for long stretches, especially in a dominant first half.

Merton started brightly, with the midfield trio of Luke “The Engine” Avery, Liam “Sarge” Sayer, and Jack “JK” Kirby controlling the tempo. Their positive play paid off when Avery fired Merton ahead with a well-taken finish.

The second half brought more pressure from AFC Dumnonii, but Merton’s defensive unit—anchored by Richard “Brick Wall” Bright and Arron “Bakes” Baker—remained superbly organised. Full-backs Shaun “Hammer” Hambley and Jadon “Jet” Andrew kept the flanks secure, while Nick “Safe Hands” Ward stood firm behind them.

Despite being pushed back at times, Merton still created the clearer chances on the break. Unfortunately, several efforts went straight at the visiting keeper or drifted just wide, preventing the hosts from grabbing the second goal their play deserved. A late equaliser from AFC Dumnonii meant the match finished level, but Merton’s performance was full of positives.

⸻

Merton Line-Up (with nicknames)
• GK: Nick “Safe Hands” Ward
• LB: Shaun “Hammer” Hambley
• CB: Richard “Brick Wall” Bright
• CB: Arron “Bakes” Baker
• RB: Jadon “Jet” Andrew
• CM: Luke “The Engine” Avery (⚽)
• CM: Liam “Sarge” Sayer
• CM: Jack “JK” Kirby
• RW: Lenny “Lightning” King-Taylor
• ST: Brendan “Bruiser” Harris
• LW: Will “Crox” Croxford

Manager: Daniel “Gaffer” Paddon
Director of Football: Kenny “Bossman” Heaman

Assist: CM: Jack “JK” Kirby
Man of the match: RB: Jadon “Jet” Andrew