Boro battle back to win final home league game against play-off rivals Merthyr Town

Midfield ace Alex Wiles played the full 90 minutes, only his 11th start of an injury-ravaged season, as Boro overcame a sluggish start to claim the three points, and go fifth in the table, ahead of the season finale at Bedford Town next Saturday.

With members of Boro’s 1976 FA Trophy winning side watching on, after a pre-match 50th anniversary get-together, Jono Greening’s side got off to the worst possible start, going behind from the first attack of the game in the third minute, when Lewys Twamley played the ball towards Kieran Rai, who headed-on for Cawley Cox to volley past Ryan Whitley.

Boro responded immediately, Harry Green had a volley blocked by Jacob Maddox, and a lofted ball into the goalmouth from Green was plucked off the head of Kieran Weledji by Merthyr keeper Jamie Cogman.

Both Twamley and Cox then had runs into the Boro area halted by strong tackles from Will Thornton.

Boro enjoyed a lot of possession and created a few half-chances, without really testing keeper Cogman.

Luca Colville accepted a pass from Jack Waldron and fired into the side-netting, Harry Green dribbled into the area before going down, penalty claims being waved aside by the referee, and Colville teed up Waldron, whose shot lacked power, and Cogman dived to save.

Green drilled a 20-yard free-kick into a 4-man wall, Ste Walker was tackled by Lee Lucas when he jinked into the box, and a long-throw by Brown into a crowded area saw both Thornton and Wiles have shots charged down.

Waldron fired inches over, and the keeper gathered a looping header from Jake Hull. For Merthyr, Lucas fired narrowly wide, as the visitors still led 1-0 at the interval.

Boro began the second half brightly, skipper Thornton headed over from a Colville free-kick, the lively Wiles headed-on towards Weledji in the area, but Callum Ryan-Phillips hacked clear, and a Walker cross flashed across the goalmouth, with no one there to apply a finish.

Merthyr defended well, and were dangerous on the break, with Rai shooting wide when he burst forward. Rio Allan and Richie Bennett came on from the bench, and both made instant impacts, Allan looking especially sharp on the right wing, and he drilled a low ball into the goalmouth, that Ryan-Phillips booted clear.

Tom Handley intercepted an Alex Purver pass to Weledji in the box, before Boro drew level, when Walker’s cross from the left was volleyed powerfully home at the back post by Weledji.

Purver fired inches over, then Merthyr attacked, as Alex John passed forward to Handley, who burst into the area, but was halted by a terrific Purver tackle, and soon after, Cox flashed a shot inches wide.

Boro then went ahead, again from a Walker cross on the left, as he twisted and turned before sending over a low ball that Allan gleefully slammed inside the right-hand post.

Jordan Garrick raced through on goal, but Boro keeper Whitley blocked his fierce shot, then Hull tackled Garrick as he again got forward, but the final chance fell to Boro, when Allan forced a super one-handed save from Cogman deep into stoppage time.

BORO - Whitley, Weledji, Brown, Hull, Thornton (c), Purver, Green (Allan 59), Wiles, Walker, Waldron (Bennett 59), Colville, unused subs - Duckworth, Maloney, Shehu.

MERTHYR - Cogman, Ryan-Phillips, Handley, Evans (c), Maddox, Rai (John 59), Twamley (Spiers 80), Cox (Xavier-Jones 86), Williams, Thomas, Lucas (Garrick 76), unused subs - A.Harris (GK), M.Harris.

REFEREE - Ben Tomlinson.

MERTHYR GOAL - Cawley Cox 3; BORO GOALS - Kieran Weledji 68, Rio Allan 79.

GOAL ATTEMPTS - BORO 12 (4 on target) MERTHYR 5 (2 on target).

CORNERS - BORO 3 MERTHYR 1.

OFFSIDES - BORO 1 MERTHYR 2.

YELLOW CARDS - Alex Purver (Boro), Cawley Cox (Merthyr).

BORO MAN OF MATCH - Kieran Weledji.

ATTENDANCE - 1,200 (87 away).