On the day they celebrated 70 years of service by their Chairman Bob Fisher, Hanwell Town caused another twist in the Southern Premier League South title race with a 2-1 win over Merthyr Town.
Second half strikes from Dan Carr and Mat Mackenzie saw The Geordies race into a two-goal lead after the break. A penalty from Cole Jarvis gave the league leaders some encouragement but the hosts stood firm to hand Merthyr their first defeat since August.
Hanwell Chairman Bob Fisher was celebrated before the game with a guard of honour by both teams. A crowd of 402 fans watches lively first half end without a goal.
Elliot Benyon headed the biggest chance of the first half into the side netting after a Kameron English cross. The league leaders had limited chances, struggling to adjust to the pace of the game in the bright London sun.
At the start of the second half, English immediately attacked down the left and was brought down in the penalty area. Carr made no mistake from the spot and The Geordies had an unlikely advantage.
In the 58th minute, Hanwell had a fantastic chance to double their lead, English again got to the touchline and pulled the ball back for Carr. The wing-back’s powerful shot powered off the post before Mackenzie fired the rebound over.
The hosts eventually had their second goal in the 78th minute. A scramble in the box saw the ball bounce up for Mackenzie and the midfielder provided a looping header over the Jamie Cogman and into the Merthyr net.
Late on, Duncan fouled Simpson on the right side of the penalty area. Jarvis fired the penalty into the bottom right corner to get the visitors back into the game.
Merthyr, though, failed to create another big chance and Hanwell held on for a big win.
The result sees Hanwell climb to eighth in the Southern Premier League South. An incredible achievement considering the fight for survival they went through this time last year.
Hanwell manager Chris Moore was delighted with his team’s performance as they recorded their second straight home win over a title contender.
He said: “I think we’ve won a few games recently where we’ve ground it out and not been spectacular, but I thought we were really good today, really well organised and deserving winners."
Next week, Hanwell welcome Hillingdon Borough to The Powerday Stadium in the Middlesex County Cup Quarter Final. Then, they travel to Gosport at the weekend.
