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Merton recorded a narrow victory over their local rivals to move up into second place.  The match was played at home in Beddington Park due to Athletic's waterlogged pitch.  The Robins started very strongly and put Merton under pressure for the opening five minutes.  A thunderous shot was driven wide, Warren McCourt made a couple of clean catches, and then a very dangerous corner was cleared with some difficulty.  Merton battled their way back into the game, but then surprisingly found themselves a goal down on ten minutes.  A penalty was harshly awarded against Jonathan Kehoe and the resulting spot kick was dispatched by Athletic.  The game then settled into a midfield tussle with both sides looking threatening when breaking through to run at the defence.  Craig Stanley was proving quite a handful up front, and George King was prominent on the right flank.  After 25 minutes a very robust challenge ended Eddie Lyne's participation in the match, and so enter Jack Malin to counter that style of play down the Merton left.  The game then exploded with two goals in the remaining two minutes of the half.  Athletic broke strongly down the left and a forward cut inside to score with a great shot that rocketed into the net.  Merton came straight back and reduced the deficit when the ball fell to Craig Stanley who jinked round two defenders and then slid the ball past the keeper.

Merton started very well after the break with Louis Barron-Pell, Craig Stanley and George King putting the Robins under all sorts of pressure.  The equaliser came two minutes after the restart when Jamie Streat sent in a very speculative and tame long-range shot that somehow eluded the keeper and ended up in the net.  The Robins broke dangerously and had the ball in the net a few minutes later, but it was disallowed for offside.  Merton took the lead on 37 minutes when Craig Stanley accelerated to the goal line and, with defenders in pursuit, netted with a brilliant cross shot.  The game now became very physical but Merton continued to hold the upper hand with Jamie Streat, Daniel Johnson and George King threading balls through to the ever-dangerous Craig Stanley.  Louis Barron-Pell was also causing plenty of problems, but it was Jack Malin who nearly scored when he burst through a number of challenges on the left and forced the keeper to make a good save.  George King (unsporting behaviour) and Craig Stanley (dissent) were then cautioned as the game became progressively more physical.  Jamie Streat then had a brilliant individual goal mysteriously disallowed.  Merton faded somewhat over the last ten minutes and only a brilliant save by Warren McCourt denied Athletic an equaliser.  Near the end George King and Craig Stanley both went very close, but Merton held back Athletic's late rally to secure the win.  The Merton defence did very well to prevent Athletic scoring in the second half and so full marks to the back four.

Reporter's man of the match: George King.

Warren McCourt, Adam Marie, Jonathan Kehoe, Lewis West, Spud Bradley; Louis Barron-Pell, Jamie Streat, Daniel Johnson, Eddie Lyne, Craig Stanley, Daniel Johnson. Sub: Jack Malin.