Following 3 straight defeats for the Martyrs, Paul Michael's side have the chance to get back to winning ways as Chorley travel to Penydarren Park for matchday 31. Last time out the Martyrs travelled to Darlington and were harshly defeated 3-1 away from home. The visitors faced Leamington in their last match, and they were held to a 1-1 draw despite taking an early lead through striker Anjola Popoola. After this result 'The Magpies' now find themselves in 15th place. Since the defeat away at Darlington, Merthyr's squad has gone through noticeable change as Cole Jarvis departed the club and heads for Newport County but there have also been 3 new arrivals with Kiban Rai, Jacob Maddox and Jordan Garrick all signing for the club.

Previous Encounters:

The only previous fixture between Merthyr and Chorley came on matchday 14 of the 2025/26 campaign. Merthyr were victorious on the day as an early red card for Chorley partnered with a brace from attacker Ricardo Rees was enough to seal the deal for Paul Michael's side.

KNOW YOUR OPPONENT | KEY STAFF

Manager | Andy Preece

Assistant Manager | Chris Anderson

Manager Andy Preece joined 'The Magpies' in May 2022 following a four-year spell as assistant manager and director of football at the club. However, in his playing days Preece played over 500 professional games as a centre forward for the likes of Worchester, Wrexham, Stockport County, Crystal Palace, Blackpool, Bury and Carlise United. Andy Preece's management and coaching career started in 1999 as he was appointed player-manager of Bury FC, and he stayed there until December 2003 as the League Two side released him due to financial reasons. Then in 2005 Preece was once again a player-manager but this time for Worcester FC. He was there until October 2007 after leading the side to three consecutive top ten finishes in the Conference North (National League North) and a successful cup run that saw them reach the second round of the FA Cup. Following his departure from Worcester FC, Preece then picked up the roles of manager at Northwich Victoria in 2009 and then in 2012 he put pen to paper for Welsh side, Airbus UK Broughton. His time at Airbus saw him participate in the Europa League for two consecutive seasons. After Andy Preece departed the Welsh side in 2016, he then joined National League side Southport in February 2017 until the end of the season. Following the conclusion of the 2016/17 season Preece was then appointed as the head coach of PVF Football Academy in Vietnam. After a spell coaching in Vietnam, Preece moved into the role of Director of Football at Chorley prior to being appointed as manager of Chorley in May 2022.

Assistant Manager Chris Anderson joined 'The Magpies' following a three-year spell as manager of AFC Liverpool in the North West Counties League to partner and support manager Andy Preece. Anderson playing career took place at club such as Morecambe FC, Lancaster City, Squires Gate and Clitheroe.

KNOW YOUR OPPONENT | SEASON SO FAR

Since the previous encounter between Merthyr and Chorley, 'The Magpies' have had a decent run of form. However, Chorley struggled to bounce back from the defeat as the three games following the Merthyr clash saw Chorley lose 2-1 away at Peterborough Sports, 1-0 against Alfreton and a 2-2 draw away at Radcliffe. 'The Magpies' picked up a long-awaited win as they hosted Bedford Town and picked up a narrow 1-0 victory despite midfielder Joe Nolan picking up a red card. Andy Preece's side backed up their home victory with another solid result as they hosted playoff hopefuls Spennymoor Town and managed to hold the side to a 0-0 draw. Chorley then tasted defeat yet again as they travelled away to Kidderminster and were defeated 3-1 away from home after conceding 2 late goals. In their next 5 games following their defeat against Kidderminster saw the side go on a good run of form as they picked up 2 draws while losing just once and picking up victories at home against Hereford and Marine. The good run of form was quickly brough to an end as they were handed back-to-back home defeats against Darlington and Peterborough sports. Their latest fixture saw Chorley host 24th placed Leamington but 'The Magpies were held to a tight 1-1 draw despite taking an early lead in the 8th minute. The top goalscorer for Chorley this season is attacker Jack Simpson who has scored 4 times this season.

KNOW YOUR OPPONENT | 2025/26 SQUAD

Goalkeepers | Matt Urwin, Ollie Green, Steven Drench

Defenders | Adam Henley, Mark Ellis, Scott Wilson, Harvey Smith, Adam Blakeman, Jack Moore, Sam Bird

Midfielders | Joe Nolan, Mike Calveley, George Horbury, Warren Clarke, Jack Griffiths, Tom Walker, Ben Layton, Noel Brindle, Taelor O'Kane

Forwards | Milan Lalkovic, Jack Simpson, Thomas Carr, Kole Hall, Sonny Reeves, Max Wilson, Harry Ibbitson, Anjola Popoola

Match Details:

Date | Saturday 7th February 2026

Competition | Enterprise National League North