By Joe Acklam

Hanwell Town are now winless in five matches following a heart-breaking defeat 2-0 against Merthyr Town to take all three points away from West London. 

Ricardo Rees scored a sumptuous solo goal in the first half to give the Martyrs the lead entering the latter stages of the game. 

The Geordies pushed heavily for an equaliser and looked to have got it in stoppage time only for it to be ruled not to have crossed the line and Frazer Thomas went up the other end to seal it. 

Hanwell's first home game in four weeks did not bring the respite to their struggling form they would have hoped as they have failed to win a fifth consecutive league match and they have now fallen to ninth, four places outside the play-offs. 

It was a positive start for the home side as Kain Adom had an early effort saved before Adam Lareef couldn't quite get on the end of a tantalising cross from Kweku Lucan. 

After ten minutes Hanwell passed up a huge opportunity as Mark Waters did really well down the right and slid the ball across the face of goal, but no one in black and white managed to get on the end of it as it rolled all the way through the goalmouth. 

The strong start fizzled out as the first half progressed and Merthyr slowly gained more control and after 33 minutes, they took the lead when Rees weaved in between multiple Hanwell defenders and slotted it underneath Damian Pawlak. 

Lucan troubled towards the end of the half when he made a cute turn on the edge of the area, but his effort was comfortable enough for Jaimie Cogman to save. 

Hanwell were mounting a fair amount of pressure in the second half and after 64 minutes Lareef forced Cogman to parry his shot out to Harry Rush, who could not sort his feet out to get a shot away and laid it off to Waters, whose effort went just wide of the post. 

Whilst committing to the attack, Hanwell were open at the back as first they cleared off the line and then a Merthyr forward failed to find the target with Pawlak stranded in between the player and his goal. 

In stoppage time Hanwell looked to have forced the ball over the line but Tom Handley hooked the ball clear and the referee adjudged that the ball did not cross the line. 

Seconds later the Martyrs charged up the other end where Lewis Powell slid Thomas down the side and he blasted the ball over Pawlak and into the roof of the net and wrapped up all three points to be taken back to Wales.