Swindon Supermarine came to earth with a bang last night, crashing 3-0 at Merthyr Tydfil.

The Welsh Premier Division outfit eliminated John Murphy's experimental side at the first hurdle, but the scoreline doesn't really do Marine justice.

The hosts grabbed a 35th minute lead through potent striker Mark Dodds.

That solitary goal was all that separated the two sides until Marine were undone twice in the last ten minutes as they pressed for a goal of their own.

At 1-0, Murphy's side looked to be well in with a shout.

They had matched their Premier Division rivals in all departments, and but for some poor finishing, Marine could easily have forced extra time.

Tate Hulbert and Steve Bennett the heroes in Saturday's win at Redditch were guilty of missing good chances.

Centre-half Pete Farrow also came close to poaching an equaliser.

But as the Wiltshire side threw more men forward, the Welshman exploited the resulting holes in the visiting rearguard.

Merthyr's Wayne Savage hit a superb 80th minute second and Dodds grabbed his second five minutes from time to seal Marine's fate.

Despite the defeat, watching Marine chairman Steve Moore remained upbeat about Murphy's evolving side.

He said: "We lost 3-0, but it was actually a very good performance. I thought that we were the better side for long periods,we created several good chances and could easily have equalised.

"I am positive about the game. It was an ideal opportunity to try some new things, blood some new faces, and for John to learn some more about the players. We can take plenty from this."