Numbers do not make a signing work, but they can give supporters a much better introduction than the usual montage and handshake. Lewys Twamley arrives at Southend after playing all 46 of Merthyr Town’s National League North matches in 2025/26, scoring 16 goals and providing 14 assists.
Southend describe Twamley as a 22-year-old attacking midfielder; Merthyr listed him as a forward. That difference is useful rather than mysterious. It shows a player whose recent work has happened in attacking areas without requiring us to draw his exact position on Kieron Dyer’s teamsheet in July.
A season that earned attention
The 2025/26 record is substantial. Beyond the goals and assists, Southend’s announcement reports that Twamley was selected in the division’s Team of the Season. He has signed a two-year deal, with the club holding an option for a third.
Those figures explain why the move is interesting. They do not guarantee that the same output will transfer neatly into a new side and a different level of expectation. Southend have recruited evidence of sustained availability and end product; Twamley still has to establish what those qualities look like at Roots Hall.
The Merthyr route
Merthyr’s official record fills in the route behind the headline. Twamley came through Newport County’s academy and represented Wales at under-19 level. He first joined Merthyr in 2023, returned after a spell away and went on to score 39 goals in 109 appearances for the club.
That sequence matters because it was not one sudden hot month. Twamley built his Merthyr story across several stages, including the full 2025/26 campaign that has now taken him to Southend. The former club’s announcements also place earlier senior experience at Newport, Pontypridd United and Salisbury along the way.
A step worth watching
There is a pleasing shape to this signing from a supporter’s point of view. Southend have not recruited an unknown and asked everyone to imagine the evidence. Twamley has a recent body of work, a clear former-club record and an age that leaves room for his game to develop.
Now comes the harder and more enjoyable part: discovering which pieces of that record travel with him. Goals and assists have opened the door. His Southend performances will decide what comes through it.