Never completely in control against a strong TNS midfield, it was two cleverly contrived goals that gave Barry the win.
Gary Barnett and Paul Mitchell, recovering from injury, sat this game out and Chris Pridham started for the first time in midfield.
Worrying knocks for Terry Evans and Gary Lloyd as both players came off injured, will give physio Terry Moore some headaches to get them fit. Both were victims of bad fouls which went unpunished by Port Talbot referee Phil Southall.
Too often, he allowed erratic tackles to go unpunished and Lloyd particularly was given some rough treatment from Damien Currier, who eventually was booked and taken off by manager Andy Cale, as no doubt he would not have lasted the game without a red card.
To be fair, TNS were highly competitive and Ricky Evans, man of the match by sponsors Banwy Fuels, stood out in midfield. Barry's man of the match was Eifion Williams.
Williams got his first goal when Danny Carter brilliantly played the ball out to Mark Dempsey and it was the ex-Shrewsbury star who provided Williams with the chance to put Barry 1-0 ahead.
Currier went close for the home team as did evergreen McKenna, but all their wholehearted efforts proved fruitless.
The Barry defence was given a tough time as TNS moved the ball about smartly, but at half-time the score remained the same.
On the hour, Lloyd played a superb ball out of defence and sent Eifion Williams clearand the striker superbly lobbed the goalkeeper to make it 2-0.
Heads went down in the home camp but they soon rallied and ex-Barry star Darren Ryan went close.
Dempsey hit the woodwork and Williams hit the rebound over the bar, missing what would have been a great hat-trick.
This would have clinched the game for Barry and there would have been no way back, but when Richard Jones lost the ball in midfield, TNS seized the opportunity to allow McKenna to pull a goal back.
Jones almost made amends when he took on his marker and fired a powerful shot which went just over.
Barry held on and stay top of the league, one point clear of Aberystwyth and Cwmbran.
Links to other sites on the Web
Barry Town homepage
What the Papers Say index
League of Wales results 1998-99
TNS - Barry Town, Border Counties Advertiser match report
This page edited by the Yellow Dragon, 1998.
This report first published in the Barry and District News, 15.10.1998.
Match report of League of Wales match between Total Network Solutions - Barry Town, 10.10.1998.
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