A SOLITARY goal by man of the match Danny Carter was enough to give Barry the three points on Saturday.
Newtown are undoubtedly tough opponents and possibly the best soccer team in the league apart from Barry of course. They have never beaten the champions, but the games are always close, as was this one.
Some of the early football was of a high standard with the mid-Walians having the edge, but Barry got more into the game and had enough second half-chances to have won by a bigger margin.
Barry were without Andrew York, Gary Barnett and Eifion Williams with Chris Pridham, Darren Davies and Gareth Shone starting the game.
Shone in particular has been an outstanding deputy for York and has fitted in well to Barry's tight defensive system and hardly put a foot wrong.
Barry's Northern Ireland under-21's goalkeeper, Dave Wells, has proved a more than able replacement for Mark Ovendale, now first choice goalkeeper at Bournemouth.
Wells was called on to make several good saves in the first 10 minutes and was equal to all Newtown could offer.
Carter was showing all his talent with close ball control and deft lay-offs which delighted the home crowd.
Gary Lloyd, who had a disappointing game, worked the ball well through a packed defense to earn a corner. From the corner, Richard Jones who was also below par, almost beat the goalkeeper, who fumbled the ball but managed to hang on.
A moment of vintage Barry Town had Newtown reeling and Dempsey finished off a superb move by firing straight at the goalkeeper.
When Newtown attacked, Paul Line broke free down the right, but his angled shot was too high to bother Wells.
With Newtown lascking concentration, a great one-two between Jones and Carter saw the latter fire home under the goalkeeper to give Barry a 1-0 interval lead.
Jones's shot-cum-cross was met by Dempsey who headed wide and it was the latter crossing from the right which Pridham could not reach.
Chances went to Dempsey and Lloyd but Newtown held out for a narrow defeat and Barry will be glad to stay out in front of 11 points from rivals Inter Cabletel.
So an improved performance from the champions, though those chances were not converted into goals.
Nevertheless, Newtown manager, Brian Coyne, was full of praise for Barry, stating: "There is not one team in the league who are in the same street as Barry, judging by the way they played at the start of the second half. We simply couldn't get the ball off them for around 20-25 minutes.
"Their superior fitness and ability when compared with the rest, just shone through.
"I was pleased with our overall performance, but when Barry go up a gear, they leave every other side in the league standing."
This is praise indeed from the canny Scot who does not waste words and indeed is to be complemented on the young side that he has produced to a very high standard.
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This article printed in the Barry & District News, 18.03.1999.
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