The sensational sending off of Barry Town goalkeeper, Mark Ovendale, helped Merthyr overcome the League of Wales leaders at Jenner Park on Tuesday night.
Now the Dragons must pick themselves up for this Saturday's Welsh Cup clash with TNS at Jenner Park.
Ovendale was sent off in the last minute of normal time for handling the ball just outside the box.
The Doctor Martens Premier Division side made full use of their one man advantage in extra-time. A Chris Summers goal after 12 minutes of the first period seeing them through.
Barry rallied bravely in the final stages but could not find a way past replacement keeper, Neil Thomas.
With �20,000 for the winners, and a place in the inaugural semi-final of the competition, neither side lacked effort on a wet and windy night.
The almost constant drizzle made for an exceptionally greasy surface and controlling the ball was difficult early on.
Darren Ryan shot over for Barry and with Terry Evans to the fore, the Town held the early advantage.
Despite Ryan's efforts, however, Merthyr's towering centre-backs, Neil O'Brien and Gareth Abraham kept a tight rein on Barry's free-scoring attack.
As a result, Eifion Williams, with 45 goals in competition this season, rarely got a look-in.
With the pitch so slippery, back passes were always a problem for the goalkeepers; an early sliced clearance by Thomas giving a glimpse of future problems.
As the first half wore on, Merthyr came more and more into the game and after 20 minutes, ex-Barry man Cohen Griffith went close from 15 yards.
Not content with keeping the Barry attack at bay, Merthyr's centre-backs, O'Brien in particular, were a constant threat from corners and free-kicks.
The second half began with no change in the miserable conditions, or in the healthy vocal encouragement of Barry's junior supporters; a credit to themselves and to the club on such a forbidding night.
Gary Barnett was very much in the thick of the action at the start of the second period. Whipping in a cross one minute and being booked for a challenge on Russell Wigley the next.
The Dragons were well on top at this stage of the game, with skipper Gary Lloyd always in the action, having a header turned away by Thomas.
Lloyd's battle with David Barnhouse down the touch-line was an interesting sub-plot until Barnhouse's departure through injury after 70 minutes.
On the hour, the game really came to the boil. Firstly, Merthr's Thomas was injured while going for a cross at his near post, which left him looking decidedly groggy.
A minute later, Mr Howells denied the Valley club a goal when, after a goalmouth scramble, they claimed the ball to have crossed the Barry line.
Neil Thomas's goal was peppered with shots and crosses and, from one, he mis-hit a punch to put himself under severe pressure.
Assistant manager, Roger Gibbins, called on all of his experience to stem the Barry tide and keep Merthyr in the game.
With Darren Poretta on for the injured Barnhouse, and the pacy Terry Green replacing Ian Mitchell, Merthyr had fresh impetus and finished the 90 minutes strongly.
Green it was whose willingness to chase lost causes caused Ovendale to make his calamitous error in the last minute.
With Pat Mountain taking over in goal, Barry sacrificied a midfielder, Craig Evans, and were forced to reshuffle. Mountain made his mark straight away with a superb save from a Mark Williams header.
With the extra man beginning to tell, Merthyr conjured up a four on two situation, only for Griffith to make a hash of a 'golden' opportunity.
Barry would not give in though, and Ryan almost 'touched' home from a hard, low free-kick.
Summers thumped home his goal from close range after a scramble in the Barry box. A sweet return to Jenner Park for the ex-Barry player.
In a last roll of the dice, Barry brought Phil Johnson on for Barnett, and threw everyone forward.
As things hotted up, Ryan went close at the near post, and Lee Barrow was booked for wrestling Griffith to the ground. In one scramble, three shots were blocked with Williams being denied twice.
Wave after wave of yellow shirts threw themselves at the Merthyr goal, but they could not break through and take the game to a penalty shoot out.
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This page maintained by the Yellow Dragon, 1998.
Match report - FAW Invitation Cup Quarter-final, 10.03.98, Barry Town - Merthyr Tydfil.
This report first published in the Barry Gem, 12.03.98.
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