THREE superbly crafted goals from Barry Town lit up a murky, muddy day as the Dragons beat second place Cwmbran 3-0 to go 19 points clear at the top of the League of Wales.
A difference of opinion between the match day officials and the staff at the council-owned Cwmbranm Stadium led to some confusion as to whether or not the game would actually go ahead.
If there is one thing which Barry have experience of, then it is playing on poor pitches. Passing along the ground was made difficult by the sticky pitch, while a swirling wind made a mockery of accuracy when the ball was played in the air, but the Town overcame the elements produced by mother nature to put together enough good football to eventually win in some comfort.
In the recent Gilbert Cup semi-final encounters with the Crows, Barry scored nine times and within less than sixty seconds of the start, Eifion Williams was just inches away from connecting with a Phil Johnson cross at the far post, with Pat O'Hagan, the Cwmbran keeper beaten by the swerving ball.
The first 20 minutes were notable for the amount of errors committed by both sides, but Mark Ovendale had to look sharp to save at the foot of the post from Mattie Davies.
Once Barry had gauged the extent of the conditions their probing down the flanks started to push Cwmbran on to the back foot, and in the space of a minute, Terry Evans missed an open goals, Gary Barnett chipped the advancing O'Hagan only to see his effort hit the side netting and Craig Evans put the ball past the upright after new signing, Paul Mitchell, had headed a Danny Carter cross back across the goal.
When the first goal came it was well worth the wait. Danny Carter was fouled just outside the penalty area in a fairly central position. While Cwmbran were taking their time to organise their defences, Gareth Knott, obviously enjoying being back in the thick of things, stepped up to place the ball just inside the post for an excellent goal.
Barry were now making light of the conditions and Danny Carter and Craig Evans combined to force a fine save from O'Hagan, and Knott almost scored a second with a looping header from the edge of the penalty area which O'Hagan did well to keep out.
In a scrappy second-half, which really did get bogged down in the mud, the highlight was the Town's second goal. A long throw from Mark Ovendale picked out Danny Carter on the right. He advanced a few yards, looked up and picked out Phil Johnson who had slipped between the Cwmbran central defenders, Jimmy Blackie and Mark Aizlewood, with a superb cross field pass. Johnson placed a perfectly weighted header into the path of Eifion Williams and he found the back of the net with a blistering shot.
Williams hit his second of the match and Barry's 100th league goal of the season asthe game spilt into injury time. Now the Town just need 12 points to secure their third successive league title.
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Match report - League of Wales, 07.03.98, Cwmbran Town - Barry Town
This report first published in the Barry Gem, 12.03.98.
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