BARRY TOWN, threadbare through injury and flu still put in a commanding Boxing Day performance against Inter Cabletel and were only denied all three points by the excellent goalkeeping of Gary Wager.
Missing from the Town line-up were first team regulars Danny Carter, Gary Lloyd, Paul Mitchell and Justin Perry.
With a gale force wind blowing down the pitch and driving rain throughout this reconstructed Town side still managed to play some excellent footballwhich greatly entertained the 500 plus crowd - the biggest League of Wales attendance at Jenner Park this season.
Barry had already carved out a couple of chances before some neat movement down the left involving Dempsey and Davies led to Davies driving in a dipping cross, which was snapped up by the quicksilver Eifion Williams, like a parent spotting the last Furbie in Dan Evans' department store. Williams, showing the alertness which has made him the League of Wales' top scorer this season, anticipated Davies's cross, moved in front of Inter defender, Richard David, and swept the ball past Wager.
Despite the saturated turf, Barry still maintained the passing fame for which they are rightly famous, denying Inter a sniff of the newly introduced fluorescent ball for long periods.
Inter pulled level early in the second half when a Wills corner, whipped in from the right, was palmed into his own net by Barry's Northern Ireland under-21 keeper, David Wells. Wills almost repeated this trick a few minutes later, but on this occasion, Wells was equal to the task. As was Inter's keeper, Gary Wager, who proceeded to pull off a number of top class saves from Eifion Williams and Jodie Jenkins as Barry went in search of a winner, but Wager was in supreme form and single-handedly earned Inter a point as they continue their climb up the table after a poor start to the season.
It was just as well that Wager was on top of his game as Inter were reduced to 10 men midway through the second half when captain, Sean Wharton, was sent off for a second bookable offence. Barry manager, Gary Barnett, will be pleased with the way the team played, but will have his fingers crossed that his squad can post a clean bill of health before this Saturday's big game at Jenner Park against second placed Cwmbran Town (kick-off 2:30pm).
The Gwent side are just five points behind the Town and manager Tony Wilcox has recently strengthened his squad with the signings of Ben Graham, Ray John and former Jenner Park favourite, Paul Giles, all from Merthyr.
In Mattie Davies and Chris Summers, Cwmbran have one of the most lethal strike forces in the League of Wales and the Crows will be out for revenge after Barry beat them 4-0 in the opening game of the season - a result which Cwmbran feel hard done by.
This is a big match for both clubs. A win for Barry would put a points difference between the two sides which Cwmbran would find difficult to overcome, while a win for Cwmbran would reduce the deficit to a mere two points, ensuring that both clubs have it all to fight for over the second half of the season.
Nicholas was a recent guest of the club, attending the thrill-a-minute encounter with Aberystwyth last Saturday, which Barry won 5-1. Nicholas was also treated to a pre-match lunch and a match day programme and took a hand in tossing the coin at the start of the game.
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Barry & District News match report - Barry v Inter Cabletel
This page edited by the Yellow Dragon, 1999.
This report first published in the Barry Gem, 31.12.1998.
Match report of Barry Town v Inter Cabletel, League of Wales, 26.12.1998.
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