Despite only taking four points in the past three weeks, Barry remain seven points clear at the top of a familiar looking League of Wales, which has Cwmbran in second and Inter Cabletel in third place - the same positions as when we met Connah's Quay Nomads last season!
Although we've only earned four points, Cwmbran have taken only a single point in the last three weeks, although much of that was due to not playing. On Boxing Day, they were fixtured to play Ebbw Vale, who have been expelled from the League of Wales, while a week later they were supposed to have met us, but circumstances dictated otherwise. Therefore, the Crows only match was their game at Carmarthen Town last week, where they came away with a point. The home side took the lead after just three minutes, but Cwmbran hit back when Paul Giles beat the home defence to score with a header after 56 minutes. That was his first goal since joining the club last month.
Inter's 'lucky' streak continued in the 3rd minute of their match at home to Aberystwyth, as Jonathan Williams's shot beat Gary Wager in Inter's goal, only to become stuck in the mud at the Cardiff Athletic Stadium. Inter made Aber pay for that early chance, with Richard Williams and Paul Evans scoring twice each, while Steve Mardenborough beat the Aber defence with a solo goal and John Wile impressively hammered home a penalty.
Newtown are in fifth place in the League of Wales, the Robins showing consistent if not impressive form. They recorded a good 4-0 win over Caersws on Boxing Day, with Nicky Ward scoring a hat-trick. Ward has been moving up the goalscorers chart, having also scored Newtown's winning goal against Rhayader Town a week later in a 1-0 win, and got Newtown's goal in a 1-1 draw away at Total Network Solutions. Seven points from nine in mid-Wales derbies should put Newtown in a good position to again finish strongly and challenge for a European position.
Seventh in the League of Wales are Caernarfon Town, who have shrugged off a poor Premier Cup campaign to keep up with the pack in the League itself. Both they and TNS are draw specialists, having the same record of winning 6, drawing 8 and losing 3 of their 17 matches. They celebrated Christmas at the Oval with a last minute goal away at local rivals, Bangor, Jimmy Garside scoring the goal and leading the celebrations as they climbed the fences at Farrar Road. Their match at Holywell was postponed, but they earnt three points at home to Rhyl last week. Garside was on target again, scoring after just 8 minutes. He was joined on the scoresheet by Robbie Tynan who found the net after 52 and 70 minutes to make it 3-0 to the Canaries. However, by the time of the third goal, both sides were down to ten men, with Garside sent off for his part in a headbutting incident.
Haverfordwest County are at half-way in the League of Wales, with manager Mike Ellery looking to improve on recent performances, which have included two defeats on the road and a home defeat to a side beneath them in the table. Away at Aberystwyth on Boxing Day, they let the home side take a 2-0 lead, before Richard Gay found the net to make it 2-1. The following week they went to Total Network Solutions, and after going down to an early penalty, they took a 2-1 lead with goals from Richard Gay and Andy Jones. However, they eventually slumped to a 4-2 defeat. Then, at home to bottom but one Afan Lido they could only draw. In fact, Afan Lido took the lead, and it was only an 88th minute goal from Jamie Harris which earnt the Blues a point.
Their local rivals, Bangor City, are below Conwy, in a surprisingly low position of eleventh. Bangor had a disappointing Christmas, seeing a draw snatched from the jaws of victory at home to Caernarfon before going down to Caersws at home. In the match against Caernarfon, Bangor took the lead through Tommy Mutton early in the second half, before Caernarfon scored deep in injury time to take a point down the road. Against Caersws, the mid-Walian visitors scored in the middle of the first-half and Bangor had no answer to that in a 1-0 defeat. Last Saturday's match at Rhayader was cancelled due to frost at the Weirglodd.
Our opponents today, Connah's Quay, lie in thirteenth place, but have a number of games in hand over the clubs around them. On Boxing Day, they made the short journey to Holywell, but there was no score in the match. A week later, they were due to be playing home against Rhyl, but that was postponed due to the water on the pitch at the Deeside Stadium. Ironically, considering the number of their games which have been postponed, last Saturday was Connah's Quay's free weekend.
Their local rivals, Holywell, are below them in fourteenth, with the newly installed manager of Vernon Keep. One of the club's 'new-boys' was sent off in the Boxing Day derby with the Nomads, but, as mentioned above, the game ended goalless. A week later, their home match with Caernarfon was postponed due to the weather. However, the Wellmen were very unlucky to lose out at Caersws, where they finished the game with nine men after the sendings off of Kenny Woods and Phil Hinchcliffe. Having gone two goals down, the North Walians hit back with two goals in three minutes, the first from Craig Dulson and the second from Gareth Crofts. However, when it looked as if they were going to earn a valuable point, Caersws nipped in and scored again to win the match 3-2.
Lido moved above Rhyl, the only side whom they have beaten at home this season. Rhyl have had a mixed couple of weeks, following their victory over the then-unbeaten Aberystwyth Town. Their Boxing Day match at the Morfa in Conwy was postponed, as was their match at Connah's Quay. They finally took to the field with an away game at Caernarfon Town on a Friday night, but fell to a 3-0 defeat. Rhyl defender, Mark Rutter, was sent off in the match.
Rhayader, meanwhile, remain bottom of the League of Wales. Having travelled away twice over Christmas, the Weirglodd side lost both matches against fellow mid-Walian opposition. They lost at Total Network Solutions on Boxing Day, before losing 1-0 to Newtown a week later. Their home match with Bangor City was cancelled due to the inclement weather in the Elan Valley making the pitch unplayable. Nevertheless, they'll be hoping that their new manager can carry on where Tomi Morgan left off and move them a few spots higher up the table.
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Barry Town homepage
Barry Town Matchday Magazine
League of Wales results 1998-99
This page edited by the Yellow Dragon, 1999.
This article first published in the Barry Town Matchday Magazine, v Connah's Quay Nomads, League of Wales, 16.01.99
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