AROUND THE LEAGUE

with the Yellow Dragon

A round-up of recent events in the League of Wales

Last Saturday's impressive victory over Aberystwyth kept Barry four points clear at the top of the table. Glyndwr Hughes opened the scoring for the visitors here at Jenner Park, before goals from Gary Barnett and Justin Perry saw Barry take a 2-1 lead at half-time, and goals in the last fifteen minutes from Richard Jones (two) and Perry made it a convincing 5-1 victory over the mid-Walians.

NEW PLAYERS AT CWMBRAN TO KEEP UP PRESSURE

Cwmbran, our opponents next Saturday,kept the pressure on Barry, with a 4-0 victory over Holywell Town at the Cwmbran Stadium. Following the changes at Merthyr Tydfil, Cwmbran have a new look side, including former Barry player/manager and ex-Inter player, Paul Giles, and Ben Graham, who was at Barry in 1994. Unfortunately, Graham's debut was soured by a first-half booking.

However, Paul Giles made himself at home in his new colours, playing a large role in the victory. Anthony Watkins opened the scoring for Cwmbran after only 10 minutes, while Wayne Hewitt, a former Inter Cabletel player, made it 2-0 to the Crows.in the first half. The North Walians weren't helped by the 32nd minute sending-off of Geoff Hinchcliffe for a second bookable offence, and tired in the second half. That allowed Chris Summers, another ex-Barry and Inter player, Chris Summers, to make it 3-0 after 63 minutes before Watkins rounded off the scoring in the 70th minute.

Aberystwyth lie in third after their defeat here last week, and the Black and Greens will have to be careful of their position, having gained only one point from their past three LoW matches.

INTER VICTORY AT BELLE VUE

Our opponents today, Inter Cabletel are now in an impressive fourth position, following an impressive series of results. As a consequence of that, Inter manager, George Wood, was awarded the LoW Manager of the Month for November. Last week saw the Cardiff side switch their match against Rhyl, traveling to Belle Vue on Saturday, rather than playing in Cardiff on Sunday. A possibly harmful decision, Inter came out trumps with a 2-1 win over the resurgent Lilywhites. Featuring former Cardiff City player, Derek Brazil, in their ranks, Inter took the lead after 58 minutes, when former Barry boy, Paul Evans, found the net. The Cardiff side clinched the points after 89 minutes, as Norman Parselle scored. Rhyl scored a consolation goal in injury time.

Inter are above Caernarfon Town on goal difference, the Canaries continuing their good season with a 2-1 home win over draw specialists, Total Network Solutions. The Cofis started well as a free-kick on the left was converted by an Emrys Williams header in the third minute. The celebrations didn't last long, though, as T.N.S hit back after six minutes, following a scuffle between Williams and T.N.S's Ken McKenna. The goalscoring was over eight minutes later, when the Cofis' Robbie Tynan hit a cross-come-shot from the right wing, which eluded the diving grasp of T.N.S keeper, Andy Mulliner. The Canaries won 2-1, but the interest doens't seem to have ended in the first fifteen minutes, as there were six bookings in the second half of the game.

Newtown subsequently fell to sixth place, with twenty points, after their away match at Connah's Quay Nomads was cancelled, due to the continuing poor condition of the Deeside Stadium pitch.

Despite their defeat at the Oval, Total Network Solutions remain in seventh spot. Former Barry player, Darren Ryan, scored their only goal of the game with a sixth minute free-kick exquisitely placed in the top corner of the goal. However, Ryan later ruined that by being booked.

CONWY SHOWS THEIR MUSSELS

Conwy United moved up to eighth place, the Morfa side defeating their local rivals, Bangor City, on Friday night last week. On a sodden pitch and on a rain-soaked evening, the home side quickly took control of the game. Finley opened the scoring for them after six minute, while John Toner kept up his consistent strike rate with a 38th minute goal, meaning that they went in 2-0 ahead at half-time. Early in the second half, the game ended as a serious contest, when James McIlvogue found the net in the 56th minute. Bangor's Robbie Williams scored the Blues' consolation goal in the 71st minute, and may well be ruing his decision to move from Conwy to Bangor earlier this season.

PENALTY DECISION SWINGS MATCH

In ninth are Haverfordwest County, now without Director of Football, Eddie May. They entertained Carmarthen Town last week in the West Wales derby, and were unlucky not to take a point at Bridge Meadow. Their visitors had taken the lead in the first half, but the Bluebirds got back to level terms after 71 minutes. A chip into the box found LoW second top scorer, Richard Gay, in large amounts of space, and he took advantage by equalising. However, a few minutes later, they had a curious penalty decision given against them. A goalmouth melee eventually saw the ball come to Haverfordwest keeper, Neil Frederickson. However, as he went to clear and the players dispersed, the referee came forward pointing to the penalty spot. Carmarthen subsequently scored and took all three points in a 2-1 win for the visitors.

Bangor City remain in the lower half of the table, in tenth place. Defeat to Conwy United is always hard to palate for the Blues, and that player/manager/goalkeeper, Leigh Williams, is City's top scorer says a great deal for thieir current form. Bangor currently feature ex-Barry players Steve O'Shaughnessy and Dave Norman, and with the difference between the top and bottom so small, they will be hoping to put a series of good results together and challenge closer to the top.

TOMI MAKES IT TWO

Meanwhile, Tomi Morgan's Carmarthen Town are on a roll, with the West Walians having won two consecutive matches. At Haverfordwest. Richard Adams again found the net from close range in the 31st minute, but the two sides were on level terms when Carmarthen were awarded a penalty in the 81st minute. Paul Burrows, formerly with Barry, Inter and Haverfordwest, stepped up to fire past Frederickson in the Haverfordwest goal and secure the points for Carmarthen.

Connah's Quay have fallen to twelfth place, following a series of cancellations at their Deeside Stadium home. The pitch at the new ground has been under severe strain, and there has been rumours that they may play some of their matches at Rhyl's Belle Vue in order to alleviate the problems.

Mid-Walian village side, Caersws, are in thirteenth place, with Mickey Evans's side drawing 0-0 at home with fellow mid-Walians, Rhayader Town.

Fourteenth placed Rhyl lost at home to Inter Cabletel last week, and new manager, Adie Jones, has hit work cut out for him.He has brought in a number of new players, for example, Damien Currier of T.N.S, but it may be some time until the side fully gels together. Last week, Inter scored twice in the second half, before Scott Millington grabbed a 90th minute consolation for the North Walians.

DISAPPOINTMENT FOR WELLMEN

Holywell again suffered a disappointing trip to South Wales, being beaten 4-0 at Cwmbran Stadium. The Wellmen have found it difficult to pick up points on their journeys down South, and are only one point off the bottom.

Afan Lido weren't in action last Saturday, as the odd side out of the seventeen League of Wales sides. From their thirteen matches, the Port Talbot side are only off the bottom as a result of a single goal better goal difference than Rhayader Town. However, Afan Lido should perhaps concentrate on their goalscoring problems - they've only scored eight goals in the League of Wales.

Rhayader, meanwhile, remain at the bottom of the LoW, despite clinching a point away at Caersws' Recreation Ground. Yet to appoint a new manager since the defection of Tomi Morgan to Carmarthen, Morgan's positive groundwork seems to be doing the trick, with four points from their past two matches. Depending upon how many sides are to be relegated, the next few months may be very interesting at the bottom of the LoW.

Links to other sites on the Web

Barry Town homepage
Matchday Magazine index
The LoWdown, 19.12.
Barry Town news - December1998

This page edited by the Yellow Dragon, 1998.
This article first published in the Barry Town matchday magazine v Inter Cabletel, 26.12.1998.

This page hosted by Get your own Free Home Page

Hosted by www.Geocities.ws