TUESDAY, 30th MARCH, 1999. LEAGUE OF WALES. 7:30P.M. Carmarthen Town are our final League of Wales visitors at Jenner Park this season, traveling to Barry on Tuesday night for a rearranged League of Wales match.
The game has been brought forward a few weeks due to Carmarthen's excellent Welsh Cup run, with the scheduled dates for the Welsh Cup semi-final and our League of Wales game clashing, just as they did last season. On that occasion, it was Barry in the Welsh Cup semi-final, and the game was switched to the following Tuesday. Ironically, we've never played Carmarthen at home on any day other than a Tuesday evening!
The West Walian club are an excellent example of a side working their way up through the Welsh pyramid. At the beginning of the decade, Carmarthen were in the bottom level of the old Abacus Welsh League, but by 1994 they were in the top flight and entertaining Barry in the Welsh Cup, a match which Barry won 3-2.
A season later, at the end of 1995/96, Carmarthen came top of the Welsh League and moved up to join the League of Wales. It wasn't an easy transition, with defeats, such as their 6-0 loss at Jenner Park in October, leading to the resignation of manager Wyndham Evans, and his replacement by John Mahoney, who had led Bangor City to Europe in the 1980s.
Mahoney stabilised the club during its first season in the LoW, with highlights including the 1-1 draw with Barry at Richmond Park. Tipped as dark-horses for the 1997/98 season, Carmarthen started well and were top of the League of Wales in early September. There were nearly 1000 people at Richmond Park to watch a stunning match between our two clubs, with Barry ultimately winning 5-3, despite a hat-trick from Carmarthen's Simon Jones. Following that defeat, Carmarthen lost their way and ended in a mid-table position after another high-scoring match here at Jenner Park last April, where Barry won 6-3.
With a top eight target finish, Carmarthen didn't get off to the best of starts, and following a late defeat at the hands of Rhyl, John Mahoney left the club, to be replaced by Tomi Morgan. Former manager at Aberystwyth and Rhayader, as well as being a Welsh Cup winner with Llansantffraid, Morgan's first match in charge was their 2-1 win over Barry at Richmond Park, but despite some victories, a top eight finish has not been forthcoming, and Carmarthen remain well away from relegation, but not close enough to the top spots to challenge in the last few weeks.
However, the Richmond Park faithful are willing to ignore that, with Morgan taking the club to the last four of the Welsh Cup. Following a penalty from former Barry player, Paul Burrows, Carmarthen sealed their first semi-final place in the Welsh Cup, and play Conwy on April 17th for a place in the final, and, possibly, Europe.
Their minds will be on other things on Tuesday, though, as they seek to become the only side to do the 'double' over Barry this season.
Will they do it, or will we get our revenge for that defeat earlier in the season?
See you there,
the Yellow Dragon.
Links to other sites on the Web
Barry Town homepage
Barry Town Matchday Magazine index
This page edited by the Yellow Dragon, 1999.
This article first published in the Barry Town Matchday Magazine, v Rhyl, League of Wales, 27.03.1999.
Get your own Free Home Page