As holders from the 1996-97 season, we had been granted a bye to the second round, with the draw pairing us with the winners of the first round tie between Carmarthen Town and Rhayader Town. Carmarthen were enjoying their second year in the LoW, while Rhayader were the newcomers, promoted from the previous year's Cymru Alliance. Rhayader is geographically closer to the South of Wales, and so, last year, they were drawn in the Southern section of the League Cup.
In their first round matches, they drew 1-1 at home with their West Walian opponents and then 2-2 at Richmond Park, where, ironically, future Rhayader manager, Tommi Morgan, scored he goal which saw them through to the second round on the away goals rule.
Carter's goal came late in the match, and, where Rhayader had been delighted with a 1-0 scoreline, that goal was enough to deflate them.
The original date for the second leg saw torrential rain, with the game being postponed. The weather wasn't much better when the game was actually played - a freezing cold night only a week before Christmas. However, Barry adapted well to the conditions, and all Rhayader hopes of an upset were dismissed in an electric first 25 minutes, which saw Barry 4-0 ahead.
Other players on the scoresheet that night were Gary Lloyd, who scored twice, Gareth Knott and Eifion Williams.
That win saw Barry through to the quarter-finals of the competition, where they drawn against the geographically closer Inter Cabletel, who had knocked out Caersws in the previous round.
In the weeks prior to the League Cup matches, Barry and Inter fought out a hard 0-0 draw at the Cardiff Atheltic Stadium, and the two Cup games were no less difficult.
Barry were again first out of the hat, and deservedly took the lead through Craig Hughes, but, as time went by, Inter forced their way back into the game, shocking the Jenner Park faithful by first drawing level and then taking a 2-1 lead.
The man who did the damage was former-Wolves player, Steve Mardenborough, who scored in the 84th and 90th minutes, the latter a spectacular and speculative effort from the byline which sailed over Pat Mountain's head.
However, while Inter celebrated the victory - their first at Jenner Park since 1994, Barry sagely and wisely remembered that the League Cup was played over two matches.
So it came, that when the reurn took place at the Athletic Stadium, Barry knew what they had to do to continue their progress in the competition.
Two second half goals were enough to see Barry comfortably through to te semi-finals. Like Barry at Jenner Park, Inter were unable to raise their game in the last ten minutes, and a 77th minute goal from Craig Hughes was followed 3 minutes later by a Chris Pike header.
Barry had traveled to the capital, and not just achieved a win, but a 2-goal margin, which saw Barry go through 3-2 on aggregate.
Regrettably, the game was soured when both Barry's Hughes and Inter's Sean Wharton were sent off for exchanging punches in the aftermath of Hughes' goal.
Despite that unavoury incident, Barry had won through to the League Cup semi-finals for the third consecutive year.
On this occasion, it was to be Cwmbran Town, under the stewardship of ex-Barry boss Tony Wilcox, and former Welsh international, Mark Aizlewood, to face Barry Town.
From a Barry perspective, the match got off to the worst possible start, as a a fifth minute mix-up between Richard Jones and 'keeper, Pat Mountain, saw Jones put the ball into the Barry net.
Barry responded in the best fashion, though, taking the ball from kick-off into the Cwmbran penalty area, forced a corner, which Chris Pike scored from. At the time, it appeared to be a vital away goal.
However, after a further ten minutes of action, Barry again found the net. This time it was Eifion Williams who beat Pat O'Hagan from the edge of the box. In fact, Eifion made it 3-1 a few minutes before half-time, effectively settling the match, if not quite the tie.
Barry waited until after half-time to do that, with Eifion Williams finishing off his hat-trick, before being substituted and replaced by Darren Ryan.
Barry were 4-1 up and coasting the match. Barry hit the woodwork on a further two occasions, and it could be argued that Ryan, on the pitch for only 20 minutes should have scored a hat-trick.
Nevertheless, Barry had a comfortable lead, and four away goals to take to Jenner Park for the return.
As it was, they weren't needed, as Barry ran away with the match at Jenner Park as well. Eifion Williams found the net twice, alongside Gary Lloyd, Gareth Knott and Chris Pike, making the result 5-0 on the night. It was 9-1 on aggregate - the second best aggregate victory in the competition, behind our own 10-0 demolition of Rhayader Town earlier in the season.
For the first time, the decision was taken to play the match at the ground of one of the participants in the final, rather than at a neutral mid-Wales football ground. After the conclusion of the North Wales semi-final, Barry lost the toss to Bangor City, and so had to make the long journey to Farrar Road on the Mayday Monday Bank Holiday.
Barry shaded the early action, and took the lead after 32 minutes when Richard Jones scored from six yards out. However, Bangor, who had already lost on four occasions to Barry in the season, quickly clawed their way back into the game, with Marc Lloyd-Williams finding the net after 37 minutes.
From there, the game developed into a see-saw battle for supremacy, with both sides failing to take gilt-edged chances.
Ultimately, though, as in the previous Gilbert Cup final at Park Avenue, the game went to extra-time and then penalties.
Bangor's Ken McKenna missed perhaps the best chance of the match, hitting the ball wide when it would have been easier to score.
Nevertheless, the penalties were taken, and when it came to the crunch, Pat Mountain saved one of the spot-kicks and all of the Barry players converted theirs - Barry had won the Gilbert League Cup for the second successive season!!
Second Round
18.11.97 Barry Town 2 Rhayader Town 0
A.York, D.Carter
16.12.97 Rhayader Town 0 Barry Town 8
D.Ryan 4, G.Lloyd 2, G.Knott, Eif.Williams
Barry won 10-0 on aggregate
Third Round
13.01.98 Barry Town 1 Inter Cabletel 2
C.Hughes S.Mardenborough 2
27.01.98 Inter Cabletel 0 Barry Town 2
C.Hughes, C.Pike
Barry won 3-2 on aggregate
Semi-Final
11.02.98 Cwmbran Town 1 Barry Town 4
R.Jones (og) E.Williams 3, C.Pike
24.02.98 Barry Town 5 Cwmbran Town 0
E.Williams 2, G.Lloyd, G.Knott, C.Pike
Final
04.05.98 Bangor City 1 Barry Town 1 (aet)
M.Lloyd-Williams R.Jones
After extra-time. After penalties, Barry won 5-4 and retained the Gilbert League of Wales Cup.
Barry's goalscorers in the Gilbert League of Wales Cup 97-8
6 goals Eifion Williams
4 goals Darren Ryan
3 goals Gary Lloyd
Chris Pike
2 goals Craig Hughes
1 goal Danny Carter
Richard Jones
Andrew York
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This page edited by the Yellow Dragon, 1998.
All material on this page first published in the Barry Town Matchday Magazine, v Caersws, League of Wales Cup First Round Replay, 06.10.1998.
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