Barry's Almost Into Europe....That's Barry Town United By The Way

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

It had been last year that I went to a football game. There were various reasons. Working regularly on a Saturday doesn't help. But spending roughly two and half months in Essex helping my unwell mother recover was probably the main cause.

But this Sunday was different. Barry Town United were playing Newtown. Wasn't working. Am back in Wales and I was looking forward to watching Welsh League football.

Barry Town are, I think I've mentioned this before, amongst those group of teams that I genuinely wish well unless they're playing the team I support (and in the case of Wales that's Ton Pentre FC though I can't say that I've had the chance to follow them this season). This game was important. For they just needed one point to guarantee entry into the playoff spot for the ultimate prize being entry into the Europa league, or rather the matches before you go into the Europa league, but you probably knew that anyway.

Their opponents Newtown however had every reason to stop them. For they were only one position behind them in the league. So they needed to defeat Barry in order to still be in the running for this play off space themselves. The Welsh language channel S4C knew all of this, which is why it was it's live game of the week.

I bought the matchday programme and was shocked to discover that Secretary of State for Wales and blog villain Alun Cairns was actually honorary president of the club! So let me give Barry Town United AFC are friendly warning. Be careful. Or you will soon find yourself being called Prince Of Wales United.

Le Parc De Jenner

To the noises of cowbell, horn and a drum it all started. When I was watching games when they were the away side it was irritating. In Le Parc De Jenner it's just part of the atmosphere. Probably it's because the perspective is different. After all the artificial grass is always greener on the other side.

A couple of men were chatting about potential European opponents should Barry go through and win the play offs. Paris? Milan? Madrid?

No. Liverpool apparently. I blame Brexit.

After about fifteen minutes Newtown scored. A ball exposed a gap in the Barry Town defence and left the keeper exposed on a one on one basis. It really was no contest.

"That's OK" said the voice behind me "Last time we played them they scored first and it finished five one to us".

So that's all right then.

Then it started to rain. And heavily at that. The assistant referee was soaked. No sympathy for him. I hate all match officials younger than me. And as I'm fifty four that means all of them.

Ha Ha Ha

The referee was not popular with the Barry Town supporters judging by what I heard. However I felt they were being unfair given that he was suffering with a disability during the first half to be unable to use his arms to collect a [insert colour here] card to give to Newtown players after countless fouls. Also, from a distance the ref looked like he was wearing a skull cap.

What do you think?

More Action From Le Parc De Jenner

Towards the end of the first half there were three miracles that I need to chronicle. Firstly the sun shone (yes I know). There was a moment when it was so bright I actually had to cover my eyes (and again, I know).

The second miracle was that the Ref overcame his disability and was able to give a Newtown player a yellow card for a foul. Praise be.

And the third miracle was that Barry Town scored. But it wasn't that they scored a goal. It was truly a magnificent goal. Worthy The Barry player Jon Hood received the ball in the Newtown half, moved through to the box and then made a low curler that was too finely targeted for his opponent's goalkeeper to reach.

If this was La Liga you would have thought it was Messi who scored. Hood did a dance to celebrate. I don't blame him. If I'd scored a goal like that I'd have boogied on down Barry Town High Street.

At halftime I went to get something to eat and drink. I chose Belgian.

They like Mayonniase on their chips

In truth the second half was not as good as the first. I can only recall one decent chance per team. So that was how it ended.1-1. A fair result with regard to the game. But for Barry Town it was enough. It meant a shot at the playoffs, which. for a newly promoted side is very impressive.

Barry's nearly into Europe

Until the next time.

Watching Barry Town United Without Pictures

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

Unusually for a Sunday I had a plan for the day....football. Barry Town United were playing Connah's Quay Nomads in the afternoon. The ladies in my life were planning something for themselves. But I, in my capacity as husband/Dad was off on his own.

(But before you have a go they were getting shoes. So I take it I'm let off?)

Anyway as I was approaching Jenner Park I'd realised that I'd left my mobile phone in the apartment (charging as it happens) so there are no pictures of the match I'm afraid. Nor indeed could I provide photographic evidence that I was the first person to take a book about the North pole to a Welsh football match ( To the end of the Earth - Tom Avery) but there we go.

It was a sunny day. Indeed so bright that those of us on the East stand spent a good portion of the first half with a hand covering ourselves from the Barry Town brightness. We all were looking forward to the black cloud to move quickly enough to cover it.f I did consider going to the West Stand, until I realised I'd be on the same area as those supporters playing the Barry Town bell, the Barry Town drum and of course the Barry Town horn (of course not to be confused with the pinnacle of Welsh football musical entertainment the Barry Horne's).

Not knowing how the league's result yesterday changed things basically Barry was hovering above the relegation zone whilst their opponents were about third. So it was going to be a difficult game for the home team.

So the match began with half the people on the stand we were on and hiding ourselves from the Barry Town brightness. Everything just seemed equal in terms of ability until about the twelfth minute when,from  a corner the Connahs number five rushed into the box Ashley Williams style and headed the ball into the net.

One nil then to the away team. It has to be said that though they were the Nomads it was Barry Town who let their concentration wander for the goal.

And for the most part that was basically that except for two things. Firstly the referee seemed to lenient to the Connahs. They tackled with such abandon I wondered whether Jackie Chan was on the coaching staff.

Also the Connah's goalkeeper, a man in orange, tended to be allowed so much time in taking a goal kick he could have arranged a date with his girlfriend and the restaurant reservation. He was never booked for this (though astonishingly a Connahs player was booked later for taking a long time to walk off the pitch when he was substituted. It appeared for the goalie Orange was the new slack.

No time in the half were Barry able to unlock the Connah's Quay Connah's goal. However the half ended with just one goal between the teams. Barry had hope.

The crowd tried to buoy the team up. One Afro Caribbean gentleman shouted "Come on Barry Town". No that's incorrect it was:

" Cooomme ooonnn Barrryyy Tooowwn"

There was a roar of approval from the stand opposite. The gentleman stood up, took the baseball cap he brought with the foresight of the Barry Town brightness I didn't have, and gave his audience a theatrical bow.

Early in the second half Barry had their best chance the (I think) number three ran from one end of the field to the other slipping through all opponents and took a shot which hit the post. It deserved a goal. The resulting kick from the rebound by another Barry player which was so high it would have only been applauded by rugby fans

But it was not until the last few minutes that chances occurred either end. It was though all in vain for Barry Town with the final score remaining at one nil for the Connahs.

The season is going to he tough for the yellow and blues of Barry. I'm sure they'll pull through.

Until the next time.

A Town Called Barry's Football Team

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

I have mentioned before that I have seen Barry Town play through the years in its various guises. But yesterday (Thursday) was the first time this season I could go. In fact had not realised that the match was on until late in the afternoon and as we live near there I thought, why not? For the first time in decades I was going to watch a game at Jenner Park

This was the stand I watched The Game In

And The Other Side

Jenner Park has, as you might notice, a running track around it. Essentially for Welsh League football it has two impressive (and well filled) stands on two sides and essentially nothing by the goals (unless you include the burger bar and the newly refurbished clubhouse).

The other thing you will notice, now I presume that Barry Town had reached the Welsh Premier League, that there was a space for journalists with their laptops to report on the game

Realised as I got there that rather like the first time I saw Sully Sports FC I was underdressed. Though wearing a jumper I should have worn a jacket as well. It was that cold. There was though a fat guy in glasses wearing a red t-shirt, whilst thankfully he did not decide to go the full Newcastle I could nonetheless use him as a distraction if pulled up on my pneumonia enticing effort.

Barry Town's opponents were Carmarthen Town. Now Carmarthen is, for those who don't know a very strong Welsh speaking area, and yet when both teams entered the pitch the Barry Town song turned out to be "Yma O Hyd" a Welsh Language ballad which is very popular amongst Welsh speakers but I've never heard it before out of any context "Cymru". The fact that Barry Town, of South Wales uses it as "their tune" was both surprising as it was impressive.

And so the match begins

I then heard the sound of the Barry Town horn blasting from the other stand. So irritating when watching a game in Bridgend when they were playing but somehow comforting here. Traditional.

Then disaster. A fan dropped his Thermos. He wouldn't open the flask afterwards so that we would all know whether his drink was mixed with glass but he covered himself with a headscarf for the rest of the game.

Barry Town made most of the pressure early on. There was a cross which missed a Barry Boot by a hairs length in front of the goal. The coaching staff seemed to have done their homework realising like atheists Carmarthen didn't like crosses. So after fifteen minutes they scored. It was Barry's number seven. More about him later.



After Barry scored Carmarthen in their Argentinian style strip, became less messy and closer to Messi a few minutes after going down they equalised. The goal was scored by Jordan Wood, but it was the Barry defence who parted like the red sea as his shot went along the ground.

Soon after that a Carmarthen Town player raced down from their side of the pitch to another passing Barry's players along the way. Were the West Walians so inspired by their Argentinian strip that they were going to score a goal Maradona style? Well no. Still it was an impressive effort and deserved a score.

Floodlights worked

As a quick aside can I say again that there are few things that make me feel old than match officials who are younger than you. And in this case, not only are they younger but mock you further with trendy hairstyles.

On the half hour number seven of Barry Town scores again. That man's luck was so in he must have played for Shamrock Rovers.

This second goal seemed to have flustered the West Walians. After an overhit pass a Carmathen Town fan shouted "Calm Your Wellie". A phrase I shall use from now on pretending it's my own.

The first half then ended 2-1 to the home team. To be honest the first half hour of the second half didn't match to the previous forty five minutes. Then Barry Town scored a third goal. The number ten after two attempts putting the ball into the net.

And lucky number seven? He provided the cross.

The third goal seemed to have changed the Carmathen Town players. All of a sudden they seemed to have thought that they were not playing on a football pitch but an MMA cage judging by the tackles they threw in. In one particular case three west Walians bundled a Barry man to the floor. No foul according to the referee.

"You're a blind idiot" screamed one fan to the official. He of course should apologise for the remark. The referee was not a blind idiot......just an idiot.

Still it didn't stop Barry being the winners over the West Walians. It was an enjoyable evening and next time I come along (probably Tuesday week) I'll try to be better dressed.

Thank you Barry Town United AFC.....

....it was fun

Until the next time.