Looking Back Around This Time
with the Yellow Dragon
19.11.1994 LEAGUE OF WALES
NEWTOWN 2 BARRY TOWN 2
Despite the advent of ex-Newport assistant coach, John Lewis, Barry slumped to seventeenth place in the League of Wales table. However, the seeds of recovery could be seen as Barry pulled back from a two-goal deficit to draw the match. Mark Williams opened the scoring for Newtown after half an hour, breaking through the Barry defence and comfortably rounding Steve Morris in the Barry goal. Newtown were two up a minute later, when Ian Vaughan was gifted an opportunity to score again. However, Barry pulled a goal back before the break. Dai Withers, playing his first game on return from injury, beat the Newtown defence at a near post corner, and headed home. A spirited Barry display saw the Dragons continue their fight back in the second half, and it was a deserved point when new signing, Francis Ford, latched onto a long ball and scored the equaliser.
25.11.1995 LEAGUE OF WALES
LLANELLI 0 BARRY TOWN 5
In a weekend of high scoring matches, Barry broke their Stebonheath Park hoodoo to score five without reply against the League of Wales' bottom club, Llanelli. It was evident from the kick-off that Barry were the winners of the match and Llanelli could count their blessings that they were not behind as early as the first minute when Paul Hunter chipped the ball across the face of the goal. Instead, the rout began in the third minute, when Matthew Holtham's shot was parried and Chris Pike fired home the first of his hat-trick on the day. Meanwhile, Barry's second goal involved half the team. Ian French had sent Dave O'Gorman free on the right, who sent the ball inside to Ross Knight, who, in turn, played the ball to the incoming Paul Hunter. Despite his heavy marking, Hunter slid the ball across goal to player/manager, Paul Giles, who took the goal with aplomb. O'Gorman was also involved with the third goal, crossing for Pike to get his second. Barry's fourth goal came in the fifty-second minute, when a goalmouth melee ended with the ball falling to Pike, who generously passed to Hunter to score. Barry's fifth and final goal came in the sixty fifth minute, courtesy of a long ball from defence. Chris Pike was in acres of space as he received it, and he was able to take the ball around the 'keeper to score his first hat-trick in Barry colours. Despite the high scoreline, the game is better remembered as the day on which Mark Ovendale broke the League of Wales's clean-sheet record, which had formerly stood at 820 minutes and held by Cwmbran Town's Pat o'Hagan. Mark broke through this barrier midway through the second half, probably just at the moment that Willie Batchelor made a goaline clearance! Mark went on to keep his LoW cleansheet for a further two and a half matches, taking the record up to 1,072 minutes.
23.11.1996 LEAGUE OF WALES
BARRY TOWN 0 BANGOR CITY 0
Despite its high billing, the traditionally tight match between the Dragons and the Citizens never really achieved anything above a 'bore-draw' status. Following the disappointing midweek draw at home to Ebbw Vale, much had been expected, but their was little to cheer in a dour game. Bangor packed their defence and midfield and neither side created favourable conditions for football, with both teams resorting to long ball tactics well before the end of the match. A point apiece was a fair result, but as one of the league's showpiece fixtures it was a letdown.
Barry team: Mark OVENDALE, Phil JOHNSON, Dean HUGGINS, Gary LLOYD, Andrew YORK, Richard JONES, Gary BARNETT, Colin LOSS, Anthony BIRD, Chris PIKE, Darren RYAN
substitutes: Dave O'GORMAN, Gareth KNOTT, Cohen GRIFFITH
15.11.1997 LEAGUE OF WALES
RHYL 0 BARRY TOWN 1
An eleventh minute goal from Eifion Williams was enough to give Barry the points on their trip to Belle Vue last year. Good work from Gary Barnett and Craig Evans ensured that Eifion was able to skip around the keeper and plant the ball firmly into the net. Although doing well in the League of Wales, Rhyl were unable to turn their possession into opportunities, and the Barry defence easily repelled any difficulties. Substitute, Tommy Mutton's 77th minute shot on goal was the best chance for the home side, but Ovendale in the Barry goal easily saved the shot. Craig Evans and Gary Barnett both went close for Barry, but there was no further score.
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Barry Town matchday magazine index
This page edited by the Yellow Dragon, 1999.
This article first published in the Barry Town matchday magazine, v Haverfordwest County, 21.11.98, Welsh Cup Rd.3
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