Barry Town United have ended their exile from the Dafabet Welsh Premier League with a 3-0 victory over Goytre United this evening.
The result, coupled with a successful FAW domestic licence bid, means Barry Town will play in the Dafabet Welsh Premier League next season.
Barry Town needed three points from their three remaining games to clinch promotion and the Welsh Football League One title, and set out to secure promotion with two games to spare against Goytre United.
A strong crowd of 610 turned out sensing Barry on the brink of history, and the home side got off to a great start when Luke Cooper took advantage of a slip by Goytre United’s goalkeeper to send Barry 1-0 up.
With their lead established, Barry continued to push and were rewarded when Tyrelle Webbe doubled Barry’s lead from a well worked corner, putting his side in the driving seat for the remainder of the game.
Barry Town’s dreams of a return to the Welsh Premier after a 13 year absence were all but realised before half time, as Drew Fahiya converted a penalty making it 3-0.
In the second half Barry sought to halt any possible slip ups with a controlled performance up until the final whistle, when celebrations started amongst fans, management and players alike.
The result is a historic one for Barry, who despite being one of Wales most decorated clubs faced extinction when they fell into administration in 2003 and spent much of the next decade in turmoil off the pitch.
A fan-led fightback successfully saved the club from only being allowed to play football at a recreational and amateur level, with a High Court decision allowing Barry to re-enter the Welsh Football League Division Three in 2013-14.
They rose straight back up into Division One and after losing out to Cardiff Met for the title and promotion last season are now Welsh Football League champions.
Barry will now play their last two games safe in the knowledge that they are Champions and a Welsh Premier League side as of 2017/18.
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