Barry Town United suffered play-off heartbreak on the weekend, but can be proud of their first season back in the Welsh Premier League for 13-years.
Met’s class shone through as Adam Roscrow scored twice. Will Evans also got on the scoresheet for the students – and Callum Sainty put it through his own net in a bad day at the office for Gavin Chesterfield’s troops.
Barry, though, can keep their heads high. Nobody would have expected them to go unbeaten after the split in Phase Two. But they did it.
Massive credit has to go to Chesterfield, of course, who brought in the likes of Jonathan Hood and James Demetriou – both players played a massive part for the Linnets in Phase Two.
However, Chesterfield admitted there are areas in the summer which Barry could improve upon, and there is no doubt that he will be keen to strengthen his squad further this summer.
It has been a special season for Barry, though. I think we can safely say they’re back, and they will be looking to build on this season’s success.
So, can they learn from the Cardiff Met loss?
Absolutely. The students have had experiences of playing the top six teams all through Phase Two, and you feel that benefitted them slightly.
Of course, Barry weren’t good enough on the day – and the Archers were better in every department, but perhaps, the loss in the long-term could be a good thing.
They can learn from this massively. It will give them an even greater incentive to finish in the top six during the 2018/2019 season.
And one thing is for certain. Every single Barry player can be pleased with what they achieved this season because they made fans believe they could return to Europe for the first time since the 2003/2004 season when they faced-off against FK Vardar Skopje in the first qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League.
Maybe next year, they will go one better.
(Featured image: Rhys Skinner)
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