Barry beat Bala as Linnets’ red hot form continues
Whilst match week twelve in the JD Welsh Premier League contained some surprising results, Barry Town’s impressive form remained the same.
Elsewhere the title race took another twist, as both TNS and Connah’s Quay were held to draws in Newtown and Caernarfon.
Bala Town 0-1 Barry Town United
Barry shocked Bala with a goal from Newport County loanee Momodou Touray just seven minutes into the game at Maes Tegid, and it proved enough to send Barry joint on points with second-placed Connah’s Quay.
Bala enjoyed a strong second half, with Steven Tames and Kieran Smith being denied by goalkeeper Mike Lewis, before they were handed a golden chance to get a result when they were awarded a penalty with just 15 minutes left.
Chris Venables stepped up, but his effort went over the crossbar, with Gavin Chesterfield’s defence holding on to secure the valuable win.
Newtown 1-1 The New Saints
Perhaps the most surprising result of the weekend came at Newtown, who held a TNS side that came into the game after three consecutive wins, their most recent a 3-0 defeat of main rivals Connah’s Quay.
After 10 minutes, Ethan Jones sent the Robins ahead and they looked good to come out victors with a strong performance – but their hopes of another famous win over TNS were dashed when Greg Draper scored a second half penalty to ensure the scores were level.
Aberystwyth Town 3-1 Llanelli
Llanelli’s phase one struggle continued as Aberystwyth climbed into the top six, pending the result of Cardiff Met v Carmarthen, with a 3-1 win.
Paulo Mendes took only three minutes to give the hosts the lead, but Llanelli went level when a corner kick was converted by Carlos Indjai inside a crowded area.
With 40 minutes played, Aberystwyth were awarded a penalty for a foul on Ryan Edwards, but taker Declan Walker slipped allowing keeper Oliver Davies to collect the effort with relative ease.
But just a minute later, Ryan Wollacott headed low into the Llanelli net from a corner ball to retake the lead going into the interval.
Llanelli’s poor disciplinary record continued, as Anthony Finselbach was shown a second yellow card in the second half to make it 12 dismissals for the side so far this season.
Aberystwyth battled to maintain their lead, with a 90th minute Geoff Kellaway strike sealing the win.
Caernarfon Town 0-0 Connah’s Quay Nomads
With both teams coming into this game off the back of a loss, a fiery encounter was expected, but the deadlock couldn’t be broken at the Oval.
The game was competitive throughout, with Ryan Wignall and Callum Morris going close for Nomads only to be denied by in-form Caernarfon keeper Alex Ramsey.
Darren Thomas went at the Nomads goal for the home side, but it was their defence that shone on the night as they held off a Connah’s Quay side almost constantly on the attack.
Andy Morrison was dealt a blow when winger Ryan Wignall was shown a second yellow card, leaving the Nomads with 10 men for the final 10 minutes of the evening.
Llandudno 0-0 Cefn Druids
This game added to a rare JD Welsh Premier goal drought on Friday evening, with Aberystwyth’s Park Avenue seeing the only four goals across three games.
Llandudno offered free entry for home supporters as they searched for an important win, and saw some of their best chances come through George Harry in both halves.
Cefn Druids also threatened in a game that could’ve been won by both sides, who were left disappointed upon the final whistle.
For Iwan Williams’ Llandudno, it confirmed a winless October in the league.
Cardiff Met 1-1 Carmarthen Town AFC
The spoils were shared at Cyncoed, where Carmarthen were looking to complete a double over Met, having defeated them 2-0 in the reverse fixture.
And the double looked to be on, after a Liam Thomas penalty on 18 minutes gave the Old Gold the lead.
Met trailed for much for of the second half, until their player of the season so far Eliot Evans equalised in the 73rd minute to rescue a point for Christian Edwards’ students.
Featured Image: Rhys Skinner
