Barry Town United and Connah’s Quay could not be separated in the battle between two of the three title contenders in the Welsh Premier League title race at Jenner Park this evening.
Jonathan Hood scored the first goal of the game in the opening quarter, but Michael Bakare drew the Nomads level with a sweet strike.
Connah’s Quay shaded the game in chances with a lot down to the troubling long-throws from Jake Phillips.
The win keeps Connah’s Quay top, but should The New Saints beat Caernarfon Town on Monday, then they would go top.
Barry Town United are three points off of the Nomads and a point behind second-placed TNS.
Jonathan Hood, fresh from his 96th-minute equaliser against The New Saints last week, put Barry in front with their first chance. Captain Jordan Cotterill showed good determination and laid a low ball off to Hood to fire past a beaten John Danby.
It came from a poorly taken free-kick from Michael Bakare, who hit a free-kick straight into Cotterill, who broke to set up Hood.
The visitors attempted an equaliser after Michael Wilde flicked a header to Andrew Owens, but Owens’ effort hit the side netting.
Barry Town United host Connahs Quay Nomads at Jenner Park in the Welsh Premier League. Credit: Lewis Mitchell/YCPD.
Connah’s Quay drew level in bizzare circumstances. Michael Bakare hit a crisp strike off the crossbar after benefitting from Michael Lewis being floored. Luke Cooper looked to have caught his own goalkeeper after competing with Andy Owens.
Barry had a chance to restore their lead after Lewis had received treatment. Chris Hugh fired over a free-kick from 25-yards over Danby’s bar.
Nomads’ continued to use their aerial presence as a means of attack. Michael Wilde flicked a header on to Adam Barton, who was able to head an effort onto the post.
Andy Morrison’s side were keen to use set pieces and Bakare almost scored from an indirect free-kick, firing just over the goal.
The last chance of the half saw Owen blaze over the bar from close-range after a troubling cross from Bakare forced Lewis to parry away.
Jake Phillips throw-ins were continuously putting Barry players under pressure. A scrap in the box almost resulted in a Nomads goal after Wilde hit the crossbar.
Having been under the cosh from the Nomads in the early moments of the second half, Barry almost went back in front. Chris Hugh found space for himself with a small run, unleashing a shot from 30-yards, which cannoned off the crossbar.
Nomads midfielder Danny Harrison had the same outcome. He too hit the crossbar after finding space just outside the box to shoot.
Bakare tried to find a Nomads shirt with a cross, but Lewis palmed away his cross-cum-shot. Nomads hovered in the box from the resulting throw-in and Paul Morgan made an import block to deny the Nomads.
Barry Town United: Lewis, Morgan, Cooper, Watkins, Hugh, Green, Patten, Hood, Touray, Cotterill (C) (Greening 85), McLaggon (Fahiya 77)
(Goal: Jonathan Hood 15)
Connah’s Quay Nomads: Danby, Disney, Barton, Farquharson, Holmes, Harrison, Wilde, Morris (C), Bakare, Phillips (Owen 78), Owens (Hughes 65)
(Goal: Michael Bakare 26)
(Featured Image: Lewis Mitchell)
Eric Hall
What was controversial about the goal by Bakare? Lewis was “fouled” by his own player. The Law of the Game says that a fouls is committed if a player fouls a player of the opposite team. The two players involved were, as you rightly state, on the same team.
If you are going to make reports on a news site like this that has aspirations to push on into the mainstream and win awards, you aren’t going to do it by writing emotional remarks that even you rubbish just a dozen or so words later.
You have to decide what you are. Are you a serious journalist or are you just an ordinary, average fan trying to act up?
It’s not my business to teach journalism to anyone but if you had said that the equailser was scored in circumstances that caused some controversy (the yellow card is quite sufficient evidence of this) and then put an “although Lewis had appeared to have been brought down by one of his own defenders” or else “although the referee clearly thought that Lewis had been the victim of a collision with one of his own defenders” it would have read much better and there would have been none of the emotion.
But it’s none of my business anyway.