Barry Town United put a stop to their torrid run of form by beating local rivals Penybont to move up to second in the JD Cymru Premier table.
Goals from Clayton Green and Luke Cummings were enough to give Gavin Chesterfield’s side a comfortable three points under the lights.
The win also means they’re now just three points off leaders, Connah’s Quay Nomads. Barry had lost three games on the spin prior to tonight’s win over their Bridgend rivals.
Penybont, on the other hand, remain in the relegation zone on nine points following their defeat at Jenner Park.
First-Half
It was a cagey start to the derby, but it was the visitors who started the better at Jenner Park and Kane Owen had a chance to test out his delivery after earning a free-kick for the visitors.
His ball into the box was teasing but failed to meet anyone in the box, and it faded wide for a goal-kick to the hosts.
Barry were just starting to stand some authority and Kayne McLaggon was brought down just outside the box in a dangerous position, but Elijah Phipps’ free-kick was fired straight into the wall.
It wouldn’t take Barry too much longer to take the lead, though. McLaggon, again involved, mis-fired his effort; but luckily for the hosts’ point of view, midfielder and captain for the day, Clayton Green, was on hand to smash the ball home from close range to give Gavin Chetserfield’s side the lead after a good spell of pressure from the Linnets.
There was little response from the visitors, and the closest they came to equalising in the first-half came from Daniel Jefferies, but his glancing headed went wide of George Ratcliffe’s posts following a sublime ball in from the menacing Owen.
Second-half
Barry came firing out of the blocks in the second-half and Elijah Phipps battled excellently to win the ball back – and play it back to Luke Cummings, who fired in his strike from just outside the box to extend the hosts lead in the Vale of Glamorgan.
Barry continued to play on the front-foot and Chris Hugh tested Neil Wilson in Penybont’s goals, before having an effort, which fired narrowly over the bar.
Hugh was becoming a constant pest for the Bridgend-outfit in the second-half and it was his sumptuous delivery, which found McLaggon unmarked, but he fired his header just wide of the mark.
Penybont were then awarded a soft penalty, as George Ratcliffe was adjudged to have brought down Luke Borrelli in the box. The striker took the spot-kick, but it was a tame penalty and Ratcliffe made a fine stop to preserve Barry’s two-goal advantage.
Barry then put the icing on the cake following a wonderful team move started by Callum Sainty after Curtis Jemmett-Hutson cheaply gave the ball away in the middle of the park.
Sainty found substitute Momodou Touray with a sublime ball, and he then squared it to McLaggon who had the simple task of putting the ball into the empty net to seal all three points for Chesterfield’s side in what was the perfect response from the Linnets following three straight losses.
Recap from all of the action from the clash at Jenner Park here:
(Featured Image: Lewis Mitchell)
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