Penybont claimed a double over their Five Mile Lane derby rivals Barry Town United as they strengthened their grip on a top-six spot with a victory.
Kane Owen’s penalty in the 82nd minute gave Rhys Griffiths’ side their second victory over the Linnets in the space of a week, extending their unbeaten run to four.
They overtake Barry into fourth-placed and move into pole position in securing a Europa Conference League playoff spot for the first time in their history.
The pace of the match was set in the first minute as Nathan Wood’s chipped effort sent a warning sign to Barry, though Mike Lewis was alert to it.
A high line from the home side was forcing Barry to move possession quickly which was affecting their movement going forward.
Callum Sainty had the first meaningful opportunity of the match as he met David Cotterill’s corner to header an effort onto the crossbar.
Set-pieces seemed Barry’s only route on goal as Bont enjoyed their fair share of possession. They were struggling to create any clear-cut opportunities, however.
Another Barry corner caused problems as McDonald this time peeled from his marker and headed just over the bar.
Jamie Bird then tried a shot from distance but his finessed effort was gathered by Ashley Morris.
The common theme with the half was that Bont’s attackers had plenty of the ball but opted to pass rather than shoot in the final third.
Kostya Georgievsky nearly changed that theme as his swiped shot hit the side-netting after an impressive link-up play with Georgievsky and Wood.
Early in the seccond-half, Callum Sainty and Jordan Cotterill were booked in quick succession, putting the Barry midfield under pressure.
Wood, who grew into the game after the restart, stung the palms of Lewis with a strike from the far-side of his flank.
A well-constructed move from the Bont was almost finished by Owen, who was deployed as a centre-midfielder this evening, though his finish lacked conviction.
Confusion ensued when Curtis McDonald loosely conceded possession after dwelling on the ball and fouled the fast-paced Georgievsky for a penalty.
He faced a double whammy of conceding a penalty and being dismissed and a red card was brandished, leaving him emotional as he made his way to exit the pitch.
Referee Robert Jenkins however consulted with his assistant official and the sending off was reduced to a yellow with McDonald remaining on the pitch.
Despite the anxious wait to take his spot-kick, Owen showed his composure to send Mike Lewis the wrong way and successfully convert his penalty.
The penalty certainly livened the game up and Nat Jarvis fell in the box prompting the Barry players to raise their arms in protest.
Sam Snaith, who scored the winner against his former side last week, almost added another to his account, but he was unable to force the ball home on the rebound after Lewis spilled Georgievsky’s shot.
To preserve their lead, goalkeeper Ashley Morris acted as the last line of defence, rushed to the feet of Jemmett-Hutson to block the former Bont attacker’s run and tipped it shot away from goal in the last few moments of regulation time.
Barry’s last hope of any points from the game came from David Cotterill’s late free-kick but it failed to meet a red shirt, allowing for the referee to blow for ecstatic scenes amongst the Bont players.
Penybont: Ashley Morris, Kane Owen (C), Dan Jefferies, Mael Davies, Kostya Georgievsky, Lewis Harling, Ben Ahmun (Sam Snaith, 66), Nathan Wood (Billy Borge, 85), Oliver Dalton, Connor Davies (Ashley Evans, 79), Ismail Yakubu.
Yellow Cards: Kane Owen 27, Kostya Georgievsky 70, Ashley Morris 89, Mael Davies 93′
Barry Town United: Mike Lewis, Luke Cooper (C), Callum Sainty (Rhys Kavanagh, 80), Nat Jarvis, Jordan Cotterill, (Luke Cummings, 61), David Cotterill, Theo Wharton, Curtis McDonald, Michael George, Jamie Bird (Curtis Jemmett-Hutson, 61), Evan Press.
Yellow Cards: Jordan Cotterill 47, Callum Sainty 49, Curtis McDonald 73′
See how Penybont defeated Barry Town United below:
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