New look Barry Town aiming for Adran Premier top four
Cardiff, Wales - 28th January 2024: Barry Town United huddle ahead of kick off. Cardiff Metropolitan University v Barry Town United in the Genero Adran Premier at Cyncoed Campus on the 28th January 2024. (Pic by Lewis Mitchell/FAW)
After a busy transfer window, Barry Town are looking to break into the Adran Premier top four for the first time.
It’s been a summer of change at Jenner Park. Plenty of experienced players have departed the club; goalkeeper Erin Brennan has retired, while Hana Bennett and Aimee Deacon have moved on.
For club stalwart Lauren Harris, while it’s sad to say goodbye to long-time of the servants at the club, she thinks the club have done well to replace them.
“We obviously are gutted whenever somebody leaves the club. We’ve lost a lot of players who have been key for us over the past few seasons, and we wish them all the best. Erin Brennan retired, but we’ve brought in two really good goalkeepers to cover her.
“Hana Bennett is a big loss for us, but she’s gone back after her university degree finished. There’s nothing we can do about things like that, but we’ve strengthened well.”
In terms of incomings, not many clubs in Wales, male or female, have been busier than the Linnets.
Four players have come in from relegated Pontypridd United, including Jasmine Turner and Erin Murray, Adran South Young Player of the Year Keira Harris has joined, three have transferred over from Gwalia United, including Norwegian striker Ingrid Ådland, and two have arrived from fellow Adran Premier side Cardiff Met.
This Barry team now has a lot of depth to it, and Harris believes that will take them a long way this season.
“One of the things that is standing out on the training pitch at the moment is the depth we’ve got in the squad.
“Everyone is fighting for their positions, and no one is guaranteed to start, and that gives us a lot of reassurance. If you are struggling, we know that there’s always going to be someone there who can come in and have someone just as good come on.
“There’s a lot of trust and friendship being built in this team, and everyone is getting along really well. We’re getting 24 or 26 players in training, which is the most numbers we’ve ever had, and there’s so much healthy competition going on.”
Last season saw Barry finish seventh in the Adran Premier, but they comfortably survived relegation and finished with a record points tally.
The expectations this season however have elevated. Harris and her team know exactly what they want to achieve this year.
“I think top four is a realistic target this season. From a technical standpoint, we are stronger, our fitness levels are higher, we’re a closer-knit team then we probably were before, and that’s not just on the pitch but off it as well. That will go a long way, and hopefully that shows when we’re playing.
“Anything can happen in football. No one predicted Pontypridd United would go down, we know teams have been struggling for players, so we think we should be beating a few of the teams that were around us, and we want that top four.”
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Their first game of the season will be a real test, as they take on TNS at home.
Along with Barry, the Saints have also been one of the busiest sides in the league, bringing in a staggering ten players, as they embark on their first season of being a semi-pro club.
Games between the two last season were varied but competitive, and Harris is expeciting nothing less come September 15th, but says their home advantage could prove to be vital.
“TNS will certainly come to Jenner Park with an attacking mindset and a solid gameplan. It’s always a good game with TNS, and it could end up being whoever turns up on the day nicks it, and we’ve got that advantage with us being at home, especially having the fans turn up.
“We are a lot fitter and a lot stronger this season, and they are two aspects we’ve lacked against TNS in previous games. It’ll definitely be a good game.”
Harris is known for being a no-nonsense defender, and one of her first challenges this season will be to try and contain TNS’ new signing Maria Francis-Jones.
Francis-Jones has experience of playing for both Manchester City and Wales, and the game in Barrybados will be her first experience of the Adran Premier.
For Harris, the forward will be just another opponent, and she is determined to concentrate on her own game.
“There are a lot of big names coming in and out of the league, and you have to focus on your game and go into your tackles strongly.
“You have to be aware of your individual battles across the field, but it’ll be interesting to see how her game fits in with theirs and so on. But we just have to focus on our game.”
One thing is for sure, the narrative and discourse coming out of Jenner Park is different to previous seasons.
There’s a confidence to this team, and a real belief that they can go on and do something unique this season.
Harris knows the targets they’ve set, and they know they have the ability to reach them.
“We want that top four.
“We’d love to try and compete a little better than we have done in the cup competitions too, but we’ve got to keep going, keep having that desire to want to do better, and we have to keep pushing ourselves to be better.
“If we can do that, then we can reach our targets.”
