This much anticipated encounter between league leaders Barry Town and Ton Pentre at Jenner Park got off to a frantic start.
In the first minute Barry broke down the right and winger James Dixon cut into the area and unleashed a shot which hit the post with Ton goalkeeper Richard Jeffries well beaten. A follow up shot by Barry forward Zak Misbah was cleared off the line by Ton defender Adam Lewis.
The first goal game after four minutes when an incisive break through midfield by Barry Captain Jamie Bradford resulted in a
pass to Dan Marshall whose shot from inside the six yard box defeated Jeffries for a 1-0 lead to Barry.
Barry Town continued to push forward and a sixth minute fumble and drop by keeper Jeffries almost led to a second goal but again danger was averted by a clearance from an alert Lewis.
A weak Chris Jones header straight at Barry keeper Dan Bradley was Ton’s first meaningful attack after 12 minutes but the game settled down with Ton striving to get a foothold and several half chances were created with forward Ian Jones and midfielder Andrew Hughes going close.
Barry were dominating the game and took every opportunity to attack a hardworking Ton defence but through a mixture of bad luck and poor finishing could not add to their slender lead.
In the 44th minute a fine Ton move through midfield resulted in a ball to Chris Jones on Ton’s right wing. His excellent cross was met by Hughes inside the six yard box and his shot, low and hard, forced a good save from Bradley in the Barry goal, diving full length to his right to prevent an equaliser.
The second half saw an opening period of stalemate until a 52nd minute corner from Steve Edwards saw it strike the Barry crossbar causing confusion for Barry defenders before dropping out of play.
In the 55th minute the ball broke through midfield and a clever pass by Ian Jones released Hughes one-on-one with Bradley who forced him wide left.
From a resulting cross by Hughes a mart save was produced by Bradley to deny a shot by Ian Jones from the edge of the six yard box. This however, was somewhat against the run of play.
Barry’s second goal after 57 minutes arose from a disputed corner kick award when Barry’s Kurt Bettles rose to easily beat stranded goalkeeper Jeffries whom had called for the ball.
Barry were now in dominant mood and continued to press, spurning several half chances to increase their lead.
A dreadful clearance by Jeffries almost gifted Barry a third goal after 67 minutes but the keeper atoned for his error with a smart point blank save to deny a now rampant Barry Town.
After 71 minutes Gareth Wharton was fortunate to receive only a yellow card after the Ton defender had pulled back a Barry forward running free toward goal from the edge of the 18 yard box.
Barry continued to press and again struck a post after 80 minutes but with even further clear cut chances the game played out to a 2-0 score line in the home team’s favour.
The win keeps Barry 9 points clear at the top of the table whilst Ton, with their depleted squad, continue to battle for points with six fixtures remaining but remain comfortable placed in mid-table.
Ton visit Croesyceiliog on Wednesday 15th April with a 6.15pm kick off and play their final home match of the season on Saturday 18th April against Caerleon (2.30pm).
Match report © Ton Pentre AFC Press
