Barry Town United V Caernarfon Town FC
Saturday 30 September, 14:30
Cofis Dominant in Convincing Victory.
Barry Town United 0 – 3 Caernarfon.
Caernarfon bounced back from their midweek defeat to The New Saints with an outstanding performance against Barry Town today.
The hosts have not had the best of starts to the season but Jenner Park can be a difficult pace to visit and Richard Davies and his team were aware that Barry’s first victory of the season last week will have given Stepehen Jenkin’s men a much needed boost.
However, the Cofis have shown during the first two months of the season that they’re a much improved squad this term and so it proved today, as they outplayed and outmuscled the Linnets.
Caernarfon were first to threaten the scorecard when, in the ninth minute, a Sion Bardley cross from the left was met by Adam Davies but the big striker mis-timed his header from eight yards and the ball was hooked to safety by a grateful Barry defender.
Seven minutes later, it was the turn of Zack Clarke to threaten after god work on the right wing by Louis Lloyd, but Clarke could only manage to drag his effort wide from fifteen yards.
The hosts managed to a dangerous attack in the twenty third minute when Bright threaded a good cross into the path of McLaggon, who could not quite manage to reach the ball when well placed.
The Cofis made the breakthrough four minutes later through Clarke, who got on the end of a Gosset lay off to thunder the ball past Luc Rees from the edge of the box. It was the striker’s fifth goal of an impressive season thus far.
A mix up at the back for Caernarfon very nearly ended in an equaliser for the hosts but Keenan Patten saw his shot fly over the bar.
Town doubled their lead in the forty first minute when Marc Williams took control of the ball on the edge of the hosts area, and as Ress approached, the experienced playmaker slipped the ball past him and into the bottom right hand corner of the net.
Caernarfon were well on top at this stage and both Davies and Bradley went close to adding a third, but the score remained at two goals to nil at the break.
If anything, Town’s dominance was even more complete in the second half and Clarke was unlucky not to add a third for his side three minutes after the restart. Davies rose at the far post to head down a Lloyd cross from the right, but Clarke’s effort was deflected away from goal for a corner.
Rees pulled off a superb reflex save at his near post in the fifty third minute to deny Clarke whilst a rare attack from the hosts on the hour mark saw McLaggon shoot wide from fifteen yards.
Gosset hit over the bar soon after and, in the sixty fourth minute, Dion Donohue nearly scored from his own half! The central defender was eight metres from the half way line in his own half when he spotted Rees off his line and his long range effort was on its way in until the back-peddling young goalkeeper managed to tip the ball over his bar.
Caernarfon put the game beyond the hosts’ reach in the seventy first minute when Marc Williams robbed the ball off Jamie Veale on the right wing and ran into the box before squaring it to Adam Davies, who slotted in from four yards for his seventh goal of the season.
Williams went close to adding his second, and the team’s fourth goal five minutes later but couldn’t keep his effort on target whilst the hosts forced Lewis Webb into a comfortable save as full time approached.
The victory means that Caernarfon are currently fourth in the Cymru Premier League and travel to third placed Newtown next week in what promises to be a tough encounter.
Tyn Lon Volvo Garage Man of the Match: Marc Williams.
Team: Lewis Webb, Iwan Cartwright, Dion Donohue, Phil Mooney, Sion Bradley, Daniel Gosset, Ben Maher, Louis Lloyd, Adam Davies, Marc Williams, Zack Clarke. Subs (used): Ben Wynne, Joe Faux, Cai Griffith. Not used: Hari Thomas, Gruff John.