TWO DISMISSED AS REDS CRASH
BARRY TOWN UTD .............. 5 LLANELLI TOWN ................. 2
WITH each successive game, Llanelli Town’s plight is becoming increasingly more desperate, and their visit to Jenner Park to take on a Barry side unbeaten at home proved to be another disaster.
As well as conceding five goals, for the fourth match in a row they failed to finish with a full complement of players.
Already without the suspended trio of Anthony Finselbach, Kurtis March and Scott Tancock, red cards for captain Joe Clarke and Chris Thomas in the second half means that an already threadbare squad is now really down to the bare bones, and it seems inevitable that even more academy players will have to be drafted in to make up the numbers.
The youngsters who have already been utilised in the senior side, Jamie Owen, Lenny Evans, Tristan Jenkins and Anton Nelson, are certainly proving their worth, with Evans in particular catching the eye against the Dragons, scoring a well-taken goal to level matters early in the second period.
Manager Andy Hill must be wondering how he will be able to cobble together a side which, in the near future, must take on current league leaders Connah’s Quay Nomads and Newtown, with the dismissals and a lengthy injury list adding to his problems.
Unable to bring in any new faces until the opening of the January transfer window, he will have to depend on his depleted squad to negotiate these daunting prospects, but with the eventual return of the suspended players, matters should improve.
Their latest game began in dramatic fashion, with two goals in the opening six minutes. Barry went ahead in the fourth minute through Robbie Patten, who met a Chris Hugh corner to power his header past Oliver Davies.
Within two minutes the visitors were back on level terms. A free-kick by Chris Jones was not dealt with decisively, with a clearance skied into the air, and when it came down Clarke was on hand to head the ball into the top corner.
As the half progressed the home side enjoyed the major share of possession without really offering a goal threat, the nearest chance coming from a Jonathan Hood effort which skimmed the bar.
Davies was then called upon to deny Jordan Cotterill from an assist by Momodou Touray, and then safely gathered a far-post cross from Macauley Southam-Hales.
When the visitors countered, Curtis Watkins had to be alert to win a race and clear the danger from James Loveridge, while Evans forced Mike Lewis in the Barry goal to push his shot around the post at full stretch.
Evans was involved again when a slick move involving several players set up another chance, with Lewis again being forced to divert it clear.
With the interval approaching, the Reds could feel well satisfied with their efforts, but with just two minutes remaining they fell behind again when Davies did well to keep out a shot by Touray, only for the loose ball to be met by Hood, who rifled it back into the net.
Rather unlucky to be trailing at the start of the second half, the visitors did not take long to level the scores for a second time within five minutes. A move up the right led to an error in the home defence, allowing Evans to gain possession before lashing his finish beyond Lewis.
Elation at this success was soon tempered, however, when Clarke was dismissed on 59 minutes by referee Bryn Markham Jones for a challenge with a home player on halfway, although from a distance the offence did not seem to warrant that decision.
With the numerical advantage in their favour the home side threw everything at the Reds defence which, to its credit, stood firm, mainly due to the efforts of Carlos Indja and Thomas, who were solid at the back.
Jordan Davies went close to the Barry goal when the Reds broke forward, while at the other end a low delivery by Southam-Hales into the middle deflected off Thomas and inches past the goal.
With Barry now getting the upper hand and looking dangerous going forward, Davies made a great block in the box to deny Hood, and the Reds goal survived another close call when a header by Touray rebounded off a post with Davies beaten.
Barry had better luck on 79 minutes when they regained the lead when Davies, having brought off a number of important saves, allowed a speculative ball driven to the near post by Hugh to slip under his body and into the net.
Five minutes later things got even worse when Thomas incurred the wrath of the referee when he fouled Troy Greening on the edge of the box and was shown red, leaving his side in a desperate plight.
A seemingly lost cause became even more fraught when Barry scored twice again in the closing stages, with Clayton Green netting after 89 minutes from a ball into him by Patten, and in stoppage time the Reds’ misery was completed by Kayne McLaggon, who wrapped up the win with a well-struck finish past Davies.
With Aberystwyth Town next up at Stebonheath on Friday evening, the Reds will be hard pushed to field a side capable of attempting to record a first home win of the season. Kickoff is at 7.45pm.