Local boy costs Dragons dear (From Barry And District News)

Local boy costs Dragons dear

Barry Town suffered their first league defeat since January when a 52nd minute lob over Simon Rayner's head by local boy Mark Dodds stole the three points for Port Talbot.

A 650-strong crowd saw some great football from both sides which would have opened the eyes of League of Wales critics.

Port Talbot's early season record of three wins and a draw was proof that they must be doing something right.

On the evidence of Friday night's display they are going to be a hard team to beat. Full of confidence they set out to show Barry that they were not afraid to play and take the game to the home side.

In midfielder Gary Twynham they had an energetic player who looked good enough to be a Football League player. A former Man United starlet, he showed a good deal of quality which encouraged his team-mates.

Winning the game gave Port Talbot top spot with Kenny Brown's lads slipping to fifth place.

Before Barry go to TNS on Saturday they need to adjust a few aspects of their play if they are to get a result against a TNS side who are now fully professional and currently in fourth place with a better record than Barry.

Already the signs are that the league is going to be a harder battle this season. Bangor have scored 17 goals from 4 games and are not even top of the league.

Cwmbran, TNS, Port Talbot, Bangor and possibly Afan Lido are going to be powerhouses this year and Barry have to show more quality to be successful.

It seems that some players lack the ability to beat the offside trap or to time their runs into the box, and others are being knocked off the ball too easily.

Kenny Brown certainly has the most talented squad of players in the League of Wales, and if they don't win the league it will be because of a lack of character.

Barry Town create chances but too many are being wasted, with both Jamie Moralee and Jon French guilty against Port Talbot.

The referee did not help, and it was impossible to understand his sending off of Nicky Burke.

But full marks go to the Steelmen who have their best team ever. Manager Mark Jones has done a first class job in assembling and organising his side.

Kenny Brown was not happy with his men, and it takes a lot for Kenny to say: "They wanted it more than us."

He will not tolerate half measures and players will be aware that ability alone is not enough if they want to keep their shirts.

During the half-time interval Bob Nash ran nine laps of the track to great applause and encouragement from the crowd, which was much appreciated.

He raised £112 in buckets at the turnstiles and has sponsorship money to add to the total.

The money will be shared between Barry Town AFC and Crisis Africa, where a big shortage of water is the major problem.

The bus runs at 9am on Saturday for the trip to TNS at a cost of £9 for adults and £5 for children. Please ring Tim on 734050 to book.

Eifion Williams scored two for Hartlepool in a 4-1 win over Darlington.

The League of Wales is about to announce a sponsorship deal between itself and a Japanese car dealership. All the clubs will meet in Welshpool on September 23 to discuss the deal.