Linnets avenge earlier defeat (From Barry And District News)

Linnets avenge earlier defeat

Barry FC 2 Harrison Forse 1

BARRY FC earned another three points last Saturday, battling their way to a 2-1 win over a physical Harrison Forse outfit.

The Linnets, unbeaten in the league for the last three months, went into the game with confidence soaring.

However, they soon found it hard-going against Harrison, the very team who had won 3-2 at Jenner on that grey October afternoon.

Playing up the sloping Pencoedtre pitch for the first 45 minutes, Barry's chances were initially few and far between.

Nonetheless, a good spell of play around the half hour mark saw Christian Powell chase a nothing ball and, to his credit, the full-back got in the way of the goalkeeper's clearance and scored an unexpected opener.

Barry found the net again minutes later, but the referee adjudged the set-up through ball to have been offside.

Several other attacks were similarly thwarted, and while Barry appeared to be dominating, their efforts did not bring an all-important second.

The Linnets' inability to make it two came back to haunt them shortly before the interval, when Harrison capped a resurgent period of play with a goal from Gareth Williams.

At 1-1, the match was poised on a knife-edge, and the second half saw both sides up the tempo in their efforts to win the game.

While Harrison were proving a tough nut for Barry to crack, excellent midfield displays from Adam Harvey and Lewis Stait, who shirked no challenges, highlighted how much the side has come on since their October defeat.

The Linnets went close when a Kevin Owens long-range effort sailed just a whisker over the crossbar.

Ultimately though, it was young Nathan Shaw who would secure the winning goal in spectacular fashion, smashing a thunderbolt of a shot into the top corner from all of 30 yards.

Harrison would keep battling, but Barry were able to hold on to their 2-1 advantage, making it 18 points for the season ahead of Saturday's crunch game with St Athan.

St Athan have been one of the league's early pacesetters and, having lost just one of their eight league fixtures, should prove another tough test for Ashley Griffiths' men.

The game at Jenner Park is scheduled for a 2pm kick-off.

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