BARRY Town United supporters were left ruing a contentious late incident for the second week in succession on Saturday afternoon, as their side were sunk in stoppage time by a persistent Prestatyn Town.

There had been little to separate the Cymru Alliance and Welsh League champions in a competitive and, at one point, feisty first half at Bastion Gardens, with the promoted duo largely cancelling out one another in a period light on clear-cut chances.

The second half however saw Prestatyn ramp up the pressure on the Barry Town goal, and though goalkeeper Mike Lewis dealt magnificently with everything thrown at him, the challenge of taking goal-kicks into severe North Wales winds made it difficult for Barry to create much from the back.

Battling hard to compensate, Barry's TJ Nagi brought the visiting fans to their feet in the latter stages, taking the ball beyond Seasiders goalkeeper Carl Jones, before being forced out right.

It was teammate Ryan Newman though had the South Walians' best chance to win it; last weekend's goalscorer blasting his point-blank attempt narrowly over the crossbar, after Kayne McLaggon's initial shot had been saved.

Had Newman's powerful effort rippled the net, Barry would have led with three minutes remaining. Instead, the men in green found themselves looking to hold onto a point, as the home team sought to capitalise on their let-off with a dramatic winner.

After the fourth official indicated a minimum of four added minutes, Prestatyn won possession near the middle of the park, yet appeared to handle in the process; as immediately and vociferously protested by the travelling Barry supporters.

However, neither the possibly unsighted referee nor his nearest assistant saw fit to call a free-kick and the Seasiders quickly surged forward; long-serving midfielder Mike Parker ultimately finishing with aplomb to delight the home fans behind the goal.

In light of the previous weekend's controversy, an injury time defeat in such circumstances was the bitterest pill to swallow; Barry's potential haul of four points reduced to just one, ahead of the visit of evergreen champions The New Saints on Friday night, in a 7.45pm kick-off.

While undoubtedly disappointed on the occasion of his 350th game in charge, manager Gavin Chesterfield will now hope these character-building experiences prove an asset to his squad over the course of the campaign.

Despite his side returning to South Wales without the point their efforts likely deserved, the upbeat Barry boss was eager to highlight a number of positives from their excursion north, in comments the following afternoon.

Speaking to the club website, Chesterfield noted: "The lads have shown they can try travel away from home and put in a good shift, in difficult circumstances and conditions. It's another step in our learning and how we're adapting to this league. For me, there's loads more positives than there are negatives."

Friday's match between Barry and TNS will now be the third in three seasons, after clashes in the Welsh Cup and Nathaniel MG Cup Final attracted four-figure crowds to Jenner Park and the neutral Cyncoed Stadium.

In the former, TNS sped into a fourth-minute lead, only for Barry's Jordan Cotterill and Drew Fahiya to temporarily turn the tables on their professional opponents.

Succumbing to an eventual 5-2 home defeat, the Town then showed great endeavour to keep the Saints at bay for 78 minutes of January's league cup final.

Nevertheless, the calibre of a team unbeaten at one time for 31 straight matches shone through in the dying stages; leaving the Town proud and yet licking their wounds.

For Barry, the challenge on Friday is substantial, with the Saints rebounding from an opening defeat at Bangor City to beat Welsh Cup holders Bala Town 3-0 last Saturday.

Manager Chesterfield and his squad though will be raring for another crack at this gold standard in Welsh domestic football, with the home crowd at Jenner Park a potential 12th man, as it has been in so many previous matches.

Admission for Barry vs TNS this coming Friday is £7 for adults, £5 for senior citizens/students and £3 for children at the turnstiles; and with the S4C cameras taking in the Bangor vs Prestatyn match instead, the only way to see this one live on the night is to be there.