BARRY Town United travelled to Caernarfon Town in the pick of this week's JD Welsh Cup fixtures, with Sunday afternoon's third round clash at The Oval to be broadcast live on S4C.

The meeting between the Welsh League Division One champions and Huw's Grey Alliance contenders will not be the first to be played in front of the TV cameras.

Twenty years ago, the clubs made history by contesting the Welsh Premier League's first ever televised match, with Barry overturning an early deficit to win by five goals to two.

Two decades later, the Jenner Park crowd of 2,746 remains a Welsh Premier attendance record, with another four-figure following set to turn out this weekend.

However, most at The Oval will be there to cheer on the Canaries, who are commonly regarded as the best-supported side below the national division.

Despite playing their football at opposite ends of the country, Barry and Caernarfon are closely connected by former Hartlepool United and Torquay United striker Eifion Williams.

The Jenner Park club's record signing, Williams' goal-scoring prowess in the respective yellow jerseys would eventually earn him a place in the Welsh Premier League Hall of Fame.

This weekend, Barry supporters will be hoping hometown hero Kayne McLaggon can produce more of the magic that has seen him net winners at both Bangor City and The New Saints.

Caernarfon though should pose a test comparable with any of Barry's Welsh Premier League opponents; the Canaries having been knocking on the door of the top flight for some time.

As Barry brought their 13-year exodus from the top table to a storybook conclusion in the spring, Caernarfon enjoyed another strong campaign in the Huws Grey Alliance, coming within a place of securing their own Welsh Premier League return.

However, for now, it is the evergreen Welsh Cup, founded in 1877, that brings these teams together again, a tournament that has seen both Barry and Caernarfon thrive in recent editions.

In 2011-12, a resurgent Barry shocked the competition by taking the scalp of Merthyr Town at Penydarren Park; ending their one-year return to the Welsh Cup field at the First Round stage, before contesting thrillers at both Haverfordwest County and Newport County.

The following season, Gavin Chesterfield’s squad made their way right to the semi-finals, prevailing over Penrhyncoch, Flint Town United and others, before falling to winners-to-be Prestatyn Town.

Caernarfon meanwhile have not been shy to make their own mark in the Welsh Cup; the Gwynedd club attracting a crowd of 1,256 to The Oval for their tie with professionals TNS in November 2014.

Then, in 2017, the Canaries would replicate Barry’s feat of four years prior by reaching the semi-finals, beaten 3-1 by eventual champions Bala Town, after an impressive run from the First Round.

This latest meeting between Barry and Caernarfon will be the first at The Oval since 2003, when the hosts were 8-0 winners over a makeshift squad, pieced together by stand-in manager Matthew Case.

Recruiting mainly from Vale of Glamorgan League outfit N and M Construction, Case and his players might have been heavily beaten that day, but they played an important role in helping the club continue, after it had been rocked by financial difficulties that summer. It is a fitting subplot that kitman Case will form part of the matchday party this weekend, supporting manager Gavin Chesterfield and his team.

Chesterfield will have been disappointed on Saturday, after seeing his Town h beaten 2-1 by Huw Griffiths' Cefn Druids in Matchday 15 of the JD Welsh Premier League.

In truth, there was little between the sides at The Rock; Chris Hugh's equaliser quickly cancelling out Naim Arsan's opener, before Jonathan Taylor struck with ten minutes to play.

The result left Barry on 17 points, two ahead of the chasing pack of Newtown, Aberystwyth and Prestatyn, with Carmarthen marooned on four points at the bottom.

With big matches against Bangor and the Old Gold upcoming, a Sunday afternoon cup tie might appear decent respite; yet Caernarfon will no doubt do their utmost to ensure it is anything but.

Kick-off between Caernarfon Town and Barry Town at The Oval is at 2.45pm, with live coverage on S4C commencing at 2.30pm.