WELSH CUP 4TH ROUND PREVIEW: COLWYN BAY v BARRY TOWN UNITED 

BARRY'S league rivals have been docked six points in the JD Cymru Premier for fielding an illegible player.

Pontypridd United were hit with the penalty.

It comes as Town face Colwyn Bay in a cup clash this coming weekend.

Report by Ian Johnson

Barry Town travel to North Wales this Saturday for a second attempt to play their Welsh Cup fourth round match against Colwyn Bay on Saturday, December 16 (2pm kick-off). 

The game was postponed last Saturday after rainstorms hit the North Wales Coast. 

Welsh Cup ties are played to completion on the day, with penalties at the end of normal time if the game is level. 

The winner of the tie will reach the Welsh Cup last eight, a feat last achieved by Barry back in 2018-19 when they reached the semi-final and lost to eventual winners, The New Saints. 

Barry have a slight edge over their opponents, having won 2-1 at Colwyn Bay earlier this season and drawn 1-1 at Jenner Park in the league game back in August. 

The replayed match means that the Cymru Premier League fixture at home against Newtown, that was supposed to be on Saturday, will instead be rescheduled in the New Year, and is expected to be on Saturday, January 6. 

The big news this week is a six-point deduction to rivals Pontypridd United, which puts the Valleys club bottom of the league after they were found to have played ineligible players in a number of matches. 

Pontypridd have also been given a ban on player signings during the next two transfer windows, meaning that they won’t be able to strengthen their squad in January. 

Barry remain in ninth place in the twelve-team league with four matches left before the end of Phase One. 

At that point the league will split into two groups of six, playing each other home and away again in the Spring, with Barry likely to face Penybont, Haverfordwest, Colwyn Bay, Aberystwyth and Pontypridd again in the New Year. 

The remaining Phase One games are away at Haverfordwest on Boxing Day, Cardiff Met at home on Saturday, 30th December, the rearranged game against Newtown and, finally, Aberystwyth away on January 13th.