Barry Town 6 Flint 3

AFTER the drought of October and November, the goals were flying in at Jenner Park on Saturday, as Barry kicked off December with a 6-3 win over visitors Flint Town United.

Over 20 years had passed since the Silkmen's last visit and the teams would make up for lost time in this nine-goal, ding-dong affair; Gavin Chesterfield's squad snapping a six-match Cymru Premier cold streak to keep climbers Penybont at bay.

Starting the day in fourth, only six minutes had passed when the hosts forced the breakthrough; Chris Hugh pitching a sumptuous left-footed ball over the top, which allowed Jordan Cotterill to take a touch, find his feet and finish into the bottom corner.

It was the start of a fruitful afternoon for Cotterill, who would switch from goalscorer to goal creator and back again before the game was through.

Jordan Cotterill scored twice and created two more in Barry's 6-3 win

While Cotterill's career at Jenner Park stretches back to 2013, supporters are still to see the likes of Sam Bowen in a Barry Town shirt, as the Welsh Government's closed doors policy persists.

Nevertheless, the 19-year old midfielder, signed on loan from Cardiff City in October, has enjoyed an encouraging start to life in the Cymru Premier and soon helped himself to a first senior goal.

Drifting beyond two defenders and latching onto a neat Luke Cummings pass, Cotterill squared across the box for Bowen to convert, the Wales youth international doubling Barry's advantage in the 32nd minute.

Though Flint lacked the sharpness and organisation of a Newtown or Connah's Quay, it was far from one-way traffic in the first half at Jenner Park and thus not a total shock when the Silkmen slipped back into contention.

After forcing a good reaction stop from Barry's debutant goalkeeper Josh Gould (another loan, this time from Swansea City), Flint's Mark Cadwallader pulled one back on 41 minutes, responding quickest to the rebound after Callum Bratley had cracked the post from distance.

However, any joy for the visitors was bitterly short-lived, as Kayne McLaggon restored Barry's two-goal lead, cutting inside before firing in, a minute before the break.

As the vocals of Prodigy firestarter Keith Flint fittingly filled the stadium on the referee's half-time whistle, it seemed Barry's fortunes were heating up.

By the 55th minute, they were 4-1 to the good, with defender Luke Cooper heading home from David Cotterill's free-kick in a textbook training ground manoeuvre, albeit one the travelled hands of Flint's John Danby would have hoped to have dealt with better.

There remained life in the visitors and after Cadwallader scooped his second on 65 minutes, Connor Harwood put Flint right back in the match, the 20-year old edging beyond Hugh to meet Tom Kemp's ball and smashing it into the Barry net, with 17 minutes to go.

In the midst of this spell, Flint also clipped the crossbar, yet as the visitors angled for an equaliser, Barry put an eventful game to bed, scoring twice in a decisive final stretch.

Showing skill and invention to beat his man, youngster Bowen found Man of the Match Jordan Cotterill on the prowl again, with Cotterill's low pass across the visitors' goalmouth gifting a waiting Nathaniel Jarvis the simplest of chances.

Then, deep into stoppage time, Cotterill outraced a stranded Danby, leaving the former Nomads goalkeeper with little option but to watch the ball roll into an empty net.

In the end, it was a heavy win for Barry and one Flint manager Niall McGuinness paid for with his job the following day, with former Welsh Cup-winning Prestatyn Town supremo Neil Gibson nipping into the hotseat at Cae-y-Castell, at the expense of the Cymru Premier's youngest boss.

After a midweek march to Haverfordwest County on Tuesday, Barry will continue to rack up the miles this coming Saturday when Gavin Chesterfield takes his team to Caernarfon Town; the Canaries left spitting feathers by a televised 6-0 defeat at Penybont.

The result kept Penybont within three points of Barry, who they meet at Jenner Park on 22nd December, before the return at the SDM Glass Stadium on Boxing Day.

While Town still retain a game in hand on each of the league's top three, a southern smackdown between Barry, Penybont, Haverfordwest and resurgent Cardiff Met appears to be brewing in the places below, although leaders TNS, champions Nomads or even both will drop points this Saturday, as they meet at Deeside Stadium.

Barry's hopes of catching third-placed Bala were boosted by the Lakesiders' 1-1 draw in Cyncoed, but an eight-point gap still separated the two heading into the midweek fixtures.

Finally, the club has been handed a bye into the Second Round of the Nathaniel MG Cup, where a match against either Cardiff City or Newport County could await.

The Bluebirds and Exiles have been handed wildcard entries into Wales' league cup competition and start their campaigns this weekend against Taffs Well and Undy Athletic respectively, kicking off the tournament alongside the remainder of the JD Cymru North and South representatives, including Llantwit Major, who travel to Llanelli.