Carmarthen sunk by seven-goal Barry blitz

JD Premier League
Barry Town Utd 7 – Carmarthen Town 1
OUT-THOUGHT, outrun and outclassed – Carmarthen went into this match desperately needing points to lift themselves out of the Cymru Premier League relegation places but they were simply overwhelmed by the slick attacking football that Barry produced.
The Old Gold were handicapped from the start due to the absence of experienced goalkeeper Lee Idzi and this season’s top goal-scorer Luke Bowen, both due to injury which, in Idzi’s case, occurred during the pre-match warm-up.
Carmarthen went close to opening the scoring. Declan Carroll, from near the half-way line, fired a long free-kick into the penalty area where Lee Surman headed the ball on to Liam Thomas who struck a close-range shot that hit the underside of the bar – the ball then rebounded onto the goal-line before a defender cleared it safely away.
Barry responded immediately to that scare by swarming upfield and when a pass was played towards the penalty area there was evident confusion amongst the visitors’ defence which allowed Jack Compton to head the ball across to prolific goal-scorer McLaggon who confidently drove it past Windsor and into the net.
Spurred by that success Barry went on to largely dominate the proceedings with some smart passing and rapid movement as they carved through the Old Gold defence all too often.
On 16 minutes, they increased their lead when Momodou Touray broke clear along the right flank then delivered a dangerous cross into the penalty area where McLaggon, worryingly unchallenged by any defenders, executed a perfect overhead kick to send the ball past Windsor and into the back of the net.
Very soon afterwards Barry extended their lead again when the Town defenders unwisely attempted to pass their way out of their own penalty area with the inevitable dire consequences. Theo Wharton easily robbed Jay Woodford of the ball on the edge of the penalty area and swiftly passed it across to Touray who neatly side-stepped Alaric Jones before firing a rasping drive that flew beyond Windsor’s reach and into the goal.
That three-goal blitz, coupled with Carmarthen’s seeming inability to make any real impression on the home defence, appeared to have settled to the outcome of this match inside the first 30 minutes.
To their credit, the Old Gold remained keenly competitive and in the 35th minute, they were rewarded when Callum Saunders, in his first appearance since recently signing for the Club, struck an impressive 20-yard free-kick over the defensive wall and into the top corner of the net to leave ‘keeper Mike Lewis well-beaten.
Moments later United restored their three-goal advantage. Jack Compton sent a searching corner-kick into the packed goalmouth where Windsor, under pressure from several players, mishandled the ball and Luke Cooper promptly stabbed it into the net.
There was further despair for Town on 41 minutes when Compton dispatched a superb 35-yard free-kick that left Windsor floundering and the net bulging as the ball flew into the top corner of the goal.
In the 70th minute, Barry extended their lead –former Carmarthen player Luke Cummings moved forward along the right-wing before firing the ball to the far side of the goalmouth where Touray headed the ball across to another former Carmarthen player, Clayton Green, who struck a close-range volley into the back of the net.
Barry continued to open up the Old Gold defence all too easily.
It was no surprise that as the match moved into added time Barry scored their seventh goal. Following a corner-kick, Touray released a fierce drive that struck the bar but saw Evan Press react quicker than any defender to claim the rebound and fire the ball into the net to conclude a truly miserable evening for Town supporters.