BARRY TOWN United manager Gavin Chesterfield guided his side to victory over Champions Connah’s Quay Nomads in what was his 491st game in charge.
That makes him Barry’s longest serving manager and he was delighted to see his side come away with a 1-0 win in front of a good crowd at Jenner Park.
Barry coped well early on as the Nomads sent a couple of long balls forward but with eight minutes gone the visitors were awarded a penalty.
However, Mike Lewis made an excellent save to deny Callum Morris and keep the score at 0-0.
Just before the 20th minute, Callum Morris saw a volley go wide of the goal from the edge of the box as he picked up a second ball from an Aron Williams long throw.
Then in the 24th, Barry Town scored with one of their first chances of the afternoon, when Rhys Kavanagh capitalised with a shot from around eight yards to follow up on a long throw of their own.
Nomads were 1-0 down and looked to level the scores before the break, with Byron Harrison getting the ball in the net on 31 minutes only to see it disallowed for a foul on the keeper.
In the 34th, tempers flared with a collision between Craig Curran and Clayton Green in which both players tussled on the floor before Green appeared to stamp on Curran whilst getting up, but play resumed with only a free kick to the hosts given.
Nomads remained well in the game as half time neared, but went in for the interval trailing after Kavanagh’s opening goal.
The match resumed and Nomads immediately created a good opportunity just 20 seconds into the half as Aron Williams broke down the right wing, sending a low cross towards goal, but Jamie Insall was denied at the near post by keeper Lewis.
Barry then hit back with attacks from frontman Kayne McLaggon who had a volley in the Nomads area in the and 49th minute blocked, just minutes after a vital headed interception from Horan denied McLaggon a header on goal.
In the 55th minute, Nomads were dealt a blow when John Disney was shown a straight red card for taking down Kavanagh on a run down the left wing.
Now down to 10 men, Andy Morrison’s side had a major challenge on their hands to take a result from Jenner Park on the day.
But just four minutes after the red card, they were dealt more misfortune when Aron Williams awkwardly fell off the pitch whilst trying to keep the ball in and was forced off with injury to be replaced by Harrison Webster.
After the hour mark, Nomads continued to battle, seeing another chance go close when Curran sent a shot wide in the 62nd minute as Jamie Insall laid off a pass inside the box only to see Curran’s effort go wide.
With 20 minutes to go the game was very much alive as Connah’s Quay kept finding ways into the Barry area, seen in the 78th when Horan narrowly missed a free kick into the box from Webster.
It was a chance that would unfortunately sum up the afternoon for Connah’s Quay, who couldn’t find the final finish to equalise as the game headed into injury time.
With time running out Rhys Kavanagh squared the ball to substitute Brandon Griffiths. Griffiths’ low shot was agonisingly deflected onto the Nomads crossbar to deny a certain goal.
Full time confirmed a first league defeat for Nomads, while the win for Barry sees them move up to third place in the table.
