Barry Town’s Phase One league campaign gets underway on Saturday 10 August at home against Bala
The Town’s JD Cymru Premier season 2024/25 begins at Jenner Park against Bala on Saturday 10 August in a 2:30pm kick-off.
The festive period sees the club at home against Penybont on Boxing Day in a 12:30pm kick-off, while New Year’s Day takes us away to Briton Ferry.
Phase One will conclude at home on Saturday 11 January with a visit from Haverfordwest County.
24 year old Liam becomes our second summer signing ahead of the 2024/25 Cymru Premier Season.
Barry Town United are delighted to welcome Goalkeeper Liam Armstrong to the club. 24 year old Liam becomes our second summer signing ahead of the 24/25 Cymru Premier Season.
Our new number 25 will be an exciting addition to the Town’s squad having played professionally at Bristol Rovers
Liam also enjoyed a respectable career at Gloucester City with loans at Swindon Supermarine, Bristol Cleeves and most recently Corsham Town where Liam won the Hellenic League Challenge Cup.
Liam has previously worked with goalkeeper coach Matthew James and is excited for the new challenge the Town can offer him.
Welcome to our club, Liam.
29 year old Josh becomes our first summer signing ahead of the 2024/25 Cymru Premier Season.
Barry Town United are delighted to welcome Central Defender Josh Yorwerth to the club. 29 year old Josh becomes our first summer signing ahead of the 24/25 Cymru Premier Season.
The former Wales U21s International will add much experience to the Town’s squad having played professionally at Ipswich, Crawley and Peterborough United.
Josh spent last season at Penybont and Merthyr Town. The Bridgend born centre-back and Town’s new number 6 began his career at Cardiff City and can be described as a gifted player.
All at the club are excited to see what Josh can achieve in a Barry Town shirt.
Welcome to our club Josh.
Barry Town’s retained players list for the upcoming 2024-25 Cymru Premier season is as follows
Retained players:
Mike George
Callum Huggins
Ollie Hulbert
Aiden Lewis
Kayne McLaggon
Keenan Patten
Evan Press
Luc Rees
Will Richards
Drew Perrett
Callum Sainty
Sam Snaith
And with thanks to players who have now departed the club:
Ben Blythe (end of loan)
Jordan Cotterill
Rhys Davies
Chris Hugh
Mike Lewis
Lee Lucas
Curtis MacDonald
Lucas Tomlinson
Jamie Veale
We appreciate the effort and commitment to all those players.
The squad returns to training next week and new signings will be made over the coming weeks.
You can see the lads in action in our upcoming pre-season friendlies:
6 July: Oxford City (3pm at RAW Charging Stadium, Oxford)
13 July: Yate Town (2:30pm at Jenner Park)
16 July: TBC (7:45pm at Jenner Park)
20 July: Newport County (2:30pm at Jenner Park)
23 July: Hereford Pegasus (7:45pm at Old School Lane, Hereford)
27 July: Swansea City U21s (2:30pm at Jenner Park)
Following 8 very successful years with Barry Town, Chris Hugh will depart the club
Chris, a pivotal signing in the summer of 2016, made 218 appearances, scored 14 goals, lifted 4 trophies, secured 2 promotions and qualified for European football on two occasions.
Chris also enjoyed a successful Futsal career, where he captained the Wales national side – scoring the winning goal for Wales in a 3-2 away win over Sweden in Visby in 2017.
Of course, Chris also frequently represented his club at Wales ‘C’ level, and was first selected for Wales ‘C’ duty in March 2018 – in a match against England at Jenner Park.
His competitive debut for Barry was in the 2-0 league win over Undy Athletic on 18th August 2016 at Jenner Park. Winning promotion to the Cymru Premier for 2017-18, Chris featured in our first league win over The New Saints in over 18 years.
Our 1-0 victory on 4 November 2017 was a long time coming, following our previous victory in Llansantffraid over the then named Total Network Solutions way back in August 1999.
Indeed, Hugh’s eight away matches at Park Hall include our two victories, and the three 2-2 draws.
Chris has been an ever present player at Left Back during his time, scoring some wonderful goals. Not only an exceptional footballer but a fantastic person who is idolised at our club.
Seen by many as the best left back at the club since Gary Lloyd, it’s a pleasure to call him one of our own.
Thanks for everything Chris, we have been blessed to have you at our club for so long.
A presentation will be made to Chris at tonight’s awards evening; you can purchase tickets here for an opportunity to say goodbye.
Watch: Chris Hugh with the assist for Kayne McLaggon’s goal as we topped the table in December 2018.
After 8 fantastic years Mike Lewis is set to depart the club.
Mike has been a huge part of our club since first signing in the Summer of 2016 making 225 appearances, lifting 4 trophies, securing 2 promotions and qualifying for Europe twice.
His competitive debut for Barry was in the 2-0 home league win over Undy Athletic on 18th August 2016, keeping a clean sheet in his first game.
It was a good omen, with Mike keeping six consecutive clean sheets in his opening six league and cup games, helping us to reach the Nathaniel MG League Cup final that season and earning promotion to the Cymru Premier as Welsh League Champions.
In total, Mike earned 21 clean sheets in that first season going on to make 70 in his Barry career.
A significant clean sheet for Mike came in our return to Europe in the home game against Cliftonville in Summer 2019, with Barry drawing 0-0 against the Belfast club.
Not only a fantastic Goalkeeper but a wonderful role model to our young ‘keepers across the club and a supporters’ favourite whose presence around the club will be missed.
Thanks for everything Mike, wishing you all the very best on your next adventure.
A presentation will be made to Mike at next week’s Awards Evening. You can buy tickets for an opportunity to say a deserved goodbye.
Jenner Park, Barry / JD Cymru Premier / Friday 23 February 2024
A 1-1 draw with Haverfordwest County last Friday leaves Barry in ninth place in the Cymru Premier, five points away from the play-off place in seventh, and six points clear of the relegation zone.
Barry took the lead just after the hour mark, and looked to have won a valuable three points, but were pegged back by the visitors with a 96th minute equaliser.
Haverfordwest’s Jack Wilson had the first real chance of the game, his 17th minute shot going across the face of the Barry goal.
Moments later, Mike Lewis, making his first appearance since injury in September, pulled off a spectacular reaction save from a close range header, preventing an almost certain goal.
At the other end, Keenan Patten’s cross took a deflection which forced visiting ‘keeper, Zac Jones, to tip the ball over the bar.
Jones was again called into action when a Rhys Davies shot forced him into a low full-length dive to his right, and when Jordan Cotterill’s effort on the turn saw him push the shot away from the top corner.
Haverfordwest were awarded a penalty just before the break when Dan Hawkins was fouled in the box, but Kai Whitmore’s low penalty was well saved by Lewis, Whitmore putting the rebound over the bar.
Barry took the lead after 62 minutes. Michael George fired a low cross from the right which Haverfordwest’s Jazz Richards turned into his own net under pressure from Keenan Patten.
However, late in injury time, Whitmore shrugged off a number of Barry challenges, passing to the right. Rio Dyer’s cross picked out Rhys Abbruzzesse, who headed home at the far post to earn the visitors a point.
Barry travel to Aberystwyth Town on Saturday, 2nd March for a crucial match to stay away from the relegation zone, before entertaining Colwyn Bay at Jenner Park on Saturday, 9th March (2:30pm).
Barry were held to a 2-2 draw as the 10-man Penybont came from behind twice in Phase Two of the JD Cymru Premier.
Aiden Lewis gave the visitors the lead into the break and Sam Snaith added to his season tally in the second half, separated by second half equalisers from Kane Owen and Keyon Reffell.
Lewis opened the scoring on 18 minutes after one-way traffic with Ollie Hulburt selflessly pulling back to the advancing midfielder for his first goal of the season.
Owen levelled the game from the spot for Penybont after 64 minutes following Keyon Reffell being brought down by Luc Rees in an arial challenge.
Snaith regained the lead after 71 minutes for the Town with a devastating counter-attack resulting in a header from close range from a Rhys Davies cross.
Reffell was involved once again when Penybont equalised for a second time, this time the end product of a deep cross, sliding home from close range.
Penybont were led to fightback from a 1-0 deficit with 10-men for the majority of the game, Chris Venables was shown a straight red for an off-the-ball incident involving Will Richards in the 24th minute.
Evan Press was the difference between a point and a late comeback as he produced a goalline block from a drilled effort with just 10 minutes to play and the momentum having swung in favour of the 10-men.
Barry were the quickest out the blocks, it took only 27 seconds for the Town to stamp their mark into the game. A Keenan Patten switch to Mike George returning the favour following Patten’s darting run into the box before heading over. Just a minute later, Hulburt found himself firing wide with an effort from inside the 18-yard box.
Hulburt went close again as Barry were boasting all the big chances inside the first 15 minutes. A long, high ball had Hulburt beating the ‘bont defenders heading his one-on-one effort off the woodwork.
The Town’s leading goal scorer had another chance to add to his season tally early in the second half after total domination in the opening period; Davies’ pull back blazed over the bar from close range.
Barry had limited defending to do in the opening half and their first test came from the hosts’ Shaun MacDonald glancing a header wide from a corner early in the second half.
Penybont grew into the game as they equalised for a second time after all momentum appeared sucked out of them following Snaith’s goal, only for the Press-denying chance the difference between a point and none for the visitors in the end.
Penybont: Przybek, Little, Owen ©, Jefferies, Davies (Reynolds 90+2), Harling, Venables, McFayden (Ware 20’), Kircough (Richards 72’), MacDonald, Reffell.
Subs not used: Harris, Krezolek, Griffiths, Borge.
Barry Town United: Rees, MacDonald, Richards, Press ©, George, Davies (Blythe 90’), Patten, Lucas, Lewis (Cotterill 75’), Hulburt, Snaith (McLaggon 75’).
Subs not used: Tucker, Veale, Perrett, Tomlinson.
Goals: Owen 64’, Reffell 76’. Lewis 18’, Snaith 71’.
Yellow Cards: Little 24’, Harling 51’, Owen 62’, Jefferies 82’. Hulburt 25’, Cotterill 80’, MacDonald 82’, Patten 86’.
Red Cards: Venables 24’.
BARRY 0-3 PONTYPRIDD
Jenner Park, Barry / JD Cymru Premier / Saturday 3 February 2024
Phase Two of the Cymru Premier season got off to the worst possible start for Barry, who were well beaten at home by Pontypridd.
Despite a strong line-up, Barry lacked the sharpness and competitive edge needed to take three points.
The result leaves Town in ninth place, five points behind a play-off place but also only seven points away from a relegation spot.
Barry came to close to scoring after six minutes when Lucas Tomlinson’s shot from the edge of the box cannoned off a defender and wide of the goal.
However, the visitors took a fifteenth minute lead through striker Ben Ahmun.
A long ball over the top saw Barry goalkeeper Luc Rees come to clear, only to lose the race to the Ponty striker, who lifted the ball over Rees before slotting into the empty net.
Five minutes later, Barry came close to equalising, with Sam Snaith knocking the ball down and Oli Hulbert firing across the face of the goal from the edge of the box.
After an hour, Ahmun nearly doubled his tally, outpacing the Barry defence but shooting across goal, rather than on target.
Nevertheless, Ponty made it 2-0 a few minutes later. Owain Jones saw his shot saved by Luc Rees, but scored from close range from the resulting corner, getting in front of the Barry defence to head home.
The visitors continued to push, with Keston Davies going close from a free-kick which went just wide, and Luc Rees saving his effort from close range.
Eventually the pressure told, and Pontypridd scored a third. Barry gave up possession cheaply in midfield and, although Luc Rees saved the initial shot from Ahmun, the ball stayed in play and fell to Owain Pritchard, who netted comfortably.
Barry travel to Penybont on Saturday 10 February for a 12:45pm kick-off, with the match being screened live online by Sgorio.
Barry Town’s Phase Two fixtures for the 2023/24 JD Cymru Premier season have been confirmed.
Matchday 23 / Saturday 3 February, 13:00
Barry Town v Pontypridd United
Matchday 24 / Saturday 10 February, 12:45
Penybont v Barry Town
Matchday 25 / Friday 23 February, 19:45
Barry Town v Haverfordwest County
Matchday 26 / Saturday 2 March, 14:30
Aberystwyth Town v Barry Town
Matchday 27 / Saturday 9 March, 14:30
Barry Town v Colwyn Bay
Matchday 28 / Saturday 16 March, 14:30
Pontypridd United v Barry Town
Matchday 29 / Friday 29 March, 12:30
Barry Town v Penybont
Matchday 30 / Friday 5 April, 19:45
Haverfordwest County v Barry Town
Matchday 31 / Saturday 13 April, 14:30
Barry Town v Aberystwyth Town
Matchday 32 / Sunday 21 April, 14:15
Colwyn Bay v Barry Town