PENARTH Town faced Barry Athletic at home last Saturday in the Vale Premiership. After weeks of no football due to the awful weather everyone was keen to get back to playing.

The game started well for Penarth when early on they were awarded a free kick in a left wide area just outside the opposing penalty area.

Martyn Boulton, returning after a long spell away stepped up to take it. He struck it sweetly and it looped over everyone and dropped in the goal on the far right hand side to put the home side in front.

This boosted Town's confidence and they continued to apply pressure on the visitor's goal. Very soon after, this pressure was rewarded when one of the Penarth players was brought down in the area and they were awarded a penalty.

Paul Beedell stepped up and slotted away low down to the keepers left to double the home teams’ advantage.

Town continued to press and should have had more as Beedell combined with his brother Grant with Ryan McCann providing supply from the wide right.

Jonney Williams and Ryan Williams were running the midfield and it seemed nothing could go wrong for the home side.

Then a long ball had to be forced out for a corner and Barry Athletic had a chance.

The ball was delivered into the box and to everyone's astonishment the referee blew his whistle and pointed to the spot.

Both sides’ players looked at each other as there did not seem to have been any contact or hint of hand ball. Anyway, the Barry team put the ball away, only just though as Chris Hegarty in the Penarth goal made a gallant dive, got his hand to it but couldn't quite stop it.

So at the break the score remained 2-1.

In the second half the game ebbed and flowed with Penarth having the best of it, Tristan Davies was outstanding in the Penarth defence and kept Jack Stansfield, Luke Horwood and Curtis Boddy focused the whole time.

Town brought on fresh legs in the form of Anthony Angove and Ashley Newcombe to close down the game, but then when it seemed the three points were totally secure the whole game exploded.

Angove foolishly kicked the ball away after being caught offside. He was correctly booked but instead of just taking the punishment decided to argue with the referee.

The referee should have calmed the situation but instead produced another card and sent Angove off.

The Town players protested and again instead of calming the worsening situation the referee produced three more yellow cards.

Soon after one of the Athletic players went in with a late tackle but no free kick was awarded, the Penarth players complained to the referee who promptly produced two more cards and sent two more Town players off, leaving them now with only eight.

As the game drifted past the 100 minute mark the inevitable happened and Athletic hit an equaliser. Despite playing another five minutes Town managed to hang on for 2-2 and a point.

Very disappointing in the end but it still took the home teams unbeaten run now to four games. Their next game is away to Masons Moving Group next Saturday.