Caerleon 1 Barry Town United 4

AFTER suffering their first defeat of the season last week Barry Town United came back in style to score four goals - and promotion to division one.

The team were determined to get their season back on track after last week so the visit to Caerleon was doubly important.

With Damon Searle and Lewis Cosslett suspended for one match after being sent off in last week’s game against Undy, manager Gavin Chesterfield brought in Bobby Briers and Paul Morgan to the starting line up with a full complement on the bench.

Town were determined to do the job and it only took 10 minutes for the first goal to arrive when a great cross from Rob Blatchford was placed into the net by Dale Howarth with a brilliant run across the box.

The team were creating chances but Caerleon were keeping them at bay with some sturdy defending and it took until the 38th minute before Town were able to score their second when sustained pressure in the Caerleon box saw Paul Morgan get to the by line and pull the ball back to TJ Nagi who steered the ball home for his 19th goal of the season.

Town were now well in control of the game with Caerleon resorting to shots from distance, none of which troubled keeper Dan Bradley. The half time whistle came with no further scoring.

The second half started with Town again in the ascendancy but from a rare attack Caerleon forced a corner. The ball into the box eluded the Barry defence and Caerleon forced the ball home to get them back in the game. There was no panic from Barry though and they were soon back on the offensive and with 68 minutes gone, defender Ryan Evans controlled the ball on his chest from a corner and volleyed the ball into the net giving the Caerleon keeper no chance.

Town were now in full control of the game and only some stout defending and great saves by the Caerleon keeper kept the score down.

Manager, Gavin Chesterfield brought on Lee Baldock and James Dixon for Dale Howarth and TJ Nagi and with two minutes remaining Dixon sealed the game when he robbed a defender on the edge of the box and coolly beat the keeper to give Barry a 4-1 win.

Team: Dan Bradley, Geraint Frowen, Paul Morgan, Bobby Briers, Ryan Evans, James Saddler (Capt), Rob Blatchford, Jamie Bradford, TJ Nagi, Troy Greening, Dale Howarth. Subs used; Lee Baldock (for Howarth), James Dixon (for Nagi). Subs not used; Rhys James, Curtis Hutson, Tom Billing.

The players and supporters knew that if Cwmbran Celtic, who were playing the team that beat the Town last week (Undy), did not win their game then they would secure promotion to Division One.

Secretary, David Cole, was phoning fellow secretaries and others to find out the score and 10 minutes after the final whistle at Caerleon, finally got a message to say that Cwmbran had only drawn and therefore Barry Town United had secured a second successive promotion, a fantastic achievement for all involved with the Club. All who were at the game were delighted and cheers and handshakes all round were the order of the day.

With promotion secured though, the job still needs to be finished with Town hoping to also secure a second successive Championship. This starts on Tuesday night with the visit of Cwmbran Celtic to Jenner Park, followed on Saturday by the visit of Penrhiwceiber Rangers (ko 2.30pm). Town require five points from the remaining six games to secure the Championship. Four of the games are at Jenner Park.

We would all like to see as many people as possible at both games so if you want to support your local Club and possibly see them create history on Saturday please come on down to Jenner Park.

Saturday was a great day in the history of our fan-owned football club as in the morning our Under 12s and Under 14s both won their age group semi finals and will now play at Jenner Park in April.

In May 2013 this Club was withdrawn from the Welsh League. The supporters though would not let the Club die and after taking the Football Association of Wales to Court to ensure top class football remained in the biggest town in Wales, now see the Club back where it was.

An immense amount of work has gone into making this happen but we must not forget the loyalty of our players who waited until the court verdict and then stayed with the club to earn the promotions. We thank each and every one of them.

We would also like to thank all those who have sent congratulations through Social Media. We are overwhelmed by it all and appreciate the good wishes.