By Ashley Cox

BARRY Town supporters and staff were saddened by the passing of the team's former centre-half, skipper and assistant manager Keith Pontin on Sunday, at the age of 64.

Arriving at Jenner Park in the 1985-86 campaign and making his debut in an FA Cup tie with Minehead, Wales international Pontin would be a mainstay of the Barry defence in the latter half of the 80s and spent seven seasons at the club, making 299 appearances.

A multi-time Player of the Year award winner, Pontin was held in high esteem by teammates and spectators alike and helped the Town to a series of Welsh League championships, including two achieved without a single defeat.

A winner of Welsh League Cup and South Wales Senior Cup silverware, Pontin scored one of his 23 goals for the Town in 1988's South Wales Senior Cup final with Cardiff City and appeared for Barry in Welsh Cup semi-finals against Swansea City and Wrexham.

Remembering his signing as "quite a coup for Barry at the time", club historian Jeff McInery described Pontin as "a Rolls-Royce of a player... certainly for the level he was playing at".

"He was a classy defender in every sense and one of the rocks on which Barry’s success of the 1980s was built. The club sends its deepest and heartfelt condolences to Keith’s family".

In addition to his accomplishments in Barry Town colours, Pontin played almost 200 games for Cardiff in the Football League and spent several years at Merthyr Tydfil, as well as time with hometown team Pontyclun and a historic appearance for Wales in the memorable 4-1 win over England at The Racecourse, Wrexham in May 1980.