By Ashley Cox

REJUVENATED Barry Town claimed their best result of the season on Saturday, overcoming an initial setback to resoundingly beat third-placed Bala Town in the JD Cymru Premier.

Goals from Kayne McLaggon (2), Evan Press (2), Chris Hugh and Curtis Hutson brought smiles back to Jenner Park, while sealing a record 6-2 win over the faltering Lakesiders.

This sensational victory meant Gavin Chesterfield's team secured a place in the end-of-season Championship Conference for the third successive year, with a game to spare.

Having offered middling form for much of their stop-start 2020-21 campaign, Saturday's success was as much a shot in the arm for Barry's European hopes as it was unexpected.

After rounding off Phrase One at Cardiff Met on Friday (2nd April), Town will now face ten big matches this spring in the campaign-closing Championship Conference, with a return to UEFA competition, potentially in front of crowds, the carrot for Chesterfield and his players.

With Bala manager Colin Caton celebrating his 700th game in charge, there were ominous signs for Barry on Saturday as the Lakesiders opened the scoring, a mere two minutes in.

Continuing on from his hat-trick performance the last time the two teams met, hitman Chris Venables quickly capitalised on Barry's defence being all at sea to nod to home the opener.

Adding to their early woes, goalkeeper Mike Lewis actually broke the net in attempting to make the save and it took several minutes of repairing until the match could then resume.

Before the events of Saturday, no team had gone 1-0 down at Jenner Park and won since November of 2018, when Mo Touray's winner helped Town turn the tables on Llandudno.

Having taken their last meeting 4-0 at Maes Tegid in October, regular European hopefuls Bala began this penultimate Phase One matchday no fewer than nine points clear of Barry.

It was therefore to the hosts' utmost credit that they managed to flip Saturday's game on its head, scoring twice in a three-minute spell to completely change the tone of the afternoon.

First, McLaggon made the most of some suspect Bala defending to head past Alex Ramsay after 13 minutes, the former Southampton and Bristol Rovers marksman showing his striker's instinct on his first appearance since December's Cymru Premier play stoppage.

Then, Press marked his 50th appearance in Barry colours by getting on the end of Hugh's quarter-hour set piece, Bala uncharacteristically sluggish as the home side forged ahead.

If the first half served as a welcome tonic, the second veered into champagne territory.

On 51 minutes, Jordan Cotterill's neat and nimble nutmeg on the cusp of the centre-circle allowed the tenured midfielder to thread the ball through to teammate Hugh, the returning wing-back tearing up the Jenner Park turf like Sonic the Hedgehog in Macron shorts.

In his attempt to intervene, defender Ryan Pryce's ill-judged touch took the ball beyond an outracing Ramsay and with the goalkeeper stranded, Hugh would sprint towards an empty net and tap home, punching the sky in celebration as Barry stretched their advantage to 3-1.

By the 68th minute, it was 4-1, with McLaggon's scissor kick correctly ruled to have crossed the goal line, taking the Wales C international's personal tally to eleven goals for the season.

Fans sneaking a peep over the Jenner Park boundary walls then saw Barry take a 5-1 lead, with Press unleashing a powerful finish to score, capping a banner day for the 20-year-old.

Staring in the face of a third successive defeat, Bala were facing up to the lowest ebb of their season, but the visitors did manage to claim a consolation with 15 minutes to play.

Striker Kieran Smith was the scorer, finding space between Lewis and Curtis McDonald to squeeze in their second from close range, as Theo Wharton, back from his midweek World Cup exploits with St Kitts and Nevis against Puerto Rico, found himself a mere spectator.

Nevertheless, it was upbeat Barry who would have the final say, as substitute Curtis Hutson produced some individual magic to score the pick of the day's eight goals in the 81st minute.

Using his chest, a shoulder and a knee to control, Hutson found himself with a clean hit on target and showed true technique to right-foot the ball into the bottom corner of the net.

Now into his second spell, this was Hutson's first goal since returning to Jenner Park in June and the perfect strike to send the crowd home happy, had there been one there to see it.

Still, manager Chesterfield will be delighted with Saturday's outcome, as his players rose to the challenge of a second-minute setback and rallied to secure a landscape-changing result.

Defeat against Bala on Saturday would have opened a 12-point gap between the two clubs.

Instead, Barry are now only six points behind, with two more meetings in the Championship Conference giving Chesterfield's squad the opportunity to claw right into contention again.

With their lagging goal difference receiving a needed boost, Barry are back in fourth place, one point ahead of Penybont, with equal games played and now a superior goal difference.

Friday evening's match between the Bridgend outfit and visiting Haverfordwest County may determine if two or three south Wales sides will join them in the Championship Conference.

Penybont require a point to secure their spot, while a win for Haverfordwest would see the Bluebirds qualify as well, should Caernarfon Town be beaten by The New Saints at Park Hall.

All of Friday's Phase One matches, including Barry's trip to Cyncoed Campus, kick off at 5pm, with updates expected from across the division as part of the televised S4C fixture.