Let’s rewind back to Christmas. Barry Town United had won just two of their opening nine games of the Adran Premier season and were looking in a slightly precarious position heading into the second half of phase one. Victories against Cardiff Met and Pontypridd United offered hope for what could be, but for vice-captain Emily Freeman and her team, they knew there was elements in their game they could gain confidence from.
“We had a really wobbly start to the season, and it’s tough taking loss after loss, but I guess we learned to deal with it, and it’s brought us together as a team a little more. But also, winning those two games before gave us the belief we needed to know that, going into 2024 that we could get the results that we were looking for. We knew we were capable of beating the teams around us, we just needed one to go our way.”
With the season resumption on the horizon, Barry made some big moves and brought in three former Cardiff City players in Danielle Broadhurst, Catherine Walsh and Zoe Atkins. The three were serial trophy winners with the Bluebirds and have made appearances in the Champions League. Instantly, the mood had lifted in the Barry camp.
“They’ve come with such experience, whether that be in the Adran Premier or the Champions League, that has been so important to us on and off the pitch. They’re great leaders too in training and it’s really increased the competition to get a shirt and driven the standards up amongst the squad. The technical ability they bring as well, maybe that’s an area we were lacking in before, but they’ve definitely been the push we’ve needed to get results.”
“Everyone’s mood lifted when they walked in. For the culture of the team, they know how to raise and maintain standards, and with us being a relatively young team, we needed that kind of level of player to push everyone on.”
The first test for the new look Linnets side was a trip to The Rock to face Wrexham, a place which is never easy to go to. Despite on paper looking like a tough test, Barry were only defeated 1-0, a result which certainly breathed belief into the team.
What followed was record breaking. A 4-1 home win against TNS was backed up by a 1-0 win away at Cardiff Met. It was the first time Barry had won back-to-back games in the Genero Adran Premier, and the first time they have done a league double over the Archers. After a questionable start, Freeman and Barry were on the up.
“Every win for us is brilliant at the moment. We’ve made history along the way, because Barry have never won back-to-back games in the Adran Premier, and that shows how far we’ve come as a team. We celebrate any and every win, because at the start of the season, it was something we didn’t get much of an opportunity to do! We’re just chuffed with how we’re doing.”
Even in a home loss to Cardiff City, after a slow start, Stevie McCarthy-Campbell’s side held their own against the reigning champions and were able to create chances. Now, after beating Pontypridd United in the final game of phase one, they’ve picked up nine points from the last twelve available.
In phase two, Barry will be playing TNS, Met and the afore mentioned Pontypridd. In their six games against those opponents in phase one, Town have won five of those. Freeman is certainly of the opinion that this could be the year that Barry bring silverware to Jenner Park.
“The Plate is what we’re aiming for now. That’s our target and we want to win it. We know we’re capable of doing it, so now we have to trust our gameplan and each other to go out there and keep our performances high. We know we can beat all of these teams because we’ve done it before, so now it’s all about pushing on in these last six games and ending on a high.
“It would be amazing to lift a trophy at Jenner Park. We’ve broken a lot of records already this season, and it would mean everything if we topped it off by winning a trophy. It would be an unbelievable way to end the season. Everyone is behind us; everyone believes in us. This is the season where we can do something pretty special.”
And there will be no one celebrating more on the shores of Barrybados than the raucous and passionate Linnet supporters. Barry have a reputation of having a great following everywhere they go, and Freeman is incredibly thankful for the support they show week in and week out.
“It’s so important that they come and watch, and they really do make such a big difference to us. They’re so enthusiastic and probably some of the best fans in the entire league. You can go to many other grounds and not really hear much, but when you come to Jenner Park, the drums are going and it’s a great atmosphere.”
Without a doubt, Freeman and the rest of the Barry side will be looking to carry on breaking records, and maybe by the end of the season, lifting a trophy too.
