Barry got their first win of the Admiral League season, beating Abercynon 12-11 at a wet and windy Reservoir Field.
But the Bombers gave their supporters a nervous few moments at the end of the game when Abercynon threatened to snatch away that much-needed victory.
A last-minute try in the corner by Sam Evans saw Abercynon close the gap on the Bombers to one point. Dean Gunter took his time over the conversion attempt, but, as everyone held their breath, the kick went inches wide.
Defeat would have been harsh on Barry, who put in a much-improved performance from last weekend's derby defeat at home to Penarth. But this week, said head coach Mike Morgan, the mindset was right.
“This week was all about mindset in training, having the goals as an individual, a unit, a team, a squad, and that’s what we worked hard on all week."
“If you go into a game on the back of two losses, there’s always nervousness. But today the warm-up was good, the mindset was there from the off,” he said.
“Things we had worked on had paid off, certainly the set piece. Our scrum was solid, there were a few changes in the pack, but it was very solid. Our lineouts, considering the weather, were very good. Once you’ve got the set piece you can work off that.”
Given the weather conditions, it was never going to be a flowing game, save for one sparkling length of the pitch interception try in the 43rd minute by Barry’s man of the match Morgan Prosser, scoring his first senior try.
But this was a battle of attrition between the forwards, and limited possession for the backs.
Abercynon were consistently driven back by Barry’s dominant scrum, particularly in the first half, and the driving lineouts kept the Bombers on top for long spells - a tactic that paid off with a try as early as the tenth minute with Alyn Evans inevitably applying the final touch.
The visitors enjoyed a little more territory in the second half, but Barry’s hardworking and determined defence kept them largely at arm’s length until that final-minute drama, with penalties from Gunter in the sixth and 58th minutes all they had to show for their efforts.
“I think we grew in confidence as the game wore on,” said Morgan, “but at times we made it really hard for ourselves. I think we could have got a bonus point win, but we needed a bit more maturity when we got near the try line."
"And early on we had penalties in front of the posts and decided to go for the scrum rather than the three points."
“These games don’t go away. The last move of the match. If he kicks it we lose 13-12. You’ve got to stay in these games, and unless you are beating a team by 25 points, you’ve got to stay in the game for the full 80 minutes.”
Barry have no game on Saturday, but travel to Abercwmboi for a league fixture on October 4th.
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