Barry Town and our FA Cup Replays

Posted: April 23, 2024 | Author: forzabarry | Filed under: FA Cup | Tags: Barry Town, FA Cup, Jenner Park | Leave a comment

In another degradation of the world’s 2nd greatest cup competition, the FA and the English Premier League have decided ‘no more FA Cup Replays’.

Of course, this does not affect our club in the slightest. Not any more. We’ve got our own degraded cup competition to compete in, exclusively. We haven’t played in the FA Cup since (*checks*) the 1992-93 ‘Barri FC’ season when we were exiled in Worcester (not wanting to play in the Welsh system, at the time).

But replayed cup ties are part and parcel of the cup competition, surely? Since the news broke about FA Cup replays being consigned to history, I’ve seen a few comments here and there (the minority, I hasten to add), that this is a ‘good thing’ as it gives ‘the minnows’ more of a chance to beat their esteemed opposition at home.

Piffle.

The Third Round you say?

The vast majority of clubs are out of the competition way before the absolute elite join the competition, anyway. Third Round of the FA Cup? In our dreams!

Most of the writers who talk of minnows haven’t grasped the amount of games needed to win just to make it through to the 1st Round ‘Proper’ (so we say ‘Proper’ any more?). Pre-qualifying rounds, and then qualifying rounds, is what the FA Cup mostly means for clubs outside of League football.

I was a kid when Barry played seemingly endless FA Cup matches before reaching the 1st Round ‘Proper’ in the mid-1980s.

Looking back at our FA Cup stats, you can begin to understand where some of the intense rivalry between the likes of us and Merthyr came from. It was from ding-dong battles in the FA Cup. The rivalry only intensified by the odd replay or two.

Our FA Cup Replay record

Looking back, we had a pretty decent record in our FA Cup replays at Jenner Park. Winning 10 and losing 5. There are some quirks as well; the aforementioned match in Worcester as a home match, and Replayed Replay with Llanelli that took both teams to Penydarren Park to sort out.

The pre-War years

Our first replayed FA Cup match came against Mid Rhondda United in an FA Cup 2nd Qualifying Round at Jenner Park in the 1914-15 season. Finishing 0-0, we did well to defeat the Mushrooms 2-0 up at their place in Tonypandy. We were to continue a keen rivalry with Mid Rhondda United which culminated in somewhat of an epic battle in the 1925-26 season.

Having already played each other home and away in the league pretty early on at the start of the 1925-26 season, we then drew Mid Rhondda at home for an FA Cup 1st Qualifying Round match. Ending 2-2 at Jenner Park, the Replay also ended 2-2 in Pandy. A 2nd Replay was required, again played at Pandy, this time with the Mushrooms winning 2-1. But that wasn’t the end of it. We then drew them again in the Welsh Cup 3rd Round, drew 4-4 in Tonypandy, and beat them 2-1 in the 3rd Round Replay. Between September and January, we’d played them 7 times.

The 1929-30 season

Another notable season with an FA Cup Replay was the 1929-30 season. If you know your club history, you’ll know the 1929-30 season was the only time we’d ever make it as far as the 2nd Round. But it took us a 4th Qualifying Round Replay at Jenner Park to send us on our way.

The season before, we had reached the 4th Qualifying Round, but lost out to Yeovil in a Replay, and that hurt. Yeovil were keen rivals, and would remain so for decades. The 1929-30 season started with a Pre-Qualifying Round with Taunton, which we won 2-1 at Jenner Park. We were drawn away to Street in the FA Cup 1st Qualifying Round, and ran out comfortable 3-0 winners. This was followed by a terrific 1-0 away win at Lovell’s in the FA Cup 2nd Qualifying Round, which set us up neatly with a Jenner Park clash with, yep, Yeovil, in the 3rd Qualifying Round. A Bill Jones hat-trick helped us to a famous 4-3 victory, and we were drawn away to Portland in the 4th Qualifying Round. Unable to do the job at their place, we were taken to a Replay at Jenner Park where we would win 2-0, and set us up for our first ever FA Cup 1st Round Proper fixture.

We played Dagenham at Jenner Park in the 1st Round, with the game ending 0-0. We then played a Replayed fixture at Upton Park and Bill Jones again doing a job for us and bagging a 1-0 win. We eventually lost out to Brighton in the 2nd Round.

The 1934-35 season

Another season where a Replay went in our favour was the 1934-35 season. Defeating Cardiff Corries in a Pre-Qualifiying Round, we were to meet Llanelli at Stebonheath in the 1st Round. A 1-1 draw took the Replay to Jenner Park where a Dai Ward hat-trick saw us have a comfortable 4-0 home win. This was followed by beating Lovell’s in the 2nd Qualifying Round, Bristol St. Phillips in the 3rd Qualifying Round, and an excellent 4-2 away win at Cheltenham in the 4th Qualifying Round. Barry Town had again qualified for the FA Cup 1st Round Proper. We eventually lost 1-0 to Northampton Town at Jenner Park and we wouldn’t play another FA Cup match, outside of qualifying rounds, at Jenner Park for another 50 years. FIFTY YEARS!

• 1934-35 FACPQ – Cardiff Corries 0-4 Barry
• 1934-35 FACQ1 – Llanelly 1-1 Barry
• 1934-35 FACQ1 (Replay) – Barry 4-0 Llanelly
• 1934-35 FACQ2 – Barry 2-0 Lovell’s Athletic
• 1934-35 FACQ3 – Bristol St. Phillips 0-2 Barry
• 1934-35 FACQ4 – Cheltenham 2-4 Barry
• 1934-35 FA Cup 1st Round – Barry 0-1 Northampton Town

The early 1950s saw some terrific battles with Llanelli in the FA Cup, and for three consecutive seasons needed replays to resolve. The 1950-51 season, the season Llanelli had Jock Stein in their ranks, saw us get a 1-1 draw at Stebo in the 3rd Qualifying Round, but 2-1 beaten at Jenner Park in the replay. Llanelli themselves would go on to make the 1st Round Proper, and eventually lost out to Bristol Rovers in a 2nd Replay at neutral Ninian Park.

The 1951-52 season saw us defeat Troedyrhiw in the 1st Qualifying Round, and face Llanelli in the 2nd Qualifying Round at Jenner Park. A season’s best crowd of almost 5,000 saw a 0-0 draw, which took the replayed tie to Stebonheath. A 2-2 draw took the game to a second replay at neutral Penydarren Park in Merthyr, where Barry stormed to a 4-0 victory with two goals each for Stan Richards and Tommy McIlhatton. A crowd of 3,780 saw us defeat Ebbw Vale 4-2 in the 3rd Qualifying Round, followed by a fabulous 2-0 away with at Bath City in the 4th to set us up for only our third ever appearance in the FA Cup proper. Unfortunately, this ended 4-0 in Newport County’s favour, and we were destined not to trouble the League clubs again for another decade.

• 1951-52 FACQ2 – Barry 0-0 Llanelly
• 1951-52 FACQ2 Replay – Llanelly 2-2 Barry
• 1951-52 FACQ2 Second Replay – Barry 4-0 Llanelly (at Penydarren Park, Merthyr)
• 1951-52 FACQ3 – Barry 4-2 Ebbw Vale
• 1951-52 FACQ4 – Bath 0-2 Barry Richards, Jenkins
• 1951-52 FA Cup 1st Round – Newport 4-0 Barry

In 1952-53 we again drew Troedyrhiw in the 1st Qualifying Round, sweeping past them 8-3 at Jenner Park, with Stan Richards and Fred Jenkins hat-tricks, and Gwilym Cain bagging two goals. A Billy Hanbury hat-trick away at Cheltenham saw us win 3-0 in the 2nd Qualifying Round, and for the third season running we faced Llanelli in the 3rd Qualifying Round. Billy Hartnet (who had recently signed from Middlesborough) got his debut goal for Barry in front of a crowd of over 6,200 at Jenner Park in a 1-1 draw with Llanelli, but we would lose out 3-0 in the replayed tie at Stebo.

The 1961-62 season

More replayed ties throughout the 1950s, but the next major FA Cup success wouldn’t come until the 1961-62 season. Ken Gully, Laurie Sheffield and an own goal would give Town a 1st Qualifying Round victory away at Lovell’s, and a 2nd Qualifying Round draw away at Gloucester City ended 0-0, bringing the replayed tie to Jenner Park. Ken Gully and veteran Charlie Dyke gave us a 2-1 victory, which set us up for a 3rd Qualifying Round tie at home to Merthyr Tydfil. Ken Gully again came up with the goods and scored both goals in a 2-0 victory, giving us the opportunity to play a 4th Qualifying Round at home at Jenner Park for the first time since the 1928-29 season. We had played replayed 4th Qualifying Rounds at Jenner Park in 1929-30 and in 1950-51, so this was a great opportunity to get the job done. Our opponents were Western League Bideford who were defeated 2-1, which set us up for our fourth visit to the FA Cup 1st Round Proper, with a deluxe tie with Queen’s Park Rangers at Jenner Park. One of the biggest, if not the biggest, post-War crowds of over 7,000 crammed into Jenner Park to watch us draw with QPR 1-1, with the replay at Loftus Road at an absolute canter for QPR when they crushed us 7-0.

• 1961-62 FACQ1 – Lovells 2-3 Barry
• 1961-62 FACQ2 – Gloucester 0-0 Barry
• 1961-62 FACQ2 (Replay) – Barry 2-1 Gloucester
• 1961-62 FACQ3 – Barry 2-0 Merthyr
• 1961-62 FACQ4 – Barry 2-1 Bideford
• 1961-62 FA Cup 1st Round – Barry 1-1 QPR
• 1961-62 FA Cup 1st Round (Replay) – QPR 7-0 Barry

There would be other replayed ties at Jenner Park in 1963-64 (beating Lovell’s 3-1 in a 1st Qualifying Round Second Replay) and in 1967-68 (beating Llanelli 4-0 in a 2nd Qualifying Round Second Replay), but the decade ended ignominiously when an admin error meant the club didn’t even enter the 1968-69 competition!

In the 1970s, the only real point of note were the matches with Cinderford. Town drawing 2-2 away at Cinderford with both goals by Clive Ayres, brought the fixture back to Jenner Park. Unfortunately, the Replay was abandoned due to lack of light with Cinderford leading 1-0. The second attempt at the Replay, back at Cinderford, saw them scoring two goals with no reply from the Town.

The 1984-85 Season

This is most likely the set of FA Cup results that underlined my love for the club. A big run of Welsh Cup matches with Swansea City the season before in 1983-84, followed by this FA Cup run the following season, was certain to solidify Barry Town into the hearts and minds of thousands of Barry’s youngsters. Well, it did to me.

As with every other time we made it to the FA Cup 1st Round proper, we had to do it by negotiating some replayed ties. In 1984-85 we played in no less than 7 games just to make it to the 1st Round. The 8 games we played would be the most amount of FA Cup games in a season since the 9 games in the 1929-30 season, some 55 years before. The 3 FA Cup games against Merthyr Tydfil are the stuff of legend, particularly as it was the ‘winner takes all’ crucial 4th Qualifying Round. The winner enters the FA Cup proper.

Only Mike Cosslett, our number 5, separating the two clubs, after a 1-1 draw at Penydarren (27 October 1984), another 1-1 (31 October 1984) draw at Jenner Park after extra-time, before goals from Ian Love, Phil Green and Mike Cosslett settled the draw 3-2 in Barry’s favour, once again after extra-time, in a 4th Qualifying Round Second Replay at Jenner Park (5 November 1984). The three matches and five and half hours of football were watched by almost 5,000 supporters.

We drew Division 3 Reading, at home, and with the tie seemingly heading for a replay, up popped Reading’s Trevor Senior to score an 89th minute winner. Absolute heartbreak.

• 1984-85 FACQ1 – Barry 3-2 Forest Green Rovers
• 1984-85 FACQ2 – Mangotsfield 1-1 Barry
• 1984-85 FACQ2 Replay – Barry 3-1 Mangotsfield
• 1984-85 FACQ3 – Gloucester 1-3 Barry
• 1984-85 FACQ4 – Merthyr 1-1 Barry
• 1984-85 FACQ4 Replay – Barry 1-1 Merthyr
• 1984-85 FACQ4 Second Replay – Barry 3-2 Merthyr
• 1984-85 FA Cup 1st Round – Barry 1-2 Reading

The end of our FA Cup history

The following season, 1985-86, saw us have another decent run in the FA Cup, getting past Paulton Rovers in a 1st Qualifying Round Replay, cruising past Minehead in the 2nd Round, defeating Chippenham in a 3rd Qualifying Round Replay, before succumbing to ancient rivals, Yeovil, in a 4th Qualifying Round defeat at Huish Athletic Ground.

We wouldn’t trouble the FA Cup much after this, and the 1991 home to defeat to Bashley in a 3rd Qualifying Round would be the final FA Cup match played at Jenner Park. Our final ever FA Cup match was a hugely disappointing 3-1 ‘home’ defeat by eventual Western League Champions, Clevedon Town, at Worcester when we were exiled as Barri FC. For us, we finished a creditable 4th in the Southern League Midland Division, just 9 points off the winners, Nuneaton Borough, and once again ahead of fellow Welsh exiles, Newport.

For the Town, the future now laid outside the English non-league, and outside the FA Cup.

What we’d really need is a good run in the Welsh Cup in 1993-94 to lift our spirits…

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