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Trethomas Bluebirds have been knocked-out of the Nathaniel MG Cup after a spirited 4-1 loss to Cymru Premier side Barry Town.

Coming into the third round tie as clear underdogs, the Bluebirds were beaten comfortably at the Centre for Sporting Excellence against a Barry side that oozed quality all over the pitch.

Needing to weather an early storm to have any chance, Trethomas conceded within ten minutes under the floodlights on Tuesday September 17, and struggled to regain any composure.

The visitors were sharp and accurate with the ball, and soon had their second before the half. Two goals in the second 45 meant the game was won, although Bluebirds winger Jack Jones did pick up a late consolation.

Kick-off

Fresh off their 3-2 bounce-back win over Pontypridd United on the weekend, the Bluebirds would have been feeling good heading into the match. Spirits seemed high before kick-off, although every player appreciated the challenge ahead of them.

Up against the four-time MG Cup champions, conceding an early goal was out of the question. If they were to take anything from this match, the hosts had to keep it tight for as long as possible.

It was clear early on however that was going to be a tough ask. A corner for Trethomas led to a Barry break which was seamless from back to front with perfectly timed runs and passes to match.

No goal that time, but a throw-in down the right soon led to a chance in the box for the visitors.

Unsettled, the Bluebirds failed to clear the ball and it ended-up at the feet of Keenan Patten inside the area.

His first effort was blocked, but the forward took a perfect touch from the rebound and curled a beauty into the far corner leaving keeper Harry Irving rooted to his line.

Now a case of surviving for a few minutes, Barry looked relentless in finding what would be a killer second so early in the match.

Pressing with two high-up the pitch made it almost impossible for the Bluebirds to play out, forcing them to go long and ask their forwards to out-jump a Barry side whose average player height must have been six foot plus.

The task was made doubly difficult for the hosts who were without a recognised striker as Gareth Tedstone remained side-lined through injury, and Barry loanee Callum Huggins was ineligible.

The match itself became quite a physical one as time went on. Yellow cards were shown and injuries to Barry’s Rhys Schwank and Trethomas’ Harvey Selway didn’t help the flow.

Still struggling to find any time on the ball due to the sheer speed of Barry, the Bluebirds did manage to create a golden chance to make it 1-1 in front of a crowd of 340 people.

Down the right, there was a rare bit of space for winger Jack Jones to whip a cross in. He played a good ball low and firm across the front post where Leon Thomas was running into.

Thomas caught it as well as he could have hoped for, but keeper Luc Rees somehow made an outstanding save with his legs to deny the forward, who had his hands on his head in disbelief.

At this level, missed opportunities cost you. Within moments were Barry back down the other end and celebrating their second of the evening.

A cross pulled back from the left to the edge of the box found Michael George who dinked a delicate pass through to Patten.

With one goal under his belt, Patten smashed his effort at Irving who was beaten for power. 2-0.

With half-time approaching, the Bluebirds did have one final chance when a mistake at the back gave Trethomas the ball high-up the field with numbers on their side.

A slow chip to Jones out left – who had swapped wings with Ethan Edwards – meant the visitors could scurry back, but not before Jones had a chance to shoot. His effort was put into the side netting however.

Second-half

The pattern of the match so far continued into the second-half. An early save from Irving denied a third, but it wasn’t long before he was picking the ball out of his net again.

Down the right, a cross through the legs of defender David Vincent gave Cymru Premier’s leading scorer Ollie Hulbert a chance in the box.

Clearly a man in form, he used the pace on the ball to guide his effort into the far corner. Brilliant finish.

The Barry faithful who’d travelled to the match were enjoying themselves – as they had been all evening in fact. It was a great watch for them, the neutrals, and probably even the Bluebirds fans who were being treated to some easy on the eye football from one of the best sides in Wales.

There were moments of positivity for the Bluebirds however, who were far from camped in their box for 90 minutes.

A corner down the right allowed Edwards to whip a lovely cross into a dangerous area. Vincent got his head to the effort but it was deflected behind.

Any time Trethomas bodies were committed forward, they had to be ultra aware of a break.

Another one of these breaks soon led to a chance. A perfectly played ball over the head of Lee Baldock by Eliot Richards found Michael in space.

He took one touch before dinking his effort past Irving, onto the far post and in. A great goal and 4-0.

The visitors took their foot off the gas a bit after that goal, and ended-up gifting the Bluebirds a couple of half-chances towards the end of the game.

A stray pass to substitute Kallum Thomas provided the midfielder a chance to have a shot on the edge of the area. He went for a lob but got it all wrong. Straight at Rees.

A host of substitutions were made from both sides, with youth featuring for Trethomas in the shape of Connor Wright and Noa Barry. A good experience for them up against such high quality opposition.

Shortly after and another mistake from the visitors gave the Bluebirds a chance to score.

Miscommunication between Rees and captain Evan Press saw a headed pass fall short to Jones who was alert to the chance.

With only the defenders on the line to beat, Jones almost missed his window to shoot, but just about managed to find the far corner and make it 4-1.

There was a bit of life out there for the final ten minutes or so, but Barry managed the game out comfortably enough to claim victory and secure their spot in the next round.

After the game, Bluebirds manager Mark Dunford spoke to Caerphilly Observer. He said: “There was a definite difference between the two sides and I thought Barry played a great game.

“We started really well in the first few minutes and conceded a soft goal. I think that was a big moment in the match.

“We then have a huge chance with the cut back which has been saved amazingly and 30 seconds later we’re 2-0 down.”

Asked what positives he’ll take from the game, Dunford added: “We kept going. I’ve just praised the boys for not giving up when it would have been easy to throw the towel in.

“The subs came on and gave us some intensity which was really good to see. With some better decisions in the final third we maybe could have even grabbed another goal on a different night.”

The Bluebirds return to cup action on the weekend, for a Welsh Cup match against Taffs Well.