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..whilst Barry Town are still bottom of the league after a 1-0 defeat at home to Afan Lido. The Dragons are looking likely to stay there for the reminder of the season if the current poor form continues...Now onto the weather..
Imagine if you will, that you support a team who last season were the champions of your domestic league, have just completed a double by winning a cup and the side are scoring goals for fun. Now imagine, what would happen if the entire playing squad was forced to be freed from their contracts due to the club falling into administration. Without the players the club is having to rely on amatuers and youth team players who just arn't up to the job. They're playing their worst season in years, your average crowd is roughly 600 and 23 league games into the season your rooted to the bottom of the league having won just one game all season - taking just eight points from a possible 69. Oh and you've been knocked out of every cup you've entered. Your new chairman has just appointed a complete unknown as manager and the club are reportedly £2million in the red. Now imagine you get a message saying that someone called to tell you Paulo Sousa has signed for your club - how do you react?
Like most Barry Town supporters, my reaction was disbelief. I assumed it was a misprint and that we'd actually signed Ton Pentre's Paul Cousa, or perhaps even Merthyr Tydfil's Robbie Herrera and that there'd been a hideous mistake somewhere. Or any other player who's surname rhymed with Sousa. But obviously not Paulo Sousa. A player I'd admired and even tried to base my game on during my very own ill fated playing career (Abergavenny Thursdays' Reserve Team Second XI starting central midfielder 1993-96). Even unusually close scrutiny of the Thursday night sports programmes and local newspapers did nothing to instil belief. Sure, I wanted to believe, but it's a bit like believing that your favourite band are going to play your local pub - a nice idea but keep dreaming.
We first got to see him at the press conference on Friday 15th February, where he explained that he was as surprised as anyone to to be at Jenner Park, but that our new manager Jamie Waggett who had apparently previously worked with him, had approached him to see if he was interested in reviving his playing career. We also learned that it was a three-year contract, he would be taking on coaching responsibilities at the club and that if the opportunity arrived for him to move to a larger club come the end of the season he would be free to go. Remember, this isn't like Paulo Sousa turning out for an Italian Serie B or English First Division side, this is a man who was a member of the Portuguese side that won the 1989 FIFA World Youth Championship. Who at club level had won the Portuguese Cup with Benfica in 1993. Added an Italian League title (1995), the Coppa Italia (1995), an Italian Super Cup (1995) during two seasons with Juventus and the Champions League (1996). And has in 1997 when with Borussia Dortmund won the Champions League for a second time and was also victorious in the Intercontinental Cup. Who had also played for Inter Milan and Parma to name just a few of his former clubs, he'd been regarded as one of the best players in the world a few years previously and was, let's face it, now coming to somewhere he'd probably never even heard of.
It's only when you get into the ground and see him there, in the fetching Yellow and Blue strip - the same tall stance, headband desperately trying to tame that greased long hair, the cool, calm mannerism and that gritty yet elegant playing style that you start to believe it might really be true. Something else too, he is wearing a black armband, yep he's captain. Although as it was he often looked on a different wavelength to most of his team-mates during his debut away at Port Talbot Town, it only took him six minutes to make an impact. He was bossing the midfielder, ok no mean feat against a side just a few places above us in the table but when it's done with such grace and energy that the opposition bench breaks into applause after we score an opening goal then you know it's something special. He picked up a loose ball around the centre circle after breaking down a muted Port Talbot attack and strode forward purposely down the left, then without even looking or breaking stride he delivered a pin-point cross to the far post for another new signing Bulgarian Bontcho Guentchev to volley home. It was a delight to see and I acknowledged Sousa's contribution more than I think others did as they broke into a chant of Bontcho...Bontcho, Bontcho...Bontcho, Bontcho...Bontcho, Bontcho Guentchev along the lines of 2Unlimited's early 90's dirge 'No Limits' or so I'm led to believe. By the second half the small band of travelling away support, so starved of of decent football breaks into a spontaneous applause, as yet another pass finds its target with rapier like vision whilst Sousa looking nonchelant as ever. With the game tied at two-all and looking like a stalemate as it drifted towards the 90 minute mark he picked up a short throw-out from goalkeeper Matt Dickens, cruyff turning his way past an onrushing attacking before chipping a ball delightfully down the right channel for Guentchev to chase before the Portuguese midfielder made his way forward for the return pass. Of course, he gets the ball, advances slightly to the edge of the box before flicking a ball into the box for Chris Price to run on to. It was magic but unfortunately the midfielder's volley struck the outside of the post and the game finished 2-2. He shook his head, adjusted his headband and looked towards the bench before shrugging his shoulders and jogging back to the centre circle. Having endured eight months of crap this season, ninety minutes in the company of Paula Sousa filled me with a childlike enthusiam for the game once again, although the smog filled surroundings of Port Talbot left me feeling a little worse for wear. I doubt he'll be with us for long, but what the hell, if I never saw a game again I don't think it would matter, for I had seen my idol play for Barry Town. I've suddenly remembered what football is all about - bless him and his headband.
If I said that I was the supporter of a club who had at last count had 14 foreign players in what was a squad of just 23, you would probably think I followed some English Premiership Club who had got tired of the collapsed local transfer market, the exorbinate fees and/or had suddenly developed some foreign oversees scouts. Well you'd be dead wrong.
You see I support Barry Town. When on the ninth of February Jamie Waggett arrived as manager of the club something strange happened. We were bottom of the League Of Wales and had only three players on our books, and two of them were on loan. Things we're looking bad and if rumours were to be believed we wouldn't be around in our current form for much longer. We had a new chairman in Stuart Lovering though, he had bought the club recently and announced that we would soon have some new faces on the coaching staff. Former Derby County, Atletico Madrid, Yeovil Town, Hereford and Forest Green Rovers manager Colin Addison arrived as Director Of Football and we expected him to look after the teams affairs for a bit until a suitable manager could be found or was cheap enough for us to bring in. We thought he would fill our squad with either ageing journeymen or young untried players from the local leagues or even a mixture of the two but what we got was something quite different to what I think any of us could have ever imagined.
Wagggett, was young, just 30 and didn't have any previous managerial credentials although it was noted that he had been a scout and also previously an agent, who had apparently worked with such Welsh football luminaries as Karl Ready, Michael Meeker, Leon Jeanne as well as former Chelsea goalkeeper Dmitri Kharine, a Russian. Many thought he had just been found and was working as a cover for Addison, which was further fuelled when he bought in veteren centre back James Blackie, a 38 year old Welshman who'd previously played for Cwmbran Town and Ton Pentre as his first signing, not exactly inspiring is it? six English journeymen followed - goalkeepers Matt Dickens (31, 8 league clubs to his name) and Lee Bamber (33, last seen in 1994 at Preston North End). Phil Brumwell a central defender (26, over 200 appearances for Darlington), two midfielders in Warren Donald (37, 7 league clubs and countless other non-league ones) and Chris Price (26, who'd had spells at Everton, Oxford United and Morecambe). The last was striker Robert Taylor (30, and best known for goalscoring spells at Brentford, Gillingham and Leyton Orient but with recent failures at Manchester City, Wolves and QPR). Then on the eve of the new managers first game in charge something crazy happened. A press conference was called to announce some more new signings.
At first I thought that the only reason behind manager Jamie Waggett's sudden cosmopolitan urge was a preference to sign cheaper foreigners with exotic names to sway the supporters into liking him, but it actually turned out some of these players were quite good. Then some more players arrived but all bar one of these where young, "Prospects" Addison described them as - Kevin Lejeune - a 17 year old French striker, Eric van der Ven - an 18 year old former PSV central midfielder, Martin HÃ¥rby - a 21 year old Danish striker, an English 16 year old - Steven Hogg, a striker and a Dutch right winger who at 33 had previously represented Vitesse Arnham, Sparta Rotterdam, Arsenal and the even had four caps for the Dutch national team - Glenn Helder, remember him?
The Paulo Sousa Experience Part 2 - Once upon a time at Jenner Park
So, four games into his Barry Town career Paulo Sousa - a now recognised Welshman, well according to Barry fans anyway, due in part to his excellent form in previous games, well Paulo got his chance. He never seemed to get into shooting oportunities and hads never been known to score goals - just six in a twelve year career in fact. It was pissing it down and we were playing Llandudno at Home. Robert Taylor had seen us into a 2-1 lead with the 99th and 100th goals of his career, the first a stunning solo goal where he beat three men before burying a 30 yarder and then getting on the end of another Sousa pass to slide home from just inside the box.
Seventy-four minutes were on the referees watch as Sousa received a pass just inside the centre circle, without looking up he darted upfield and played the ball into Taylor's feet as he looked for a one-two, it didn't happen though as Taylor was dragged to the ground by Richards, the referee awarding a freekick. Our hero Paulo picked up the loose ball and set it down some 25 yards from goal, slightly to the left of the 'D', the drizzle stopped for a second as he looked down at the ball and then towards the goal, he took one step back before chipping the ball over the wall, the ball curves arrow like away from the goalkeepers grasp and nestles perfectly into the bottom corner of the net.
He runs behind the goal before turning, and running down the sideline towards the bench. He salutes the supporters before he slides the last 10 yards on his knees. The team mob him and grown men in the crowd express a wish to carry his children. After the match, which we win 3-1, Paulo collected his 'Man of the Match' award and is quoted as saying "I dedicate that performance to the fans." I know that I'll die a happy man, for I have seen Paulo Sousa score for Barry Town.
To say we had an odd looking strike partnership would be an understatment. Robert 'Bob' Taylor stood over 6 ft tall and weighed in at around 13 stone. 'Bob' has always been the workhorse type of striker but he also had the ability to creating chances for others whilst also scoring goals himself, obviously this was always going to be a big asset. He was aggressive but stylish and scored goals for fun during a spell at Brentford in the mid 1990's. Spells at Gillingham, Manchester City, Wolves and QPR saw his career falter though and when he found himself injured whilst playing a on short term contract at Grimsby it looked like his career was over, that was until we stepped in.
On the other hand his strike partner Bontcho Guentchev was 5 ft 10 and around 9 stone. Bontcho began his playing career at Etur in his home country of Bulgaria and his eye-catching performances were enough for a larger local side - Lokomotiv - to take on board the talented midfielder. From here he blossomed and Bulgarian giants CSKA Sofia tabled a bid which saw Bontcho move into the big time. His rapid success was causing a stir in Bulgaria as Bontcho was called up for the Bulgarian Under-21 side, and, after two years with CSKA, he moved abroad for the first time where another large club - Sporting Lisbon - took on the gifted midfield dynamo. His time in Portugal saw him drop out of contention for a place in the Bulgarian national team, but another move, this time to England, saw his chances of representing his country improve.
It was Premier League Ipswich Town who snapped up the attacking midfield for £250,000 in December 1992 and he became an instant hero with the Ipswich faithful for his dynamic and creative performances. His time at Portman Road saw him score eleven goals in 75 appearances. However, his game was based around beating defenders and setting up the chances. His performances for the Suffolk outfit saw him called up to the Bulgarian national side and he was lucky enough to be amongst the final squad of 22 players which travelled to the United States in the World Cup in 1994. Sadly Bontcho was released but found himself playing for Luton Town, he scored on his debut but his time there was mixed although he did well enough to earn a place in the Bulgarian squad for European Championship Finals, held in England.
Bontcho was out of football for a brief spell after being given a free transfer by Lennie Lawrence at the end of the 1996-97 season, but he started to play semi-professionally with Ryman Premier Division side Hendon. After starring in the Hendon side and coaching the clubs youngsters for four seasons he decided to leave though and somehow ended up at Barry.
They both arrived at the club around the same time and together they formed one of the strangest yet in a way best partnerships I've seen at Jenner Park for quite a while. Their first game together was a 2-2 draw away to Port Talbot - Guentchev scored with-in six minutes of his debut, a crisp volley from a Paulo Sousa cross whilst Taylor went close with a few headers and showed some excellent touches. Taylor really announced himself to the fans in the second game, a 1-0 win away at Carmarthen Town, the striker picked the ball up around twenty yards out and unleashed a left footed piledriver that 'keeper Tony Pennock got knowhere near, it was brilliant and he kissed the clubs badge in celebration. Guentchev was quiet in the next game their first in front of the home faitful but we won again 2-0 against Oswestry Town, Taylor getting the second with a low drive.
Game 4 saw a 4-1 win at home against Llandudno - Taylor scored twice, the second was his 100 goal of his career. Guentchev was involved in both crossing for the big man to smash home and then finding Paulo Sousa in space for his second. Game 5 was a quiet affair for Taylor, we win 2-1 at home against Cwmbran Town - Guentchev scoring a superb diving header to send us into an 8th minute lead. To say it was going well would be an understatment but game six showed they could have off days a 2-0 defeat to Connah's Quay Nomands saw them both fail to create or take chances and although in the next game Guentchev scored another good header but we ended up losing 2-1 at home to league leaders Haverfordwest, however, we were off the bottom of the table going into the last four games of the season and that was all that mattered for now. Neither of them may play that many games for us beyond this season but they'll always be remembered by me for some brilliant interplay and some wonderful goals. What more could you ask for from a strikeforce?
Some say every successful team needs at least one 'battler' in midfield, one leathery, hard bastard who elbows and nuts his way through the opposition strikers before his hobnailed boot emerges from a pile of bodies and scuffs the ball home from two yards. And there are others who argue that this sort of player is all well and good, but you also need to have at least one 'creative' player some willowy slip of a lad who stifled a yawn before skipping past bonecrunching tackles and playing a devastating 40 yard pass with the outside of his boot.
But what if you had all that in one player? When Chris Price arrived at Jenner Park on the 14th of February 2002 I was at best apathetic about the move, even letting out a Chris who? Our lacklustre league form had seen us sink to the bottom of the league and Price was one of a number of signings made my new manager Jamie Waggett in the hope of turning the tide. Although we were only three points adrift of 17th placed Llandudno the local press had already written us off. Needed: The Spine Back That We Shat Out At Xmas was the quite frankly disturbing headline of one such piece. I missed his debut - a 2-2 draw at Port Talbot but he did well, scoring from all accounts a quite stunning solo effort to send us into 2-1 half time lead.
It would seem that I had seriously underestimated Price's qualities. He was a combative ball-winner, true, but he also had skill, flair and, most importantly of all passion. Never before have I seen such passion from one single player. He oozed it and every time he pulled on the yellow and blue shirt of Barry Town you could tell, he wasn't Welsh but before long we had adopted him and he became known as the 'Little Dragon', due to his short stature but also tenacious ability. Sometimes he had quiet games but he was nontheless effective and scored his second goal for the club in a 2-1 win at home to Cwmbran, blasting home a loose ball from just inside the six yard box before running over to where I was standing and kissing the badge. He was all action and the only player to really come out of the following four defeats with any dignity.
He had something few other players at the club possessed, the capacity to turn a match with a moment of brilliance - and his refusal to give up even the most hopeless of cause lifted his team-mates to often new heights. He was an ever present under Waggett but all in all he had only played 11 games for Barry Town that season scoring 3 and assisting 2 as we finished in 17th place in the league, but his overall impact was clear to see. He was a constant thorn in every side we played plans, although his team mates often left him wanting. He was to be fair the perfect foil for Paulo Sousa in the centre of midfield, I'm positively moist at the thought of them spraying passes together in the centre of midfield next season, especially as they'll have the benefit of a full pre-season.
Cometh the hour, cometh the man, the little Dragon had shown us how.
It wasn't the best of seasons but we'd been spared the embaressment of finishing bottom of the table and In my eyes at least there was much to build on..
Whilst Argentina were winning the World Cup in Japan Jamie Waggett was a very busy man, with several new signings arriving as he looked to refresh and strenghthen the squad that he had built towards the end of last season. Several trialists also made fleeting appearences at the Jenner Park League of Nations training camp.
It started with the arrival of Hasselbaink, much to the delight of the fans, although it actually turned out to be his brother Carlos, a 33-year old striker who signed a one year contract after playing for a number of Dutch clubs without making much impact. Two English left backs who everyone thought had retired also joined in the shape of Darren Evans and Lee Martin formerly of Manchester United and Celtic. It was a change of tact when two more Englishmen arrived, both on frees, both youngsters - former Manchester United trainee Fabien Brandy - a striker and a right back in Wayne Baker.
It was back to the norm though when some more foreign players arrived, 16 year old French defender Matthieu Debuchy and Jonathan GarcÃ*a GarcÃ*a, a 19 year old Spaniard who was a versatile midfielder.
They were followed by Mikkjal Thomassen a 26 year old defensive midfielder from the Faroe Islands and Icelandic central midfielder Sveinn Ari Gudjónsson.
While trialists Thomas Schlüter, Ahmed Maharzi, Armand Benneker, Toninho Cavaleiro, Louie Donowa and Leeroy Echteld all failed to make the grade during their short summer spell with the club, but there was still time for one last signing, possibly the biggest name in Belgium football - centre back - Jonas Vandermarliere (nineteen letters), my fellow supporters and I waited with baited breath...
To say the first month of the season was a disappointment would be a massive understatment, in our two league games we failed to win a game and were struggling in the League Cup. The new signings were hardly given a chance but when they did play they failed to impress and most looked either too lightweight or just not in touch with the speed of the game, as often seems to be the case when players come into a new side and even more so country. Guentchev had been dropped from the first team, he made fleeting appearences but it appeared his days were numbered, if he left he'd be sorely missed as we don't seem to have another forward quite like him at the club. We collectively crossed our fingers and hoped for the best.
The misery on the field continued in September with a 3-1 defeat against Porthmadog at home before we bowed out of the League Cup, although we managed to get our first win of the season in our final game of the group, with Bontcho and Bob reunited and both scoring. It couldn't be replicated in the league though as we drew 0-0 at home against Connah's Quay. I was miserable, mainly down to the clubs plight and even the ever dependable Chris Price was struggling to make an impact. Greek goalkeeper Giannis Kamitos was released during the second week of the month, he never even made the bench and seemed to have gained at least four stone in weight when he waddled of into the sunset, he hadn't been a success at the club and it was rumoured others would follow. Two of Waggett's preseason signings Mikkjal Thomassen and Sveinn Ari Gudjónsson had yet to make an appearence either, although talk of injury problems and a rumoured nightclub fight could have had something to do with it.
All the more worrying though was the clubs apparent lack of funds, some were saying we were now as much as £3,000,000 in debt and it was ever increasing. This club needed a boost from somewhere and fast. It truly was a miserable time to be a Barry supporter and a 2-0 win at home to Cwmbran Town, certainly lifted spirits - Dutch goalkeeper Richard Nass made his debut, coming on as a subtitute after Matt Dickens had been sent off and then saving a penalty before Price and Taylor both scored was hoped to have been a turning point. Who knows it just might be?
If Richard Nass' penalty save was the turning point of our season then it was a shame that he didn't stick around to enjoy it, the Cwmbran game being his only appearence for the club, two days later he left the club, making a move back to Holland to join to MVV for £16k. A Paulo Sousa inspired 3-1 away win at Afan Lido did much to further this claim as we started October with a bang, the result taking us to the lofty position of tenth and then after two 0-0 draws with Rhyl and Port Talbot respectively, up to eighth. The turnaround had been remarkable but we just hoped it would continue.
The loss of Paulo Sousa and Chris Price to long term injuries was a problem though and with the untried Mikkjal Thomassen and Sveinn Ari Gudjónsson in midfield it was thought we might lose our impetus but both performed well in the 3-2 win at Aberystwth, Sveinn scoring the winner from a yard out. Where September had seen nothing but poor performances, somehow we'd gone October unbeaten.
In November the form continued with a 1-1 draw at home against Newtown, Bontcho Guentchev scoring a 90th minute equaliser after threatening several times before, although the game was marred by first the loss of Darren Evans and then his replacement Lee Martin, thus meaning the club were without a recognised fit left back. Another draw this time 2-2, away to Flexsys Cefn Druids saw a cult hero emerge - Sveinn Ari Gudjónsson taking the game by the scruff of the neck and scoring two superb long range strikes to keep us in the game. One midfielder who wouldn't be making an impact at the club though was Eric van der Ven, the young Dutchman joining Helmond Sport for £100k.
Our unbeaten run ended towards the end of November though despite scoring twice at home Haverfordwest scored three, it was unfortunate but what goes up must come down I guess. We ended the month with a 0-0 away at Oswestry and everything was back to normal. All throughout this time the manager Jamie Waggett had been quiet, assistant David Hughes or Colin Addison took the press conferences and gave soundbites, it was all becoming very surreal, although the fans didn't seem to mind as long as the teams recent form continued and to be perfectly honest neither did I.
A Dragons Tale 
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