In a pre-season friendly at Jenner Park on Saturday, Gloucester City emerged with a 1-0 victory against Welsh Premier League side Barry Town United, thanks to a penalty decision confirmed via Video Assistant Referee (VAR).
The decisive moment came just after the half-hour mark when Ashley Hemmings was fouled by James Lester, leading to a penalty award. Despite appeals from Barry Town questioning whether the foul occurred outside the penalty area, the on-field referee consulted VAR-a system operating as part of the Football Association of Wales (FAW) referee training programme-and upheld the original decision. Hemmings calmly converted the penalty in the 34th minute, handing Gloucester City the lead.
City manager Daf Williams commented on the use of VAR, saying, “It slowed the game down but I think it was the right decision. The argument was whether contact was inside or outside the area. It was a different experience but I think I’d get frustrated with it. Barry and the other teams in the Welsh Premier have that in every game going forward but it’s not something I’d be particularly pleased with.”
READ MORE: Wanted Man Escapes from Gloucestershire Prison
Barry Town, fielding three former Gloucester City players-Owen Brain, Sion Spence, and Jadyn Crosbie-registered the first effort on target shortly after kickoff. Spence tested Gloucester’s goalkeeper Jared Thompson with a low strike after six minutes, which was comfortably saved.
Gloucester City responded quickly: Tom Owen-Evans missed the target by a narrow margin, Hemmings forced a routine save from Barry’s goalkeeper George Ratcliffe on 14 minutes, and Liam Cross sent a shot just over the bar.
Barry Town enjoyed promising spells, notably when Brain and Crosbie combined before Spence switched play to Joshua Bernard, whose dangerous cross was cleared by the visitors. After the penalty, Crosbie’s driving run earned a corner, which Will Richards headed over the bar. Elliott Dugan came closest to an equaliser with an acrobatic overhead kick narrowly over in first-half stoppage time.
The second half saw Ratcliffe deny Morgan Lewis early on, and Bernard delivered a teasing cross that narrowly missed Dugan. Barry continued to press for an equaliser, with Crosbie appealing unsuccessfully for a penalty after going down inside the area late in the game.
Reflecting on the match, Williams stated, “There were bits that I didn’t like and bits I really liked, so it’s about bringing everything together now with a couple of weeks before the season starts. It was another good workout and a lot of the lads had 90 minutes, so we are all topped now going into the last game of pre-season. We still have things to work on, there are still things that I want to improve on and increase the quality and standards in some parts of the pitch. But the lads look fit and we have still got that extra week compared to Barry, and I thought we competed physically.”
Gloucester City’s final pre-season fixture is scheduled against Weston-super-Mare on Friday evening, ahead of their Southern League Premier South opener against Chertsey Town on 8 August.
Williams added, “It was nice to win the game and we did challenge the players in terms of finding a way to win. All of our games in pre-season have provided different challenges and tests, and we are quite pleased with where we are at. There are three or four players who haven’t been involved today, so the squad is looking healthy. Hopefully, we get some bodies back in the next week or so. Tactically there are things we need to work on and be better at, but we have plenty of time in the next two weeks. I think we will be more than ready to go.”
Gloucester City’s starting lineup featured Thompson; M Lewis (subbed by Emmett 75), Nugent (J Lewis 88), O’Regan, E Williams; Evans (Trialist 75), Owen-Evans, Thomas, Waite (Bearne 75); Cross (Dunbar 63), Hemmings (H Williams 75).