Barry Town Star Jailed for Cocaine Dealing Shocks Club

📢 Barry Town United’s vice-captain Evan Press has been jailed for two and a half years after admitting to dealing cocaine, leaving the Cymru Premier club “shocked” by the revelation.

The 24-year-old midfielder, who has played every game this season and captained the team in 19 matches, only had his criminal activities discovered by the club after his sentencing on March 19.

“Being brutally honest we only heard about this on the day he was sentenced. He had never told us. We were unaware until half an hour after the sentencing on March 19 when we were contacted by a family member,” a club spokesman told WalesOnline.

Press admitted being concerned in the supply of Class A drug cocaine between February 2021 and November 2023 in Cardiff during a court appearance on February 11. Remarkably, he continued to represent Barry Town in three matches after this court appearance, most recently featuring against Aberystwyth on March 11.

“Evan is a wonderful young man. He’s been part of our club for seven years. He has made a mistake and my understanding is it happened some time ago. We are a family club who want our players to be role models. This was news to us,” the spokesman added.

The semi-professional footballer, from Splott, has played 187 matches and scored 11 goals for Barry since joining in 2018. His contract expires at the end of this season.

When asked about replacing Press, the club spokesman said: “We are out of a transfer window. The boys are playing tomorrow [away to Flint Town United] and they’ll carry on as normal. It is what it is. The reality is when a player leaves our care we can’t control what they do outside of football.”

Press was sentenced at Newport Crown Court and ordered to pay a £190 victim services surcharge. An iPhone he used for drug-dealing will be destroyed.