Port Talbot 2, Bala Town 2

On a cold breezy evening Bala played with the wind at their backs but with both teams compacting midfield there were little opportunities for the first 15 minutes.

The home side then created a half chance when Stef Edwards was beaten on the left and the low cross was missed by everyone.

The ball remained difficult to control on a firm bouncy pitch but Bala invited pressure on themselves when conceding 2 free kicks in dangerous areas.

The visitors defended these kicks well and then Stephen Brown produced a great run only to see him hesitate before getting off his shot.

John Irving made a similar run and was brought down only to see free kick specialist Mark Connolly hit straight into the defensive wall.

On the half hour Bala´s best chance fell to Lee Hunt who miss hit his shot after another excellent Stephen Brown run and cross.

The Bala pressure then finally produces the breakthrough on 36th minutes. A long clearance was headed on into the path of Lee Hunt who brilliantly lobbed the home keeper from 30 yards out.

Mark Connolly then hit another free kick off just wide before Port nearly equalised on the stroke of halftime when a free kick was well saved by Terry McCormick only to see the rebound hit the bar and get scrambled to safety.

The second half was only 4 minutes old when Bala increased their lead with a stunning second. Mark Jones sprayed a pass to Stephen Brown whose excellent cross was met by a diving Mark Connolly header which flew into the corner of the net.

Only minutes later Port missed a gift opportunity to pull one back but on 5 minutes a defensive lapse allowed a long bouncing ball to arrive at an unmarked Martin Rose who headed into an empty net. The home side were rampant and had a goal disallowed before their equaliser on 63 minutes.

Again some poor tackling allowed a cross to be side footed in by Rose from only 6 yards out. Bala were then left hoping to salvage a draw when Lee Hunt was dismissed for a reckless challenge.

The 10 men however put up a spirited fight and could even have won the match when first Chris Mason ran half the pitch only to see his shot when clear through in the 92 minute.

It was an all action finish which had the crowd on their toes but it could probably be viewed as a match in which Bala dropped 2 points rather gaining one. Perhaps our expectations are too high!!

Match Highlights

Photo: Evan L. Dobson

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