Bala Town 2, Llanelli 4

In previous meetings between the two sides playing at Maes Tegid had ended 1-0, with a win each for the two teams, so the game didn’t look as if it was going to be a high scoring encounter.

​Bala’s run without conceding a goal ended in the 546th minute since Matty Williams gave TNS a 3rd minute lead in the opening game of the season, as Rhys Grifiths collected a long ball, and shrugged off the challenge of Michael Byron to slot the ball into the bottom corner of the net.

​The visitors attempted to double their advantage from a free kick, which Chad Bond used to whip the ball into the box, but Byron headed the ball out for a corner. From the corner Rhys Grifiths beat off the challenge of his marker to head the ball into the top corner of the net to give Llanelli a two goal advantage.

​Bala did their best to try and reduce the deficit, and Lee Hunt tried to score with a header whipped into the box from distance, but Chris Venables was able to head the ball out for a corner. From the corner Bala’s Stuart Jones (not to be confused with Llanelli’s captain of the sane name) got his head to the ball, which was cleared into Hunt’s direction, who attempted a bicycle kick, which didn’t come off.

​Lee Hunt had been suffering from a slight ankle injury prior to the game, which had been strapped up, and he had to have treatment on his injury after a challenge from Lee Surman, who received a booking for the incident. Lee was able to carry on though.

​In the closing stages of the first half Bala’s Mark Jones collected the ball, and he saw off the challenge of three defenders, before playing in Chris Mason from the edge of the box, who was caught offside, when many onlookers thought that Mark should have shot at goal instead.

​Lee Hunt had an opportunity to bring the Lakesiders back into the match 10 minutes after the interval, as he collected a long ball after a good run; however his shot went wide under pressure from Surman. A few minutes later Terry McCormick had to have his wits about him as a Kris Thomas sent a cross come shot into the box, which the keeper did well to collect.

John Irving started off a good Bala Town move on the hour mark, as he went on a long run, and passed the ball to Mark Jones, who flicked the ball into the air from the edge of the box, and Lee Hunt leapt into the air, but it was keeper Ashley Morris who won the aerial battle, as he collected the ball with both hands.

​A few minutes later the score was 3-0, as Bala failed to clear their lines, allowing Craig Moses to slot the ball the home from inside the penalty area. It appears that only those present at the ground will ever get to see the goal, as apparently the Sgorio cameraman was changing tapes as Moses scored. Rumours that Sgorio unsuccessfully asked both teams to re-create the goal for the cameras after the end of the game were made up just now.

​Bala pegged a goal back almost immediately, as Liam Loughlin found space in the box, and slotted the ball into the top corner of the net. This turned out to be Loughlin’s last action of the match, as he was replaced by Rees Darlington to make his debut. Lee Hunt also had to be replaced by Ross Jefferies, after he started limping after a reoccurrence of his ankle injury.

​Rhys Grifiths completed his second hat-trick in as many games with 20 minutes to play, as he rose above the Bala defence to head the ball home. If Grifiths scores a hat-trick in Llanelli’s next fixture at home to Port Talbot he will become the first player in Welsh Premier history to score three hat-tricks in three league games, although Marc Lloyd-Williams came close, scoring two hat-tricks and then a brace.

​Despite being 3 goals down again the Lakesiders never gave up, and Stef Edwards came close to getting a goal back for Bala, as he saw his shot blocked, and then rebound into Chris Mason’s path, who saw his shot saved by Morris. Stef came close to scoring again, as he went on a long run, and shrugged off the challenge off Kris Thomas, but saw his curling shot saved by Morris.

​Substitute Ross Jefferies came agonisingly close to getting on the score sheet from a Peter Doran corner, but he saw his header cleared off the goal line.

​Bala were able to pull a goal back though in the 88th minute, as Rees Darlington scored on his debut in spectacular fashion, as shot from 25 yards out, and left Morris with no chance of making a save as the ball went straight in the top corner of the net.

​The Lakesiders came close to making it a tense stoppage time period, as Peter Doran sent a free kick into the box 25 yards from goal, but saw the ball go narrowly wide of the post, just missing Michael Byron’s head.

Llanelli match photos courtesy of Evan L. Dobson

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