Bala Town vs The New Saints Matchday Programme by balatownfc

LAKESIDERS LIVE AT MAES TEGID BALA - LIVE AT MAES TEGID BALA - LIVE AT MAES TEGID BALA

LIVE AT MAES TEGID BALA - LIVE AT MAES TEGID BALA - LIVE AT MAES TEGID BALA

THE OFFICIAL MATCHDAY PROGRAMME OF BALA TOWN FOOTBALL CLUB

@?J?? RMU L SATURDAY 10TH APRIL 2021

VS THE NEW SAINTS

NIGEL’S NOTES Welcome back to Maes Tegid for the first fixture after the JD Cymru League split. We have 10 matches to play and it will be a very demanding time for all involved with 2 matches every week for 4 weeks. The strain on all our non professionals will be considerable both on and off the field but hopefully we will get through this challenge and complete the season before the end of May. An away trip to Penybont on a Tuesday evening emphasises the pressure we are all being put under and this demonstrates how difficult it will be to maintain our league position.We have had further clarification of how the season will complete as all domestic Cup tournaments have now been cancelled. This now means that 3rd place in the League will automatically qualify for European competition and that places 4,5,6 and 7 will enter the play offs. We begin this phase with a 6 point buffer to our nearest rivals for this 3rd spot but every fixture will be hugely competitive and the scramble for these priceless points will be intense. We begin this evening with a live televised match against

TNS who have a newly appointed manager in charge for his ﬁrst match tonight. Clearly he will be arriving at Maes Tegid with a point to prove but our conﬁdence will undoubtedly be much improved after the emphatic 5.0 win last weekend and we are all expecting another close fought encounter. We have a fascinating match in prospect. Everyone is asking when we will see the end of the onerous Covid regulations and an ability to allow people back into Maes Tegid. It is so disappointing to exclude people even though we have so much outdoor space for all to maintain social distancing rules. All our Academy parents have to remain outside the ground and try to get any sort of viewing spot to watch their children playing. It is a situation that we all are trying to address but to little avail at the moment. I fear that this season will be a write off in that respect but let’s all ope that everything will be pretty much back to normal for the start of the 2021/22 season. Thanks again to everyone for your continued support. Diolch eto pawb!

Nigel Aykroyd, Chief Executive

GWASANAETH PÊL-DROED DIGURO UNBEATABLE ON WELSH FOOTBALL CYNGHRAIR Y CENHEDLOEDD UEFA 2020 UEFA NATIONS LEAGUE 2020 CYMRU PREMIER JD CWPAN CYMRU JD JD WELSH CUP CWPAN NATHANIEL MG NATHANIEL MG CUP UWCH GYNGHRAIR MERCHED CYMRU WELSH PREMIER WOMEN’S LEAGUE

O F F I C I A L

B A L L

S U P P L I E R

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OPPONENT - THE NEW SAINTS EST. 1860 HOME: THE VENUE ABOUT OSWESTRY TOWN Founded in 1860, making them one of the world’s oldest football clubs, Oswestry Town FC were also founder members of the Football Association of Wales in 1876 – a rare achievement for an English club. In their long history, they’ve competed in the Northern Premier League, Cheshire League and Cymru Alliance.

ABOUT LLANSANTFFRAID From the small Welsh village of Llansantffraid, and nicknamed the ‘Saints’, the unassuming team began life playing in the Montgomeryshire Amateur League in 1959. Here it achieved considerable success, winning numerous honours. The Montgomeryshire League Championship (1969, 1970, 1971, 1983, 1987) and the Montgomeryshire Cup competition six times between 1963 and 1976. In addition, Llansantffraid were Village Cup winners seven times, up to the nineties.

TALE

TAP

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ABOUT TOTAL NETWORK SOLUTIONS In the 1997/98 season Llansanffraid changed their name to Total Network Solutions (TNS), following a lucrative sponsorship deal with an Oswestry based computer networking specialist owned by entrepreneur Mike Harris. The partnership was working – in 1999/00 the club finally reached the pinnacle of Welsh Football when, in an exciting finale, TNS beat Barry Town to the league title and qualified for the European Cup. In 2003 the club’s phenomenal success meant the ground at Llansantffraid was no longer fit for purpose and there were no other suitable sites in the village that would sustain a full-time football club. The Chairman was forced to look for an alternative site to develop the club facilities.

THE MERGER On 7 June 2003, it was announced that Oswestry Town was to merge with Total Network Solutions, with the aim of playing at a new stadium in Oswestry from 2005/06. The troubled Oswestry Town was saved from Bankruptcy by Mike Harris, who cleared the clubs debts and ﬁnanced the merger. Following the sale of Total Network Solutions to BT in 2006, the club changed its name to The New Saints FC.

ALEX RAMSAY

ANDREW BURNS

SEAN SMITH

NATHAN PEATE

ANTHONY STEPHENS

JONNY SPITTLE

RYAN PRYCE

WILL EVANS

HENRY JONES

KIERAN SMITH

STEVE LESLIE

DANIEL GOSSET

JACK MACKRETH

SHAUN KELLY

LASSANA MENDES

CHRIS VENABLES

OLIVER SHANNON

RAUL CORREIA

LIAM DAVIES

HARRI LLOYD

ANTONY KAY

PREVIOUS FIXTURE A five-star performance from the Lakesiders in a win dedicated to Callie Ramsay!

BALA TOWN 5 FLINT TOWN UNITED 0

After a run of three straight defeats, The Lakesiders would return to Maes Tegid to bring Phase 1 to a close on Friday evening (02/04/21) with Flint Town United being the visitors. It was a must win game, with Barry Town and Penybont on the catch up

going into the Champions Conference. Before the game, both sets of clubs and club ofﬁcials held a minute silence to pay their respects to Callie Ramsay, the Father of our Goalkeeper Alex Ramsay, who tragically passed away on Thursday evening after collapsing at a walking football event held at The New Saints’ Park Hall Stadium. We again would like to send our sincere condolences to Alex, Eric and Karen, our thoughts are with you. The match got underway at a sunny Maes Tegid, and within two minutes we were forced into an early change, as Ollie Shannon looked to have gone down off the ball and subsequently was replaced by Ryan Pryce.

It was a cagey affair throughout the first ten minutes, with both teams scrapping for possession. However it only took 20 minutes for their to be a goal! Lassana Mendes received the ball on the left hand side, he cut in on his right and curled a superb effort from the edge of the box, right into the far corner, a superb goal from Mendes to give Bala a 1-0 lead! Harri Lloyd who’d come into the squad on short notice, was called into action on 24 minutes, as he got down well to his left and pushed a shot away from danger. Will Evans attempted to double the advantage with a right footed shot from outside the area, but his effort went wide of the post. Anthony Stephens did superbly well to clear a teasing ball into the box, as he headed the ball over the bar to concede a corner. Bala had a big shout for a penalty with 15 minutes of the first half to go, as Venables looked to have been bundled over inside the box, but the referee waved away the appeals. The first half came to an end, and despite only being one goal up, it was a good performance from the Lakesiders, who should of been ahead by one or two more at the break. We got the second half underway, and straight away it was 2-0! Antony Kay climbed higher than everyone else at the back post and headed the ball home from a corner! The perfect start to the second half! Venables for the second time had a goal ruled out, with his second being ruled out for offside, however… Just minutes after his disallowed goal, Venables struck home and this one definitely counted! The Captain made some space for himself on the edge of the box, and rifled

the ball above the keeper and below the crossbar, as it cannoned off the bar and into the net! A superb goal to give Bala a 3-0 lead! It could of been four on 67 minutes, as Will Evans went on a driving run towards the byline, he put the ball across the face of goal, but could only reach a Flint defender who almost put the ball into his own net with his clearance. It didn’t take long for the fourth goal to come… This time Steven Leslie received the ball about 30 yards out and unleashed a bullet into the top right corner of the net! An absolute worldie from Leslie to send Bala into a four goal lead! Another goal? Oh go on then! Chris Venables got on the end of a cross from the right hand side and hit home from close range to make it 5-0 to Bala, while also grabbing his 19th goal of the season! Henry Jones had come on for Jack Mackreth, and tried to make an impact with just three minutes of normal time left, as he made his way into the box and took a shot on, but his effort rolled into the hands of the Flint keeper. The game came to an end after three minutes of additional time, and what a performance from the Lakesiders! A much deserved win, with some absolutely cracking goals to choose from, surely one of them winning goal of the month! Substitutions: Ryan Pryce (3), Henry Jones (77), Kieran Smith (77), Liam Davies (82) Yellow Cards: Antony Kay (17)

PREVIOUS FIXTURE

BALA TOWN 5 FLINT TOWN UNITED 0

CHRIS VENABLES 21 APPS 19 GOALS 2 ASSIST

WILL EVANS 22 APPS 11 GOALS 3 ASSISTS

STEVE LESLIE 10 APPS 3 GOALS 5 ASSISTS

LASSANA MENDES 13 APPS 2 GOALS 6 ASSISTS

FIXTURES

CHAMPIONS CONFERENCE FIXTURES SAT 10 APR TUES 13 APR SAT 17 APR TUES 20 APR SAT 24 APR WED 28 APR SAT 01 MAY TUES 04 MAY SAT 08 MAY SAT 18 MAY

THE NEW SAINTS PENYBONT FC CAERNARFON CQ NOMADS BARRY TOWN CQ NOMADS BARRY TOWN CAERNARFON PENYBONT FC THE NEW SAINTS

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