Bala Town vs Larne FC - UEFA First Qualifying Round First Leg - Official Digital Matchday Programme

ISSUE ONE > BALA TOWN VS LARNE FC

MATCHDAY ONE - PARK HALL > UEFA EUROPA CONFERENCE LEAGUE 19:00 / 08.07.2021 > FIRST QUALIFYING ROUND

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BALA TOWN FOOTBALL CLUB OFFICIALS LIST SWYDDOGION CLWB PEL-DROED TREF Y BALA Director Of Football & Head Coach / Cyfarwyddwr Pel-Droed & Prif Hyfforddwr: Colin Caton Assistant Head Coach / Prif Hyfforddwr Cynorthwyol: Stephen Fisher & Ryan Valentine Goal Keeping Coach / Hyffordwr Gôl Geidwad: Harri Lloyd Club Doctor / Meddyg y Clwb: Dr Christopher Jordan Physios / Ffisios: Ffiona Evans Strength & Conditioning / Cryfder a Chyflyru: Nicolas Jones Academy Director / Cyfarwyddwr Academi: Carwyn Edwards President / Llywydd: Joe Roberts Chairman / Cadeirydd: Arwel Roberts Chief Executive / Prif Weithredwr: Nigel Aykroyd General Secretary, Finance Director & Licensing Officer / Ysgrifennydd Cyffredinol, Cyfarwyddwr Cyllidol a Swyddog Trwyddedu: Ruth Crump Media Officer & Web-site / Swyddog Cyfryngau & Wefan: Joe Taft Head of Security / Pennaeth Diogelwch: Sion Roberts Commercial Director / Cyfarwyddwr Masnachol: Arwel Ll Jones Supporters Liaison Officer / Swyddog Cyswllt y Cefnogwyr: Dion Jones Disability Liaison Officer / Swyddog Cyswllt Anabledd: Cai Aykroyd Safeguarding Officer / Swyddog Diogelu: Nerys Whitley Covid Officer & 3G Manager / Swyddog Covid & Rheolwr y 3G: Gillian Evans Sub Committees / Is-Bwyllgorau Ruth Crump, Nigel Aykroyd, Ken Edwards, Don Lund, Gwyn Jones, Arwel Roberts, Carol Rowlands, Beryl Hanmer, Ted Edwards, R. F. Jones, Graham Martindale, Glyn Roberts, Arwel Lloyd Jones, Elwyn Rowlands, Gill Evans, Rob Davies, Ian Jones, Janet Blaszkiewicz, Barry Yates, Mark Watkins, Amanda Reed, John Roberts, Sion Roberts, Rhian Williams.

Nigel Aykroyd Interview | Bala Town vs Larne FC

NIGEL’S NOTES N I G E L AY K R OY D

We have visited Estonia, Luxembourg, Liechtenstein, San Marino, Sweden, Malta, Belgium and now Northern Ireland. The experiences and memories will always be such a huge part of our Football Club!

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Nigel Aykroyd Interview | Bala Town vs Larne FC

A very warm welcome to all who have managed to secure a spectator spot for our match tonight against Larne.

We also warmly welcome the whole party who have crossed the Irish sea to be with us this evening. It is such a disappointment that no travelling supporters are allowed to attend which is a staggering decision when we see ever increasing crowds at numerous sporting events over the last few weeks!

Times have never been more challenging for all the administrators off the pitch and our first European fixture to be played under the Covid protocols is certainly no exception. We must thank all those who have worked so hard to ensure that the game can go ahead under the compliance of all the onerous rules and regulations.

Bala are proud to be playing in their 7th European competition in the last 9 seasons and proud to be part of the newly formed UEFA Europa Conference League.

For the first time in these 7 appearances in Europe the Club has been seeded in this qualifying round which is another excellent achievement but one which does not adequately reflect the strength of our opposition this evening. Our seeding is due to our Club coefficient being respectably high after our performances in Europe over the years but tonight we face an opposition who are embarking on their first European match.

Larne have progressed considerably in Northern Irish football over the last few years and this development sets the standard at a very high bar. We anticipate an intriguing encounter over these 2 legs of football and the excitement has certainly been building as we approach the reality of kick off. We have certainly been very active in the very short “close season” in strengthening our squad but preparation has not been easy with restrictions in place. We are however all extremely excited to see this first competitive match with our blend of new and existing players.

European football has been such an experience for us under the continued guidance of our long standing Manager, Colin Caton. Little did we know on the day of his appointment 19 years ago that he would take us on this European tour. We have visited Estonia, Luxembourg, Liechtenstein, San Marino, Sweden, Malta, Belgium and now Northern Ireland. The experiences and memories will always be such a huge part of our Football Club!

Another European night is here!

Lets all enjoy the occasion, enjoy the friendships, enjoy the excitement and enjoy the fact that we are proud to be representing Wales in this inaugural European tournament.

Diolch Pawb. Nigel.

d y o r k y A .

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EXCLUSIVE RETAIL PARTNER

EUROPEAN QUALIFICATION > TNS, BALA TOWN, NEWTOWN

CYMRU PREMIER LEAGUE > FINAL LEAGUE STANDINGS 2020/2021 > CONNAH’S QUAY NOMADS WINNERS

PLD

GD

PTS

1

CONNAH’S QUAY NOMADS

32

+50

79

2

THE NEW SAINTS

32

+67

77

3

BALA TOWN

32

+25

60

PENYBONT

32

+2

46

BARRY TOWN

32

-11

43

CAERNARFON TOWN

32

-24

37

NEWTOWN

32

+4

42

CARDIFF MET

32

+1

40

HAVERFORDWEST COUNTY

32

-18

37

ABERYSTWYTH TOWN

32

-6

33

FLINT TOWN

32

-20

32

CEFN DRUIDS

32

-70

16

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ALEX RAMSAY > GOALKEEPER

BALA TOWN FOOTBALL CLUB > CYMRU PREMIER LEAGUE 2021/2022 SQUAD > WE ARE THE LAKESIDERS

2

CALUM WOODS > DEFENDER

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SEAN SMITH > DEFENDER

4

NATHAN PEATE > DEFENDER

5

ANTHONY STEPHENS > DEFENDER

6

JONNY SPITTLE > DEFENDER

7

LASSANA MENDES > MIDFIELDER

8

WILL EVANS > FORWARD

10

DANNY WALKER-RICE > FORWARD

ala tow

KIERAN SMITH > MIDFIELDER

14

STEVEN LESLIE > MIDFIELDER

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15

ANTONY KAY > MIDFIELDER

18

PAUL RUTHERFORD > FORWARD

19

DAVE EDWARDS > MIDFIELDER

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BRAD BAURESS > MIDFIELDER

25

CHRIS VENABLES > FORWARD

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OLIVER SHANNON > MIDFIELDER

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HARRI LLOYD > GOALKEEPER

Season Review | Bala Town vs Larne FC BALA TOWN SEASON REVIEW 2020/21 It has been an incredibly difficult year for everyone this past year, the unprecedented events of the COVID-19 Pandemic has left its mark on everyone around the world, and will continue to do so for many years to come.

However, throughout a worldwide pandemic, football clubs were tasked with returning to some sort of normality. In June of last year, plans were in place to get football back up and running, starting off with the UEFA Europa League, where UEFA had confirmed a start date for both of their club competitions. Following the curtailment of the previous season, Bala Town were rewarded with spot in the First Qualifying Round of the Europa League, having finished in 3rd place in the league when the season was brought to a sudden halt.

The draw took place, and we were handed an away tie at Maltese side Valletta FC, with the tie taking place on the 27th of August. Preparations were now ongoing ahead of our Europa League tie out in Malta.

A week later, the Football Association of Wales announced a return date for the JD Cymru Premier league, having been granted elite athletic status by the Welsh Government. The league season was to return on the 11th of September, with all games to be played behind closed doors, with hopes of having the return of supporters later in the season (we know how that all ended).

All 12 clubs in the Cymru Premier were to undergo a site visit from the FAW and S4C, to ensure all stadiums were compliant with new social distancing measures, with ‘Red Zones’ created to reduce the number of people permitted in the same areas as players. There were more regulations clubs would have to follow, to ensure a safe return to football, however no one would be prepared for the year that would follow.

History was then made out in Malta, as a first half goal from Chris Venables and a penalty save from

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Alex Ramsay secured our place in the Second Qualifying Round of the Europa League for the very first time!

A couple of days later after the dust had settled on a monumental victory out in Malta, we were now planning for the Second Qualifying Round!

The night before the draw, UEFA placed us in a group consisting of Standard Liege of Belgium, Aberdeen of Scotland, and Willem II of the Netherlands. A very tough fixture was coming our way; however playing any three of them clubs would be a great experience for everyone involved!

The draw took place on the 31st of August, and we were awarded an away tie at Standard Liege, who are undoubtedly a well known club in Europe, having competed in over 200 matches at European competitions.

However before our clash with Standard Liege, we started September by kicking off our league campaign with an away fixture at the Champions Connah’s Quay Nomads.

Having been leading for 94 minutes of the match against the Nomads, a wonder strike from Sameron Dool cancelled out Nathan Peate’s header in the first half to steal a point right at the death.

We then travelled to Belgium for our clash with Standard Liege in the mid-week, expecting a very tough match from the Belgian giants, however I think no one expected the result that followed.

Season Review | Bala Town vs Larne FC The match started with both sides having chances at both ends, with Raul Correia almost putting us ahead early on! However the home side were awarded a penalty after 20 minutes and the tall forward Avenatti sent Alex Ramsay the wrong way to take the lead. Yet just 10 minutes later, we were awarded a penalty of our own!

Chris Venables was taken out inside the box, and the referee pointed to the spot, but unfortunately for our Captain, the Standard keeper Bodart guessed the right way and pushed his effort round the post. Then it wasn’t long until the hosts doubled their lead just before half-time, as a deflected shot wrong-footed Ramsay and the ball crept into the net. The match ended with a 2-0 score line, however if it wasn’t for the goalkeeping heroics of Alex Ramsay, the score wouldn’t have reflected the all round performance of the lads, who put in a performance to be proud of.

Focus was now on our league campaign, which resumed with a home match against Cefn Druids, just three days after returning from Belgium. A late goal from Nathan Peate grabbed all three points in a 2-1 win against his former side, despite being down to 10 men for the last couple of minutes.

We closed off September with a 5-1 win down in Penybont despite being behind at the break, and a rather disappointing ending to a thriller against The New Saints at Maes Tegid, when Ryan Astles equalised late on for the visitors, only for the floodlights to go off and have the game abandoned!

We started off October with a rather disappointing defeat to Haverfordwest County at Maes Tegid, with the away side taking the three points back down South with a last minute winner from Jack Wilson. Yet the rest of October was great, as we managed four wins and a draw, scoring 14 goals and conceding four, which included a 5-2 win at home to Aberystwyth Town.

We saw the replay of the abandoned match against The New Saints at the start of November, only for it to be a draw again! November also saw us stay at Maes Tegid for three consecutive

matches, with wins against Penybont and Newtown to bring the penultimate month of a horrid 2020 to a close.

December would see us claim a point away at Gwynedd Rivals Caernarfon Town in a 1-1 draw, and also a point down in Cardiff Met with the same result, however to end the year we managed a comfortable 4-1 victory over Cardiff Met. Although we were scheduled to play Caernarfon Town on Boxing Day, new restrictions were put in place over the Christmas period due to the global pandemic, meaning the league season was on pause, and again we were all left in limbo as to when the season would restart. Fast forward to March! Covid restrictions lifted, meant the return of the league campaign! So, we kicked off March with a trip to Park Hall to face the New Saints, and the points were shared after a 0- 0 draw. Cefn Druids were up next, and it wasn’t a great start as we went behind early on, but managed to collect the three points with two goals from Ollie Shannon and a spot kick from Chris Venables. We also saw the return of Danny Gosset to competitive football, which was a huge moment for Danny, the club and Welsh football as a whole to witness the inspirational comeback by Danny.

The next three games to finish off March did not go to plan at all. Three defeats out of three to Connah’s Quay Nomads, Caernarfon Town and Barry Town, the latter being the most disheartening after a 6-2 defeat down in Jenner Park.

April started with a much better performance, with a 5-0 win over Flint Town at Maes Tegid, in a win dedicated to our goalkeeper Alex Ramsay and his family after the sad loss of their beloved Father Callie Ramsay.

We then entered the Champions Conference, while sitting in third place with Penybont, Caernarfon Town and Barry Town hot on our heels for European football.

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Season Review | Bala Town vs Larne FC The Champions Conference got off to a slow start, as we fell to a 1-0 defeat to The New Saints at Maes Tegid. Then a mid-week trip down to Penybont followed, which saw both teams play out an enthralling match! A dominant first half saw us go in just 1-0 up with a goal from Antony Kay, only for Kay to double his tally a couple minutes after the break! The hosts grabbed a dubious goal back, and were looking much better than they did in the first half, although Steven Leslie curled in a beautiful free kick with around five minutes remaining to make it 3-1.

Penybont weren’t finished there, as they grabbed another goal back just two minutes from time, but that’s all they could manage, as the match finished 3-2.

Then came a 5-2 win against Gwynedd rivals Caernarfon Town which put us in good position to claim a European place! Although a couple days later, a defeat to Connah’s Quay Nomads made it all to play for in the next fixture against Barry Town. Lassana Mendes’ only goal of the match secured a 1-0 win against Barry Town, and put us right back in the driving seat for a European spot!

Connah’s Quay Nomads would be next to visit Maes Tegid, in another crucial game for many reasons. An own goal from the Nomads captain George Horan and a Henry Jones goal secured three points against the Champions, but it didn’t come without controversy. Nomads were awarded a penalty after Nathan Peate was alleged to have handled the ball in the box after falling to the ground, and to make matters worse, Peate was handed a straight red card!

Yet, we held on to a 2-1 win to give us a chance of securing our European place with a win at Barry Town on the weekend, and hoping a result went our way between Caernarfon Town and Penybont.

On a weekend where all clubs in the JD Cymru Premier and many other clubs around the country were taking part in a social media boycott in an attempt to eradicate online abuse, we would travel down to Barry Town to hopefully seal our European place, and seal it we did!

Chris Venables not only scored his 200th league goal on that day, but also scored a hat-trick! A hat-trick from the Captain and a header from Antony Kay finished off a 4-1 win down in Jenner Park, which also meant we’d qualified for the Europa Conference League!

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Season Review | Bala Town vs Larne FC but also scored a hat-trick! A hat-trick from the Captain and a header from Antony Kay finished off a 4-1 win down in Jenner Park, which also meant we’d qualified for the Europa Conference League!

After securing our European spot, a short mid-week trip to Caernarfon Town followed, but it seemed the celebrations from the weekend seemed evident as we fell to a 3-0 defeat at The Oval.

Our final home match of the season came against Penybont, where Manager Colin Caton made a host of changes after the relentless fixture schedule. However a Nathan Peate goal a couple minutes from time sealed a 1-0 win to conclude our last home game of the season.

Then to bring the whole season to a close, we would travel to the home of The New Saints.

In a match that meant little to us, but a whole lot more to The New Saints, who were still chasing the title, and hoping that Connah’s Quay Nomads would slip up down in Penybont. Despite going down to 10 men early on, The New Saints managed a 2-0 victory; however it would be Connah’s Quay Nomads who finished at the top of the pile to regain their title.

And that was it; the 2020/21 JD Cymru Premier season was finished. A season (hopefully) never to be replicated again!

Joe Taft Media Officer

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Get to know Larne Football Club | Bala Town vs Larne FC

Club Name: Larne Football Club Established: 1889 Home: Inver Park Nickname: Inver Reds

Larne Football Club are a Northern Irish club who play professionally in the NIFL Premiership.

Between the years of 1972 to 2008, the club had senior status, until the club reverted back to intermediate status when the club failed to gain a place in the brand new IFA Premiership.

Larne Football Club are a Northern Irish club who play professionally in the NIFL Premiership.

Between the years of 1972 to 2008, the club had senior status, until the club reverted back to intermediate status when the club failed to gain a place in the brand new IFA Premiership.

Kenny Bruce invested on and off the pitch at Inver Park, starting off with a brand new state of the art artificial surface, followed by floodlights and ground renovations. A number of top class signings followed the renovations, which has brought the club recent success.

The club qualified for the First Qualifying Round of the Europa Conference League having won their European Play-Off match against Cliftonville FC in a 3-1 win, which saw former Cliftonville player David McDaid score twice to take his current club into the First Qualifying Round of the Europa Conference League.

Larne will compete in their first European competition, and are currently writing what could be the most exciting chapter of their long history.

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Analysis of Larne Football Club | Bala Town vs Larne FC FORM Following their European Play-Off win against Cliftonville FC on June 5th, Larne have had a shorter amount of time to prepare for this European clash, however they have managed to squeeze in two preseason friendlies ahead of our match with the Northern Irish team.

Starting off with a 2-1 defeat to league Northern Ireland’s Coleraine FC who are also preparing for their First Qualifying Round tie in the Europa Conference League. Despite going into the half-time break all square, a 62nd minute goal from Coleraine handed defeat to the Inver Reds in their first pre- season friendly.

The weekend before the first leg of our European clash, Larne welcomed Scottish Championship side Kilmarnock FC to Inver Park to conclude their pre-season friendlies, before travelling over for the first leg at Park Hall, home of The New Saints. The Northern Irish side went into the break 2-0 down following two goals in 20 minutes from the Scottish side, however two goals in two minutes mid-way through the second half rewarded the Inver Reds with a draw.

KEY PLAYER NAME: DAVID MCDAID POSITION: STRIKER Larne FC’s main threat in front of goal will be in the form of David McDaid who scored 15 goals in 37 appearances in the NIFL Premiership last season. The 30-year-old has experience on his side as he has played for a host of clubs in Northern Ireland while also having had a spell out in England playing for York City in 2013.

His most successful spell came at Cliftonville where he scored 51 goals for The Reds in 113 appearances across three years at the club.

The Derry-born striker has represented both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland at youth level, having played for the Northern Ireland Schools Under-18 team as well as having been capped twice for the Republic of Ireland’s national under-19 team. McDaid has played a pivotal role in the rise of the club sitting bottom of the Northern Ireland Second Division from the time of his arrival to now playing in Europe.

He will now be hoping he can help inspire his side through to the next round of qualifying.

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Analysis of Larne Football Club | Bala Town vs Larne FC KEY PLAYER NAME: MARTIN DONNELLY POSITION: ATTACKING MIDFIELD Colin Caton will be aware of the threat Larne possess from the midfield, with attacking midfielders who can provide that moment of magic which may well be the difference over the two legs. Larne’s Martin Donnelly will be a particular player Caton will need to be mindful of, as the player has the ability and experience to cause the Lakesiders all kinds of problems. The 32-year-old plays on the left side of the midfield and has contributed to an impressive total of 151 goals across 382 appearances in his playing career. He also has experience of playing in Europe having played a total of 16 games across both the Europa League and Champions League qualifying phases. He has also represented his country, having earned one cap for Northern Ireland, coming on as a substitute against Italy in 2009. Donnelly’s experience of playing in Europe will be an important factor and the playmaker can be trusted to be called upon to provide that spark from midfield if needed.

KEY PLAYER NAME: RONAN HALE POSITION: STRIKER McDaid’s partner in attack Ronan Hale will be another player Bala Town will need to be wary of if they are to progress in the Europa Conference League. At the age of 22, he has a similar goal return to fellow striker McDaid having scored 12 goals in 33 league appearances last season. Hale grew up playing his football with local club Crusaders before he earned a move to Birmingham City where he played out the rest of his youth career, with his brother Rory also situated in the city playing for rivals Aston Villa. He would eventually leave Birmingham to return to Crusaders where he would play alongside his brother having impressed on loan at Derry City in his first year in senior football. Since then, he has gone on to play for St Patrick’s Athletic in Dublin as well as having represented the Republic of Ireland scoring five goals in 12 appearances for the Under 19s and Under 21s.

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David Collins Editorial | Bala Town vs Larne FC

lakesiders no longer novices With six previous experiences on the European stage, the Lakesiders are no longer the novices as they embark on a seventh – against a club making its own European debut.

Town have accumulated not just experience of this type of fixture, and everything that goes with it, but they’ve also picked up enough of those mysterious UEFA co-efficient points to put them – sometimes – in the seeded pot in UEFA draws. That’s no mean achievement, considering that last season was actually the first time that Bala have progressed by winning a First Qualifying Round tie.

Despite being based in Cardiff, I’ve managed to be present on a number of those previous European match-days – as well as seeing the team prevail in that Europa play-off at Port Talbot back in 2013, I’ve not missed a UEFA Europa League home leg fixture, and I was also there in the sweltering heat in Luxembourg for the away leg against Differdange in 2015, and up in the Alps for a difficult evening in Liechtenstein against FC Vaduz in 2017. So it’s good to be back watching Bala in Europe after the pandemic forced us to miss out on last year’s games against Valletta and Standard Liege.

With matches won ‘on the night’ against Levadia Tallinn, Differdange, Tre Fiori and Valletta (even though the first three of those were in aggregate defeats), Bala have contributed valuable UEFA co- efficient points to their own and the overall Wales total in four of their six campaigns.

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To most football followers, the whole UEFA coefficient system is pretty impenetrable, with its complex rolling five-year calculations that somehow determine clubs’ ranking in terms of seedings, as well as country rankings that translate into how many clubs each country can enter, and which rounds they come in at.

Thankfully there are a few experts around who do most of the ‘heavy lifting’ for us by tracking these calculations and interpreting the results.

You may remember reading last summer that Wales had dropped in the co-efficient ranking and as a result lost our fourth place.

This seemed a bit counter-intuitive at the time, because last season’s results weren’t that bad, with three of the Welsh teams (including Bala) avoiding defeat in at least one match.

Unfortunately for us, other countries just below in us the rankings did enough to leapfrog us. In recent years teams from Gibraltar and Kosovo have done particularly well in climbing the lower reaches of the rankings table.

The next question is probably why, after that, we actually have four clubs competing this year – Nomads, TNS, Bala Town and Newtown? The answer is that the effects of the changes in ranking always lag one season behind (because the whole season needs to play out all the way through the group stages etc. before all countries’ rankings can be calculated; our teams may go out in July and August but not everyone does!). So the reduction to three entries won’t take effect until 2022, when Wales will send its champions into the Champions League qualifying rounds as usual, but only its runners-up and Welsh Cup winners into the UEFA Conference League.

David Collins Editorial | Bala Town vs Larne FC

It’s impossible to say precisely what set of results the four Welsh clubs need to achieve to lift us from our current position of 51 (out of 55) in the co-efficient table. That’s largely because everything is relative to how clubs from our closest rival countries fare (look out for how the clubs of Montenegro and Gibraltar do, for instance); the fact that the last five year’s results are taken into account complicates it too.

However, I think it’s fair to say that if each of the four Welsh teams won just one leg of their matches this month, that would give us our highest yearly total in years. Anything more than that – even a draw or two – would be a bonus. Even a set of results like that wouldn’t help us next year, as the loss of one European place is already set in stone, nor would it be guaranteed to make enough of a difference to restore the fourth place in 2023… but it might, and at least we’d be heading in the right direction.

I am sometimes asked how much this all matters. Well, it matters if you’re potentially one of the clubs most likely to be chasing a fourth

European place, if we had one. The loss of one place is one less of our clubs getting the six-figure Euro sum in UEFA prize money, so a net reduction in funds coming into our national league.

It matters to the league too, for the Cymru Premier season has been structured around competition via play-offs for that fourth place.

And finally, it matters (or should matter) for national pride. Our national team has been a source of real pride and much has been written recently about the contribution that success and the whole ‘Red Wall / Wal Goch’ movement have made to feelings of Welsh national identity. Having our own national league with its clubs representing Wales on the European stage should be just as much a source of national pride – and positive results in the Champions League and Conference League would drive that.

David Collins (David is editor of Welsh Football magazine, the national football magazine of Wales, written and published by fans, for fans, on a non-profit basis since 1992. The magazine is published eight times a season and is available by subscription (see www.welsh-football.net) and from many independent bookshops, including Awen Meirion in Bala, who can reserve or order your regular copy).

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Business Advertisements | Bala Town vs Larne FC

SMITHY GARAGE SUPPORT THE LAKESIDERS Bala Town are so grateful for the tremendous support which the Smithy Garage of Dyffryn Ardudwy have given the club over so many years.

We are delighted that they continue to sponsor the club’s playing shorts and last year went a huge step further when they kindly agreed to sponsor our Academy’s Head of Coaching car.

This is so important for the development of our youth players and for the role which he provides to our community programmes.

Smithy Garage offers a whole range of vehicle services and we would be delighted if our loyal supporters could look them up whenever there is any vehicular requirements.

Car/Van Sales MOT’s Servicing Body Repairs Thank you most sincerely on behalf of us all at Maes Tegid.

Long may our relationship together continue!

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Business Advertisements | Bala Town vs Larne FC

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Alex Ramsay | Bala Town vs Larne FC NAME: ALEX RAMSAY POSITION: GOALKEEPER NATIONALITY: WELSH Alex Ramsay joined The Lakesiders in the summer of last year, having left Gwynedd rivals Caernarfon Town.

Alex emerged through the TNS Scholarship scheme, and then had a move to Caersws in 2010. The following season, he was rewarded with inclusion in the TNS Europa League squad, along with a professional contract.

He then made a move to Rhyl FC to play in the Cymru Alliance, until he made a move to Gwynedd rivals Caernarfon Town. Alex spent close to four years at Caernarfon Town, in which the club gained promotion to the Cymru Premier.

Alex also works as a Lead Youth Development Phase Coach at Shrewsbury Town, while also holding a UEFA A License and a UEFA A Goalkeeper License.

In his first season for Bala Town, he made 28 appearances while keeping 4 clean sheets.

His first competitive appearance for the club saw him write his name in Bala Town History, as he managed to save a penalty mid-way through the second half of our Europa League tie against Valletta last season, while also pulling off some great saves throughout the match, and taking us through to the Second Qualifying Round of the Europa League for the first time in our proud history.

Alex’s heroics were emulated in the Second Qualifying Round also, despite the 2-0 defeat to Standard Liege, Alex kept us in the game right the way through to the end, pulling off countless saves to deny the top forwards of Standard’s arsenal.

Alex has been called up to the Wales C Squad during his career, and has also appeared for Wales U18’s at Semi Pro Level.

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Previous European Campaign | Bala Town vs Larne FC The Lakesiders will be hoping to replicate the heroics shown in our previous European campaign last summer when we successfully advanced in Europe for the first time in our history with a remarkable 1-0 win over Maltese side Valletta. This historic victory saw us earn a place in the 2nd qualifying round of the Europa League, setting us up with a mouthwatering tie against Belgian giants Standard Liege. Although the Lakesiders would bow out to Les Rouches, there were plenty of positives to take, having competed against a huge European club.

When it was announced that our first-round opponents would be Valletta, many had already written off our chances of progressing, with the bookies pricing Bala as heavy underdogs as we prepared to head to the capital of Malta. However, this did not stop Colin Caton’s men from striving to create history which was shown with the performance of the Lakesiders that night. The defending and goalkeeping on show was nothing but first-class by the lads, as our defence withheld the early pressure set by Valletta throughout the first half. Anthony Stephens and Jonny Spittle putting on show some resilient defending as they aimed to shut out the Valletta attack. When called upon, Alex Ramsay was outstanding in net as he denied Valletta at every opportunity.

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We were rewarded for our hard work just before half-time as none other than captain fantastic Chris Venables gave us the lead as he headed home from a Steve Leslie cross at the back post.

We almost made it two following the break with Venables leading the attack; his cross to Will Evans was defended well by a Valletta defender to keep the lead to one. Minutes later Will looked to have been fouled in the area yet calls for a penalty were waved away by the referee.

Then it was the home side’s turn for claims of a penalty and this time the referee pointed to the spot, handing Valletta the chance to level the game. However, Ramsey looked unbeatable in net and proved so as he dived and saved to his right side, ensuring we kept our lead.

Ramsey continued to showcase his brilliant goalkeeping through the time remaining as he led us to an incredible victory alongside some heroic defending by the Bala backline. Venables’ solo goal was enough to secure the Lakesiders’ got through to the second qualifying round of the Europa League for the first time in our history!

Previous European Campaign | Bala Town vs Larne FC Our reward? An away trip to the Stade Maurice Dufrasne, the home of Belgian giants Standard Liege, in what would be the biggest game in the club’s 140-year history. Once again, as expected, we headed into the game as heavy underdogs, given no chance whatsoever of progressing.

However, it was the underdogs who gained the first opportunity on goal just a minute in, when Raul Correia received the ball just inside the area and got his shot away at the keeper who saved brilliantly with his feet. We remained competitive during the opening exchanges with some excellent defending keeping the home side at bay.

Then 20 minutes in, Standard Liege were handed the opportunity to take the lead as a harsh penalty was awarded against us. Felipe Avenatti stepped up and slotted the ball home past Ramsay to open the scoring. Ramsay was called into action once again minutes later as a curling effort by Mehdi Carcela-Gonzalez looked destined for the net before our shot stopper tipped it wide.

The Lakesiders remained patient as we awaited our chance to respond to going behind, and we got exactly what we wished for, when Venables was sent through on goal and fouled by Les Rouches’ defender Konstantinos Laifis, and we were awarded a penalty! Venables stood up to take it and his effort was matched by Arnaud

Bodart in goal as our opportunity to equalise was painfully missed before half-time.

Standard Liege then punished us for our missed opportunity as a deflected effort crept past Ramsay in goal to give the home side a 2-0 lead going into the break.

Ramsay remained on form in the second half as he denied every shot that came his way, with some sublime saves on show. The Lakesiders did push for at least one effort on goal however the home side stood strong as they were victorious on the night. The players could still be proud of the heart and spirit to compete and push the Belgian giants to their limits.

We will most definitely be hoping to show similar heart, spirit and fight when we embark on another European journey which begins against Larne tonight who will be a tough first test for Bala in the Europa Conference League.

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Business Advertisements | Bala Town vs Larne FC

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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

Dion Williams Editorial | Bala Town vs Larne FC

former wales international signs for bala!

Colin Caton embarked on another busy transfer window this summer, adding several players to his already competitive side which achieved an impressive 3rd place finish in last season’s campaign. The Lakesiders’ manager opting for experience with his summer signings of David Edwards, Paul Rutherford and Callum Woods who all bring a wealth of professionalism to Maes Tegid. While the additions of Danny WalkerRice and Brad Bauress will see them looking to establish themselves in the starting eleven with potentially bright futures ahead for both.

David Edwards will most certainly be the standout signing of the summer in the Cymru Premier, with Bala Town capturing a former Wales international who earned 43 caps for his country scoring in three appearances.

The 35-year-old most recently played for his boyhood side Shrewsbury Town of League One where he began his career which has seen him amass over 500 appearances, mainly for Wolverhampton Wanderers where he spent nine years. He played in all top three divisions of the English pyramid while at the Molineux Stadium, playing in the Premier League for three campaigns between 2009 and 2012.

While for Wales, the midfielder was a member of the famous Euro 2016 squad which reached the semi-finals of the tournament, knocking out favourites Belgium in the process.

Another highlight signing was made by Caton this summer in the form of 34-year-old Callum Woods who put pen-to-paper to offer his experience for the season.

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Woods will now add Wales to a long list of countries he has ventured in his footballing career having played in England for the likes of Huddersfield Town, Scotland for Dunfermline Athletic, and even India where he undertook a spell at SC East Bengal. Before his latest move to Wales which will see him grab his first taste of European football. The Liverpool-born defender plays as a full-back and will provide healthy competition to the Bala back line.

Danny Walker-Rice arrives at Maes Tegid having left his boyhood club Tranmere Rovers this summer and will be looking to gain some much-needed game time under his belt in North Wales. The 20- year-old made only six appearances for the Merseyside based side, however, he caught the eye of fans during his brief time spent on the field with many labelling him one-to-watch. The Tranmere academy product plays as a winger and will be a youthful option available who will be looking to establish himself as a key first-team member.

The midfield was strengthened once more with the addition of midfielder Brad Bauress who most recently left Chester for his second spell in Wales having previously played for Colwyn Bay in 2016. The 25-year-old has struggled to find a home having already played for five different sides since leaving Blackburn Rovers where he played for the academy before turning professional. Bauress is seen as a midfielder who can also play as a left-back, he also has a keen eye for a goal having scored 27 times for Witton Albion during their promotion-winning season in 2016/17. The Englishman also has the capability of scoring what can only be described as a ‘screamer’ having scored

Dion Williams Editorial | Bala Town vs Larne FC

long-range strikes on numerous occasions including a memorable one for Southport in the 2nd round of the FA Cup against Tranmere Rovers back in 2018.

guaranteed to offer the Lakesiders non-stop work rate every single matchday without question while providing his experience to help aide Bala Town’s title bid.

The latest acquisition came in the form of Paul Rutherford who has been accustomed to playing his football in North Wales having spent the last five years at National League outfit Wrexham A.F.C. He managed 186 appearances for the Red Dragons earning the nickname “the two-litre diesel” for his unrivalled work ethic which saw him cover every blade of the pitch with his rapid speed. He will be

Overall, another impressive transfer window

by Colin Caton, mixing experience with youth as he aims to strengthen his already proven side as they look to go one step further in their bid for a first Cymru Premier title. Strength in depth was a clear target of the Lakesiders’ manager heading into last year’s summer transfer window and this year is no different with competition available in every department as Bala Town are set to begin their 2021/22 campaign.

Dion Williams Football Writer for Y Clwb Pel-Droed @DionWills16

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2021/22 Cymru Premier League Fixtures | Bala Town vs Larne FC

Bala Town vs Penybont 14/08/21 14:30 KO Barry Town vs Bala Town

21/08/21

14:30 KO

Bala Town vs Cardiff Met 28/08/21 14:30 KO Aberystwyth Town vs Bala Town

31/08/21

20:00 KO

Bala Town vs Haverfordwest County

11/09/21

14:30 KO

Connah’s Quay Nomads vs Bala Town

18/09/21

14:30 KO

Flint Town vs Bala Town

02/10/21

14:30 KO

Bala Town vs Cefn Druids 09/10/21 14:30 KO The New Saints vs Bala Town

12/10/21

19:45 KO

Bala Town vs Barry Town 23/10/21 14:30 KO Penybont vs Bala Town

30/10/21

14:30 KO

Bala Town vs Connah’s Quay Nomads 05/11/21 19:45 KO Newtown vs Bala Town

09/11/21

19:45 KO

Bala Town vs Flint Town 19/11/21 19:45 KO Bala Town vs The New Saints 03/12/21 19:45 KO Haverfordwest County vs Bala Town

11/12/21

14:30 KO

Cefn Druids vs Bala Town

17/12/21

14:30 KO

Bala Town vs Caernarfon Town 26/12/21 14:30 KO Caernarfon Town vs Bala Town

01/01/22

14:30 KO

Cardiff Met vs Bala Town

22/01/22

14:30 KO

Bala Town vs Newtown 28/01/22 19:45 KO Bala Town vs Aberystwyth Town 12/02/22 17:15 KO

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Season Preview | Bala Town vs Larne FC

After a turbulent 2020/21 season, we now can look forward to the 2021/22 season, which will be welcomed by all hoping there is no repeat of the events last season.

On the 2nd of July, the Football Association of Wales released the fixtures for the 21/22 JD Cymru Premier League season.

We will kick off our league campaign on Saturday 14th of August, in the same way we ended our home league season last season with Penybont visiting Maes Tegid. August will then consist of a trip down to Jenner Park to face Barry Town, before returning home to face Cardiff Met on the 28th of August. then to finish off the month, we will travel to Aberystwyth Town in a mid-week fixture.

September will only see us play two league matches, however there could be cup matches to be played. The only two league matches will see us host Haverfordwest County at home on the 11th, before travelling to the home of the Champions Connah’s Quay Nomads on the 18th.

We head into a busy month of October, which will see us play five fixtures, starting with an away trip to Flint Town, before returning to Maes Tegid to welcome Cefn Druids the weekend later. A huge match as always will follow Druids, as we face a trip to The New Saints in mid-week. On the 23rd we’ll host Barry Town at Maes Tegid, then finishing the month off with a trip down to Penybont.

We could also see a busy month in November, depending on how far Colin Caton and his men get in the league cup. To start the month however, we will host Connah’s Quay Nomads in another huge match in the footballing calendar. In midweek we will then travel to Newtown before coming back to Maes Tegid to host Flint Town.

However if the Lakesiders were to progress into the semi final of the Nathaniel MG League Cup, we could have a fixture to play near the end of November.

The festive time of the year will see a couple of huge games, starting off with a home match against The New Saints, before the long trip down south to face Haverfordwest County at the Bridge Meadow Stadium. A week before Christmas Day, we’ll make the short trip to Cefn Druids, which will bring us up to Matchday 17. As usual, we’ll face Gwynedd rivals Caernarfon Town twice throughout the festive period, starting with the home match on Boxing day.

Then to kick off the new year, and let’s face it, it can’t be any worse than the last year! We will travel to The Oval to face Caernarfon Town. We’ll then travel down to Cardiff Met on the 22nd of January, and then to finish the first month of the year, we will welcome Newtown to Maes Tegid.

To conclude the First Phase of the league season, we will host Aberystwyth Town at Maes Tegid on Saturday 12th of February. However there’s a possibility of a Nathaniel MG League Cup final if we get there the weekend before the conclusion of the ‘First Phase’ of the league campaign.

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Manager: Colin Caton

Manager: Tiernan Lynch

Alex Ramsay

Rohan Ferguson

Calum Woods

Albert Watson

Sean Smith

Andy Scott

Nathan Peate

Cian Bolger

Athony Stephens

Conor Devlin

Jonny Spittle

Conor McKendry

Lassana Mendes

David McDaid

Will Evans

Dean Jarvis

Danny Walker-Rice

Fuad Sule

Kieran Smith

Graham Kelly

Steven Leslie

Jeff Hughes

Antony Kay

John Herron

Paul Rutherford

Josh Robinson

Dave Edwards

Kofi Balmer

Brad Bauress

Lee Lynch

Chris Venables

Mark Randall

Oliver Shannon

Martin Donnelly

Harri Lloyd

Michael O’Boyle Mike Argyrides Ronan Hale Seamus Lunch Tomas Cosgrove Matthew Lusty

Referee: Mohammed Al-emara (Finland) Assistant: Jukka Honkanen (Finland) Assistant: Turkka Joonas Valjakka (Finland) Fourth Official: Petri Viljanen (Finland)

ISSUE ONE > BALA TOWN VS LARNE FC

larne

MATCHDAY ONE - PARK HALL > UEFA EUROPA CONFERENCE LEAGUE 19:00 / 08.07.2021 > FIRST QUALIFYING ROUND

BALA TOWN