The New Saints 2 v 3 Bala Town

Tuesday 24th September 2024, Kick-off 19.45

Cymru Premier

Park Hall, Oswestry

Admission: £11.00

Programme: £3.00

Attendance: 179

A match report, from a TNS point of view, can be read by clicking here , also copied and pasted below

Video highlights can be viewed by clicking here

Late drama sees Bala Town leave Park Hall with all three points

Match report by Sam Wood

Following stoppage-time drama at Park Hall, Bala Town left Oswestry with a 3-2 victory over The New Saints.

With the game locked level at 1-1, Craig Harrison’s side thought’d they’d snatched a late winner with three minutes to play, courtesy of Dan Williams.

But it was the Lakesiders who went home with maximum points, after Alex Downes and Hussein Mehasseb stunned The Saints with last-gasp goals.

It was a fast start by the JD Cymru Premier champions, and they could’ve opened the scoring with just two minutes on the clock.

Making a lively run into the penalty area, Jake Canavan got on the end of Josh Daniels’ cross, but failed to hit the target with his shot.

Just three minutes later though, The Saints did make the breakthrough courtesy of Sion Bradley.

Controlling Leo Smith’s pass on the edge of the penalty area, the former Caernarfon Town man beat Joel Torrance with an effort into the far corner.

However, the TNS lead didn’t last long, as Bala equalised in the 12th minute of the match.

Collecting the ball on the halfway line, the Lakesiders’ number 22, Christian Norton, went on a surging run into the TNS penalty area, before squeezing an effort beneath the outrushing Connor Roberts.

Down the other end, Adam Wilson put the ball into the back of the net with 25 minutes played, but the assistant referee quickly raised his flag to signal an offside.

Five minutes before the break, Bradley could’ve restored his side’s lead, but after an inviting ball from Jordan Williams, the number 20 couldn’t quite connect with his head.

Following the restart, Wilson and Josh Daniels were both denied by the goalkeeper, as The Saints looked to start the second half as they did the first.

With 60 minutes gone, Bradley had a strike deflected wide from inside the penalty, before an important header from Alex Downes prevented Ben Clark from testing the goalkeeper.

Craig Harrison’s side continued to knock on the Bala door, and with 18 minutes to play, a header from Blaine Hudson went begging at the back post.

In the 81st minute, the home side went close again, as a free-kick from Sion Bradley cannoned back off the post.

With three minutes of the 90 to play though, The New Saints scored what they thought would be the winner, as substitute, Dan Williams, stroked the ball into the top corner following a cross from Jake Canavan.

But with six minutes of additional time indicated by the fourth official, there was still time for late drama to unfold at Park Hall.

In the second minute of stoppage time, Alex Downes scored a dramatic equaliser for the Lakesiders, as he beat Roberts with a composed finish from close-range after a great Aeron Edwards assist. 

And things went from bad to worse before the final whistle, as Caton’s side scored a last-gasp winner in the seventh minute of added on time.

Hussein Mehassed stole the ball from the feet of Blaine Hudson midway inside the TNS half, before racing forward and lofting the ball over Roberts from inside the ‘D’.

3-2 is how it ended, with Bala Town claiming their first-ever victory over The New Saints at Park Hall.

It’s the first time since 2019 that TNS have lost back-to-back league games – a run spanning 149 consecutive matches.