ABERYSTWYTH Town are hoping to hit the ground running when they return to action against Bala Town in the first of two crucial back-to-back Friday night fixtures at Park Avenue.

The Seasiders will have had 10 days to reflect on their 3-2 midweek defeat at Bangor City, but they remain eight points clear of basement side Carmarthen, and level on points with both Prestatyn Town and Newtown.

Former Bangor player Declan Walker opened the scoring for Aber with his fourth goal in five games, but City were level inside five minutes as Steven Hewitt netted from close range.

Aber were back in front in the 50th minute when Luke Borrelli scored, but the hosts responded with Luke Wall volleying home on 73 minutes, and six minutes later Dean Rittenberg netted the winner with a neat finish.

Manager Neville Powell could take many positives from a narrow defeat to his former club, but he is looking for his side to bounce back against the Lakesiders under the floodlights.

“We had enough chances to win two games, but then we’ve been punished at the other end, when we didn’t look like we would concede,” Powell said.

“It’s been a bad night for us, but on a positive note, you could see where we are trying to go with this team.

“The lads will get their heads up and work hard in training. We’ve got a good little squad, and should be picking up more points than we are.

“If we could have got three points at Bangor, we’d have been on the tails of the top six, but we have got to start again and get another little run going.

“There is no reason why we cannot do that with the players we’ve got.”

Opponents Bala, who are captained by former Aber favourite Chris Venables, will arrive at Park Avenue on the back of a five match unbeaten run, after registering a 1-1 draw with high-flying Connah’s Quay last Friday.

Aber drew 1-1 with Bala at Maes Tegid in September, and Powell will be looking for a positive result to take into the mid Wales showdown against Newtown seven days later.

“We were third from bottom a month ago, so it shows what can happen if you chuck a few results together,” said Bala manager Colin Caton.

“We’ve got a close knit group of players who have done really well in the last month, we are five games unbeaten, with four wins, and there’s a good mood in the camp right now.”

Meanwhile the two sides have also been paired together in the third round of the JD Welsh Cup, with Aber taking on the holders at Park Avenue on the weekend of 2/3 December.

Local Cymru Alliance club Penrhyncoch have meanwhile been paired with Welsh Premier League champions The New Saints in Oswestry.