BALA Town let a two-goal lead slip as Barry Town United staged a remarkable second-half comeback to emerge as 5-2 victors at Maes Tegid last weekend.

After a goalless first half, the Lakesiders appeared to be in the driving seat as Chris Venables and Kieran Smith opened up a two-goal cushion inside the hour.

Barry hit back four times in a remarkable 10-minute spell, with goals from Jordan Cotterill, Kayne McLaggon, with a brace, and Momodou Touray, before Drew Fahiya sealed the points late on.

Their win was enough to earn third-placed Barry their ticket into the Europa League, while Bala were left with plenty to ponder after conceding 12 goals in their last two outings at home.

Hopes of a top-four finish may have faded, but manager Colin Caton will hope to steady to the ship ahead of the play-offs, with Connah’s Quay Nomads set to visit Maes Tegid on Friday night.

Mike Hayes had seen an early effort cleared off the goal line and at the other end Cotterill fired inches wide from the edge of the box, before Sean Smith let fly from 20 yards for the home side.

Chris Venables and Henry Jones combined on the left, allowing a cross to arrive to Chris Seargeant, but he blazed over, and Jones saw his close range shot pushed away before the interval.

Bala began the second half brilliantly, and seven minutes in Chris Venables broke the deadlock when a cross came into the area and the home captain headed home for his ninth league goal.

Bala were applying plenty of pressure and the second goal came two minutes later when a spell of pressure saw the ball arrive to Kieran Smith, who drove low into the net from 12 yards out.

It could have been three as Sean Smith blasted over the crossbar from the edge of the penalty box - but things took a turn for the worst in a crazy spell that saw Jordan Cotterill, Kayne McLaggon and Momodou Touray turn the tables with quick-fire goals.

As much as they tried to get back into the game, Bala just couldn’t manage a reply and their afternoon went from bad to worse when McLaggon and then Drew Fahiya wrapped up the win.

BALA: A Morris, A Burns, S Smith, S J Jones, S Kelly, A Stephens (N Burke 76’), C Venables, C Seargeant, H Jones, M Hayes, K Smith. Subs not used: A Miley, S Jones, I Sheridan, E Horwood, J Edwards.

BARRY: M Lewis, P Morgan (E Press 68’), L Cooper, C Watkins, C Hugh, R Patten (T Greening 86’), C Green, K McLaggon (D Fahiya 78’), M Touray, J Cotterill, J Hood. Subs not used: O Davies (gk), T Fry, S Snaith, L Cosslett. Attendance: 201.

BALA TOWN 0 THE NEW SAINTS 7

BALA Town suffered a crushing 7-0 midweek defeat at Maes Tegid as The New Saints extended their lead at the top of the Welsh Premier League table to four points.

Ryan Brobbel and Daniel Redmond gave the visitors a 2-0 half-time lead, and it was to get much worse for the Lakesiders in the second half.

Greg Draper and Adrian Cieslewicz both scored second-half doubles, and Dean Ebbe also got on the visitors’ scoresheet as the Saints moved four points clear of Connah’s Quay Nomads.

With eight minutes on the clock, Greg Draper had a great chance to open the scoring for the Saints. After being picked out well by Chris Marriott’s cross from the left, the JD Welsh Premier League’s leading goal scorer got a toe to the ball and forced a good save from Ashley Morris.

The Bala goalkeeper could only parry the ball back into the danger area, however, but the Lakesiders’ defence were able to scramble it clear.

Just a minute later though, the deadlock was broken.

After good play down the right, the ball dropped to Ryan Brobbel on the edge of the 18-yard-box, and the midfielder scored with a great finish - to give Scott Ruscoe’s side a well-deserved lead.

The Saints who continued to see all the ball and numerous chances fell their way to double their advantage.

Jamie Mullan came close to picking out Redmond at the back post, but good covering from the Bala defence brought the move to an end, and both Brobbel and Draper saw efforts go off target.

Bala battled back, but a crucial second goal came three minutes before half-time.

Greg Draper brilliantly rescued a ball on the edge of the penalty area, before cutting back and spotting Redmond in space. He squeezed it through to the former Hamilton man, who made no mistake in firing past Morris.

From a TNS point of view, the second period couldn’t have started better, as only two minutes had been played before the ball was in the back of the net one again.

Jamie Mullan set up Greg Draper with a good ball inside the penalty area and the New Zealand international did eventually get his goal, firing in from close range.

Looking to keep the side fresh, Scott Ruscoe introduced Adrian Cieslewicz into the action with 66 minutes gone. He replaced Danny Redmond and it took just a matter of seconds for the Polish midfielder to impact.

Good work from Mullan down the right created space for a cross and it was Cieslewicz who rised highest to meet the ball on the edge of the six-yard-box to add a fourth goal for the visitors,

Another substitute made it five soon after. After a good spot by Kane Lewis, the right-back picked out Dean Ebbe in the penalty area, and like Cieslewicz moments before, he sent keeper Morris the wrong way with a header.

Things quickly got worse for Colin Caton’s team, and two further goals followed in the final four minutes.

With 86 minutes gone, Greg Draper extended his tally even further as he did well to get the ball under control while under pressure, and he finished expertly into the roof of the net for a 6-0 lead.

Cieslewicz rounded things off in the final minute with a fantastic first-time strike from the edge of the penalty area, which went sailing into the back of the net, leaving Morris with no chance.

BALA: A Morris, A Burns, S Smith, A Miley (S Kelly 53’), S J Jones, A Stephens (H Jones 53’), N Burke, C Venables, M Hayes, E Horwood (J Edwards 79’), I Sheridan. Subs not used: S Jones, K Jones (gk), R Valentine.

THE NEW SAINTS: P Harrison, K Lewis, B Hudson,J Bodenham, C Marriott, J Routledge, T Holland, J Mullan (K Byrne 75’), R Brobbel (D Ebbe 69’), D Redmond (A Cieslewicz 66’), G Draper. Subs not used: L Dutton (gk), S Spender, A Edwards.

Attendance: 222. Ref: L Evans.