NEW SIGNING Nathan Burke netted on his debut as Bala Town overcame Cymru Alliance outfit Holyhead 3-1 in extremely difficult conditions, to book a place in the Welsh Cup Quarter-Finals.

Midfielder Burke, who has joined from Warringon, set the Lakesiders on their way with a superb 24th minute strike.

The battling hosts, however, forced a second half equaliser through Mike Kelly - before late goals from Mike Hayes and Mark Jones finally secured the Bala win.

The Lakesiders have been handed yet another away tie in the quarter-finals against either Guilsfield or Airbus UK.

Bala had controlled the possession for long periods, and early chances saw Mark Jones curl a free kick low for Carl Jones in the Hotspur net to clear away.

Jones then ran onto a Mike Hayes through ball, cutting through the defence and going one on one with the keeper, who turned his shot into the side-netting.

Hayes and Mark Connolly led the visitors’ forward line with Ian Sheridan, Lee Hunt and Keiran Smith all unavailable through injury, illness and suspension.

Connolly could well have opened the scoring when a ball was flicked onto him, but the goalkeeper beat him to the ball. A free header from Hayes went wide of the upright, before David Thompson’s cross was well claimed by the keeper.

With wind at their backs, Bala also saw Connolly drive an effort wide from 20 yards, and Hayes was then deemed offside after pouncing onto a clearance.

With Bala cranking up the pressure, the deadlock was broken when Hayes was tugged back on the edge of the penalty box and Burke, making his full debut, stepped up to dispatch a perfect free kick into the left hand top corner of the net.

Bala’s dominance continued with a few half chances before the break, but with the floodlights starting to shake in worsening weather, they had the wind and rain in their faces in the second period.

To their full credit, both sets of players showed great character as they attempted to play a passing game, and when Jones linked up with Hayes his first time strike was parried away for a corner.

From the flag kick, Hayes again went close with a header which the keeper initially fumbled, but recovered solidly.

A strike from Jones was saved, before Ryan Valentine stepped up to power a free kick narrowly narrowly wide of goal.

Holyhead threw caution to the wind, and their determination paid off when a cross from the right by Damien Keltley found Kelly, whose looping header beat keeper Ashley Morris on 62 minutes.

The Lakesiders were pushed back for a while in the atrocious conditions, before they stepped up again, with Conall Murtagh firing over as their fitness showed.

Finally, on 82 minutes, a scramble in the box fell to Hayes three yards out and he instinctively back-heeled the ball into the net - and two minutes later it was game over as the ball looped across goal for Mark Jones to tuck home the third goal.

Jones scooped a shot inches wide, and Connolly fired into the side-netting - but that would have been harsh on Hotspur.

HOLYHEAD: C Jones, B Hogan, K Owen, C Jones, A Jones, R Roberts, M Kelly, D Thomas (M Edwards 65), D Ketley, J Roberts, D Garmey (R Jones 88). Subs: D Roberts, Smith.

BALA: A Morris, R Valentine, A Stephens, S Jones, C Murtagh, MConnolly, M Jones, R Pearson, N Burke, D Thompson, M Hayes. Subs: Vernon, Irving, Bell, Fisher, Sheridan.