BALA Town continued their busy pre-season with another encouraging display against fifth-tier club Chester at Maes Tegid on Monday night, but the visitors took their chances to secure a 3-1 win.

Chester opened the scoring when Nyal Bell stole keeper Craig Vernon of possession in the first-half to score - but Colin Caton’s men hit back through Chris Venables’ equaliser in a close fought first half.

The visitors changed their full line-up in the second half, and their youthful side went on to claim the win, courtesy of goals by 16 year-old talent Lloyd Marsh-Hughes and strike partner Harry White.

Chester had started brightly and went close to scoring on 10 minutes when Irish winger Craig Mahon crossed the ball in for Bell at the back post - but his header was cleared off the line by Stuart Jones.

The National League side did, however, score on 19 minutes when Vernon was caught in possession inside his six yard box and gifted 20-year-old Bell a tap in.

Bala battled back with real purpose, with Anthony Stephens firing wide, and when Ryan Wade’s ball was only half cleared, Venables also struck wide of the target.

They levelled matters on 39 minutes when Stuart J Jones nodded the ball down from a corner into the path of Venables, and he lashed home from six yards out.

It was a strange evening for full-back Evan Horwood, who had only left Chester a week earlier to sign for the Lakesiders, opting for a longer-term contract.

But it was a neat delivery from Horwood that saw Ian Sheridan unleash Les Davies, but former Bala keeper Alex Lynch was able to scramble over the loose ball.

Chester brought on a new side for the second half, with new signing Andrai Jones, David Thompson and Mike Hayes stepping off the bench for the Lakesiders.

And five minutes after the restart, Caton’s men missed a great opportunity to take the lead when Thompson’s in-swinging cross from the right was glanced narrowly wide of the goal by Andrai Jones.

At the other end Lucas Dawson found Matty Waters with a 60-yard diagonal pass, and the youngster was hauled down by Glenn Rule on the edge of the box, with Liam Davies blazing the free-kick wide.

It was Marsh-Hughes who made the difference for Chester, however, and when he was threaded through by Wade Joyce, he lifted a fine chip over the on-rushing Vernon from 12 yards for a neat goal.

Bala took the game to their opponents and Stuart J Jones headed wide from close range, before a fierce strike from Wade was deflected for a corner, and Thompson saw his shot blocked out for a throw in.

The lively Andrai Jones, who was at Southport last season, really looked the part for Bala, and when Thompson was fouled by defender James Jones, the new signing crashed a deflected effort wide.

Home stopper Vernon parried Davies’ strong effort from 25 yards clear, but Jones should have scored at the other end when he blazed over from eight yards.

Dawson also saw a curling effort hit the upright, and Waters then also failed to convert a header from Davies’ cutback in a bright spell from Chester.

Marsh-Hughes, however, sealed a fine individual performance on 81 minutes, by laying the ball on for Harry White to fire a low shot past Vernon from 12 yards out.

The Lakesiders almost notched a second goal when a corner from Nathan Burke arrived at Venables at the back post, but his header flew just over the bar, and Chester ended with a somewhat flattering win.

BALA: Vernon, Stephens, SJ Jones, Bell, Horwood, Wade (A Jones 45), Rule, Venables, Burke, Sheridan (Thompson 45), Davies (Hayes 45). Other subs: S Jones, Fisher, J Jones

CHESTER: First-half: Lynch, Halls, Astles, McCombe, Rowe-Turner, Chapell, Turnbull, James, Mahon, Bell, Akintunde. Second-half: Trialist, Trialist, Jones, Trialist, Trialist, Waters, Dawson, Joyce, Davies, White, Marsh-Hughes.