BALA Town toasted Colin Caton’s 550th game in charge of the Lakesiders with an excellent 3-2 win at Carmarthen, to cement fourth place in the Dafabet Welsh Premier League last weekend.

The visitors had forged into a seventh-minute lead when Ryan Wade glanced home an Anthony Stephens free-kick, but the Old Gold quickly turned the tables.

Mark Connolly could only direct a header looping over the head of his own keeper Ashley Morris, before Dave Vincent poked the hosts in front on 13 minutes.

Perhaps tiring from their midweek extra-time exertions in their Nathaniel Car Sales Cup semi-final, Carmarthen were pegged back in the 71st minute when Keiran Smith provided the delivery for Mike Hayes to convert from four yards out.

Then, with 10 minutes remaining, Chris Venables clinched the three points with a tap-in from Ryan Wade’s byline cross.

After their draw at Cefn Druids, it was a satisfying victory for the Lakesiders, and the game couldn’t have started any better.

Disrupted by an early substitution, Carmarthen conceded when Anthony Stephens’ free kick was met by the head of Wade, who flicked in from three yards.

Carmarthen, however, hit back on seven minutes when a cushioned header by Connolly at the back took too much power and looped over Morris into the goal.

Bala then went behind when a lapse of concentration at the back allowed Vincent to drop off at far post and drive the ball in.

The Lakesiders continued their domination of the game, and Wade put a brilliant ball in for Stuart J Jones who headed over the bar, and Keiran Smith put in a peach of a cross in from the right to Mike Hayes, whose header rattled the base of the post.

Bala’s fluid football at times destroyed the home defence and Nathan Burke saw his overhead kick saved by goalkeeper Lee Idzi before Stuart Jones headed over just over the bar from a Venables free-kick.

At the start of the second half, Bala forced successive corner kicks, and it was a matter of time before visitors equalised.

Venables saw a header land on top of the net from Dave Thompson’s cross, and both Venables and Thompson went close.

Finally Bala levelled on 71 minutes, when Smith swung in a superb ball for Hayes to smash their deserved equaliser.

From then on, it was one-way traffic, and Hayes headed over the bar, before the winner arrived with 10 minutes to go.

Man of the match Wade weaved through three players, and then put the ball on a plate for Venables to tuck the ball home.

Smith, who also had an excellent game, squared the ball to Burke at the back post, but the midfielder’s shot hit the side-netting as the Lakesiders finished in control.

CARMARTHEN: L Idzi, D Sheehan, J Knott (K Bassett 1, M Thomas 58’), D Vincent, L Surman, C Morgan, D Carroll (D Thomas 85), K Lewis, M Jones, L Thomas, C Hanford. Subs not used: D Bailey, R Cole, N Smothers, I Roberts.

BALA TOWN: A Morris, A Stephens, S Jones, S J Jones, D Thompson, M Connolly, R Wade (R Edwards 86), N Burke, C Venables, M Hayes, K Smith (M Jones 90’+2). Subs not used: G Oikonomopoulos (gk), R Valentine, S Fisher. Attendance: 315. Referee: Huw Jones.