The New Saints 2 Bala Town 0

FULL TIME

THE New Saints kept their side of the bargain, beating Bala to keep their title hopes alive but their efforts proved futile as Connah’s Quay ran out winners at Penybont to seal the JD Cymru Premier title.

Bala were looking to throw a spanner in the works against TNS but they never looked like taking the three points despite the hosts going down to 10 men after only 20 minutes.

After a quiet start the hosts nudged ahead on 10 minutes when Ben Clark ran onto a ball through the middle of the Bala back line and rounded keeper Harri Lloyd to score into an empty net.

TNS were bossing possession with Bala struggling to trouble the home defence but they were given a massive boost when Ryan Harrington was red carded on 20 minutes.

The defender lost possession to Kieran Smith on the edge of the area and instinctively pulled his shirt as the Bala man was about to bear down on goal giving the referee no option but to send him off. Chris Venables sent the resulting free kick over the bar.

Bala set out to take advantage of their numerical advantage, playing keep ball and moving the ball from side to side to try to engineer gaps in the home side’s defence.

After a good passage of play and a couple of dangerous crosses Smith volleyed wildly off target from the edge of the area.

Venables then tried his luck from outside the area but his shot drifted wide as the keeper saw it out.

But as the half wore on the home side began to look more comfortable, glad to take a one-goal lead into the break.

The 10-men continued to impress after the turnaround and doubled their advantage on 53 minutes, Clark and Louis Robes linking to set up Adrian Cieslewicz out on the left to fire into the far bottom corner.

Bala upped the tempo again with substitute Henry Jones playing in Chris Venables on goal, but with the slippery surface the ball ended up in the hands of Harrison.

Kieran Smith then ran onto a cross across the area but his first-time effort was parried away by keeper Paul Harrison.

But TNS were in control and never looked like losing their grip on proceedings.

Bala: Harrl Lloyd, Sean Smith, Nathan Peate, Anthony Stephens, Andrew Burns, Kieran Smith, Antony Kay, Danny Gosset, Lasanna Mendes, Will Evans, Chris Venables. Subs: Alex Ramsay, Shaun Kelly, Henry Jones, Liam Davies, Steve Leslie