A BRACE from Penybont debutant Rhys Kavanagh compounded Bala to defeat on the road as they kicked off their JD Cymru Premier campaign.

It didn’t take long for the hosts to get a foothold in the match, as Nathan Wood almost put his side in front early on, as he struck the inside of the post with Ramsay beat, but luckily the ball somehow stayed out and went past the opposite post.

With quarter of an hour gone, Bont had another great chance after a mistake up the field led to a counter attack, but a tame effort was easily saved by Ramsay.

It was a tough opening 20 minutes for the Lakesiders who struggled to get into the match, and thankfully in the blistering heat, both sides went for their designated drinks break to hydrate, which gave the Lakesiders a chance to regroup after the tough start.

Following the drinks break, Bala slowly grew into the game, with some nice one-touch football in the middle of the park, however there were no clear-cut chances made.

There were calls for a penalty, after an alleged handball from a Bont defender inside the box, however the calls were waved away by the referee.­

Despite the visitors growing into the game after the first 20 minutes of the first half, the second half started the same as the first, but this time, the hosts took their chance and took the lead.

Kavanagh, a first-half introduction to the game, got on the end of a chipped ball through, and managed to loop the ball over Ramsay with Nathan Peate attempting to clear the ball off the line, only for the clearance to hit the inside of the crossbar and into the net.

And within five minutes of his first, Kavanagh grabbed his second with a well-taken finish, as he got on the ball in the final third and hit a strike to Ramsay’s left hand side to double his side’s advantage.

As time ticked on, there were no signs of Bala pulling at least one back, however their chances increased as Bont substitute Sam Snaith was given his marching orders for an apparent elbow on Antony Kay as the pair contested a header.

Despite finishing the match with 10 men, the hosts held on for the 2-0 victory, although there were late shouts for a penalty from Bala, as Lassana Mendes looked to have been brought down inside the box, only for the referee to book the Lakesiders midfielder for apparent simulation. Dave Edwards joined his fellow midfielder in the book for his argument against the referee’s decision.

Bala next face Haverfordwest County at Maes Tegid on Saturday, 20 August, with kick-off at 2.30pm.