Rhyl 1879 1 Bala Town 3

Novira Cymru North

BALA Town came from behind to claim an important 3-1 victory over Rhyl 1879 at the Hops and Barley Community Stadium on Friday evening.

The venue holds special memories for the Lakesiders, having hosted four of the club's European fixtures, but this latest visit presented a different challenge as Bala arrived with a lengthy injury list.

The visitors started brightly, with Tom Kelly causing problems early on. His neat dribbling inside the area created an opening, but his effort was well saved by the Rhyl goalkeeper.

Charlie Fisher picked up an early booking as the hosts gradually worked their way into the game. Rhyl came close to breaking the deadlock during a promising spell, only for Bala goalkeeper La'Trell Jones to produce a superb close-range save.

At the other end, Kelly was denied again after being released by an excellent pass from Craig Lindfield.

As the half wore on, Rhyl enjoyed more possession and territory, while Bala skipper Nathan Burke also found himself in the referee's notebook. Despite a competitive contest, clear-cut chances remained limited and the teams went into the break level at 0-0.

The breakthrough arrived shortly after the restart when former Bala Academy player Josh Jones fired home a powerful cross-shot to give Rhyl the lead.

Rather than knocking the visitors off course, the goal sparked Bala into life. On the hour mark, Craig Lindfield rose highest to meet a Tom Kelly corner and guide a superb header into the net for the equaliser.

Bala introduced Will Bell for Fisher two minutes later and continued to build momentum. Their pressure soon paid off as Lindfield struck again, applying a clever finish at the near post to complete the turnaround.

The visitors were now firmly in control and looked the more likely side to score again. Rhyl's goalkeeper kept his team in contention with a string of impressive saves as Bala continued to threaten.

Kelly made way for Tomas Jones on 71 minutes, while Lindfield received a yellow card after a robust challenge four minutes later.

Bala created enough opportunities to put the contest beyond doubt but had to wait until deep into stoppage time to secure the points.

A late double substitution saw Lindfield and Naim Arsan replaced by James Farr and Emmanuel Osilaja before Jones sealed victory in dramatic fashion.

The substitute produced a fine run before finishing confidently at the near post in the 94th minute to wrap up a deserved win and three valuable points for the Lakesiders.

Friday’s results: Bangor 1876 2 Brickfield Rangers 1; Buckley Town 3 Guilsfield 1; Newtown 4 Llanuwchllyn 0; Penrhyncoch 2 Denbigh Town 2; Porthmadog 1 Caersws 3; Rhyl 1879 1 Bala Town 3; Ruthin Town 0 Mold Alexandra 4