Bala Town 3 Barry Town United 1

JD Cymru Premier

BALA Town sealed a very important JD Cymru Premier win against Barry on Saturday as their quest for a top six finish come the split continues.

With three games to go, the Lakesiders are currently in fifth spot after leapfrogging Caernarforn Town who were beaten 3-1 at Aberystwyth.

Manager Colin Caton was delighted with the victory: “I thought we were really good, we were up for the fight.

“It was a good, competitive game in the first half in which I thought we could have scored more. We hit the post, they cleared one off the line and Joe Malkin bent one wide.

“I was really pleased with the lads’ performance throughout the game, I thought we thoroughly deserved it.”

Bala’s campaign has been hampered by a number of injuries, goalscorer Eddie Clarke the latest to pick up a knock having to leave the Maes Tegid pitch on Saturday.

Caton added: “Lassa (Mendes) has played today, Louis Robles has played. These are lads that have missed most of the season so when we get an 11 out we’re not bad but we’re just down to the bare bones on numbers on the bench.

“Eddie’s come off again today. We’re putting forwards into full back positions. It’s really difficult but we’ll keep going.

“If we’d have lost the game I thinks that would have been it for the top six but it’s a great result for us and the lads thoroughly deserved it and they’ve showed great desire to get into the top six.”

The visitors offered the first threat in the first 20 seconds at Maes Tegid on Saturday when Michael George’s cross from the right was headed clear by Nathan Peate straight to Joshua Beecher whose effort from the edge of the area was easily gathered by Joel Torrance.

At the other end, a well worked corner saw Robles fire into the sidenetting through a cluster of players.

Kane McClaggen headed wide for Barry and had a penalty shout waved away before Bala were denied by the woodwork when Malkin prodded an effort against the foot of the post after Barry keeper Liam Armstrong failed to deal with a tame effort by Mendes.

The breakthrough came on 36 minutes when Clarke fired in his first goal of the season after Robles’ deflected shot fell kindly to him.

Malkin curled an effort wide and was then denied by a fantastic goal-line clearance by Evan Press as Bala finished the half strongly.

Malkin doubled the hosts’ advantage with a close range finish on 70 minutes after Peate’s header bounced back off the foot of the post and they made it 3-0 on 89 minutes, Hussein Mehasseb finishing off a fine team move.

Ieuan Owen pulled one back for Barry in stoppage time, who felt that they deserved to get more from the game as they dropped out of the top six.