Bala Town 1-1 (1-3 p) Cardiff Metropolitan: Fuller saves three penalties to send Met into Europe

Cardiff Metropolitan qualified for European football for the first time after beating Bala Town on penalties. 

Eliot Evans scored the decisive spot kick after Will Fuller made three saves in the shootout. 

Evans had earlier cancelled out Henry Jones’s opener in the first half in what was a scrappy game.

Dylan Rees and Emlyn Lewis successfully converted their penalties whilst Chris Venables, Mike Hayes and Nathan Burke missed their kicks.

It is the first time in Welsh Premier League history that a playoff has been decided by a penalty shootout.

For Bala, it will be the first time in the five years that they won’t play in Europe, whilst for the Met, they have finally got over their final hoodoo after losing the last two. 

Christian Edwards’s men made the brighter start after good work from Roscrow won the students their first corner of the game after good work down the right from Eliot Evans.

Kyle McCarthy’s pinpoint cross was met by the head of Joel Edwards but his header was cleared off the line.

Adam Roscrow failed to take his chance as his header clipped the post from an Eliot Evans cross.

Met were made to pay for Roscrow’s missed opportunity. Nathan Burke’s searching cross found its way to Henry Jones who hooked it past Will Fuller for the opening goal.

They did, however, send back an almost immediate response. Eliot Evans instinctively finished on the rebound after Keighan Jones denied Will Evans’ shot. 

Bala had two chances in quick succession to regain their lead. First, a Stuart Jones header went just wide before Kieran Smith looked to have made it two from a free kick but Edwards put his body on the line to deny the striker.

Fuller would deny Bala early into the second half after pushing away Kieran Smith’s curling effort.

With few chances in this second half, the game moved into extra time. As each side became conservative, not wanting to lose.

Both teams went close to score but it was the Archers who could have scored their second. A troublesome corner from Eliot Evans found Chris Baker at the back post but his effort hit the crossbar much to Baker’s displeasure.

Met goalkeeper Fuller had to be alert to deny substitute Anthony Stephens the chance as he pushed away his shot.

Bala then rattled the crossbar twice from an Evan Horwood free-kick. Stuart Jones headed against the bar before Mike Hayes also hit a headed effort onto the bar.

Neither side could find a breakthrough and the game moved into a penalty shootout. 

Both Kyle McCarthy and Nathan Burke missed each sides first penalty but Dylan Rees cooly converted. Bala captain Chris Venables missed his too but Will Evans failed to make it pay.

Fuller made a hat-trick of spot-kick saves to deny Mike Hayes, allowing Emlyn Lewis to double the Archers advantage on penalties.

Anthony Stephens scored Bala’s first penalty to provide the Lakesiders with slight hope but Eliot Evans sent Keighan Jones the wrong way to secure European football for the first time for the Met.

Bala Town: Keighan Jones, Burns, Sean Smith, Miley, Stuart Jones, Gosset, (Stephens, 105) Burke, Venables (C), Kieran Smith, Henry Jones (Horwood, 104) and Hayes

Cardiff Met: Fuller, Rees, McCarthy, Woolridge (C), Lewis, Eliot Evans, Baker, Roscrow (Flay, 98) Will Evans, Edwards and Morgan (Spencer, 58).  

Attendance: 623

(Featured Image: Matthew Lofthouse)