Key talking points as Bala Town fight back to beat Aberystwyth Town

Bala Town fought back to claim a valuable 2-1 win over Aberystwyth Town at Park Avenue. 

Despite Rhys Davies’ early header for the Seasiders, Gary Roberts’ penalty and Lassana Mendes’ goal saw the Lakesiders turn the game on its head. 

The victory sees Bala Town reduce the gap between them and the top two to just three points. 

Here are five main talking points from Park Avenue: 

Bala aren’t solely reliant on Chris Venables

With the suspension of key players Chris Venables and Nathan Peate, it was interesting to see how the Lakesiders would cope without their top scorer. 

Venables’ goals is a huge part of Colin Caton’s side attacking threat, claiming last season’s Cymru Premier Golden Boot. 

After going behind through Rhys Davies’ header, Bala looked dangerous going forward, with Gary Roberts, Henry Jones and Will Evans the dangermen. 

Evans, who has been named November’s Cymru Premier Player of the Month, was particularly dangerous running in-behind the Aberystwyth defence and won the penalty to bring the visitors level. 

While the return of Venables will definitely be a boost, Bala showed that they aren’t solely reliant on their talisman. 

Reaction to going behind

Left-back Davies’ header from the free-kick saw Bala Town fall behind for a third consecutive game. 

However, when they fell behind against Caernarfon Town and Cardiff Metropolitan, the Lakesiders showed character to equalise and take something from the game. 

This was exactly the case at Park Avenue, as Caton’s men pushed for an instant equaliser and found it through Roberts’ penalty. 

Having levelled the score, Mendes’ bullet header saw the visitors take the lead. 

Caton will be encouraged by his side’s response to falling behind, as they showed character to fight back and claim the three points. 

Performance of Lassana Mendes

In a game of few clear-cut chances, the midfield battle was an intriguing one. 

After the early set-back, Bala grew into the game, influenced massively by the performance of Lassana Mendes. 

The midfielder broke up play throughout and was tireless in running box-to-box. 

Sean Smith’s delivery following a short-taken corner was met powerfully by Mendes, who netted his first of the campaign. 

As Bala claimed a valuable three points, Mendes was certainly a star performer. 

Importance of set-pieces

While both defences restricted the sides to few opportunities, set-pieces were a huge part of the contest. 

A free-kick by the Bala Town corner flag was met by Davies for the opener, but the Seasiders looked dangerous from set-pieces throughout. 

Having equalised from a penalty, a short-corner routine saw Sean Smith find space to deliver perfectly for Mendes to head the winner. 

The Lakesiders went close with a number of deliveries from the likes of Smith, Henry Jones and Gary Roberts. 

In a tight, competitive contest, set-pieces certainly had a huge bearing on the result.

Missed Opportunity 

As the game reached its close, Aberystwyth pushed for an equaliser. 

The Seasiders had a huge opportunity to claim an impressive point, as captain Marc Williams was played through on-goal. 

With only Alex Ramsay to beat, the goalkeeper produced a brilliant save to deny Williams and the hosts an equaliser. 

Aberystwyth were left to rue the missed chance, as they succumbed to a 2-1 defeat.

(Featured Image: John Smith/FAW)