The key points from Bala Town’s 3-1 win over the Cefn Druids

After Saturday’s 3-1 win for Bala Town at Cefn Druids, we take a look at five talking points from the match at The Rock.

Tactical changes can change games
Colin Caton made a bold move after twenty minutes as he replaced Kieran Smith with Steve Leslie. Smith made an impressive performance last week versus The New Saints after being called up to replace Leslie due to an administrative error with the teamsheet.

However today it was a reverse situation with Leslie stepping in and made an instant impact for the Lakesiders. Things seemed to click once Leslie was introduced which helped turn things in Bala’s favour until his sending off in the 81st minute – other than that he had a flawless display for the Lakesiders.

Druids have positives to take away
Even though they were on the back of a defeat today, caretaker boss Jayson Starkey will have some positives to work on ahead of their clash against The New Saints on Tuesday evening.

Both Iwan and Ethan Cartwright impressed as well as Christoph Aziamale who was a handful on the left-wing once he was introduced in the second half.

Much to their credit, Druids started the game well and at times caused problems for the Bala backline. For a team who’d lost their manager and assistant this week, they showed plenty of desire and determination and kept going for the 90 minutes regardless of how the result was panning out.

Antony Kay is a class act
Since signing for the Lakesiders back in August, Kay has been an unsung hero for the Lakesiders. Week after week, his wealth of experience, his calmness on the ball is a joy to watch and he is just oozing class. Some of his passes and deliveries this afternoon carved open the Druids team and he was instrumental in the Lakesiders’ win.

With Ollie Shannon alongside him, Ollie is flourishing with two solid back-to-back performances as he is being given the freedom to play thanks to Kay’s presence. It’s a partnership to watch for the rest of the season!

Saturday’s result was an important one for Bala
Saturday’s match could have been a banana skin fixture for the Lakesiders following their cracking performance away at The New Saints last weekend especially as they were trailing after only six minutes today. To keep themselves in the running for the title and European football this summer, it was essential that the Lakesiders got a favourable result which they duly did.

A 0-0 draw between Penybont v Connah’s Quay plus The New Saints losing away at Haverfordwest means that Town are hot on the heels of the top two and still nine points ahead of Barry in 4th. Their unbeaten away run continues and puts Bala in good stead ahead of the remaining fixtures in Phase One and the upcoming Championship Conference.

Cheryl Foster is one of the best officials in the JD Cymru Premier
We all know that it isn’t easy to be a referee, it’s a thankless job at times! When a player has an excellent match, they get credit so it’s only right that the match official should get the same treatment when they do a great job. On Saturday, Cheryl proved once more why she is up there as one of the best officials in the League with sensible discussions with players, correct decisions for both sides, and allowing the game to flow without non-stop whistleblowing.