Bala Town booked their place in Monday’s JD Welsh Cup Round 3 draw after a comprehensive 6-1 away victory at Ardal North West outfit Hawarden Rangers.
The visitors applied attacking pressure from the kickoff and it took only seven minutes for the deadlock to be broken.
A corner taken on the right arrived out towards Kieran Smith who swung the ball in to an unmarked Lassana Mendes who then delivered a teasing ball into the path of James Davies who headed home to open the scoring.
Rangers shotstopper Jonathan Simpson was having a busy start to the afternoon and made four acrobatic saves in the space of two minutes as he kept out Adam Roscrow’s effort from 3 yards and then Roscrow’s follow up to tip the powerful strike over the crossbar. Simpson then kept out George Newell’s double chance a minute later.
Town had the ball in the net once more after 16 minutes of play but Newell’s tap in from six yards was denied for offside.
Bala’s relentless attacking through Mendes on the right and Davies on the left was causing problems for Hawarden’s backline which saw the Cymru Premier side double their tally as the lively Roscrow fired in low after a brilliant delivery by Newell.
Nathan Peate added a third in the 24th minute when he got onto the end of a Mendes freekick and powered in a bullet header into the roof of the net.
The hosts to their credit were working tremendously hard to close down their opponents and had their first real opportunity in the 28th minute when Louis Anglesea drove down the middle of the pitch winning a freekick twenty five yards out but the resulting kick was gathered by Alex Ramsay.
Before the break, Town scored their fourth of the afternoon when Antony Kay’s long defence splitting ball met Mendes who crossed the ball to Roscrow on the edge of the D who stuck the ball into the far corner to give Bala a comfortable lead going into the interval.
Simpson was called into action very early in the second half when Roscrow’s chance was superbly forced out for a corner by the goalkeeper.
The striker netted his hattrick when Newell’s excellent cross met the forward who turned the ball in to score Bala’s fifth of the day.
Oliver Southern and Luke Wall both allowed Davies, Newell and Roscrow to continue to keep the Hawarden defence busy but they were doing well to keep Bala’s threats at bay.
Substitute Soulayman El Amri danced down the wing and curled an exceptional ball into Newell which he arrived at the end of and instinctively place the ball into the back of the net to take the score up to six.
In the final five minutes, Hawarden were rewarded and got on the scoresheet themselves. Miscommunication at the back between Ramsay and White allowed Thomas Bridges to pounce on the stray ball and dispatch a consolation goal for the hosts in the closing stages.
An intense attacking display from the Cymru Premier side who cruise into Round Three but full credit to Hawarden who kept going throughout and gave an excellent account of themselves.
Hawarden Rangers: 1. Jonathan Simpson, 2. Joshua Edwards, 3. Luke Fenny-Williams, 4. James Evans, 5. Louis Anglesea, 6. Paul Lindfield, 7. Luke Crabtree (17. Dominic Auty 78’), 8. Joshua Robertson (16. Rhys Parry 90’), 9. Thomas Gunson (12. Lee King-Magee 67’), 10. Lewis Wright (15. Joshua Davies 67’), 14. Todd Gunnion (11. Thomas Bridges 45’).
Yellow Cards: Joshua Edwards 88’.
Goals: Thomas Bridges 85’.
Bala Town: 1. Alex Ramsay, 4. Nathan Peate, 7. Lassana Mendes (8. Luke Wall 45’), 10. James Davies, 11. Kieran Smith (14. Ethan Jones 68’), 15. Antony Kay, 18. Paul Rutherford (12. Soulayman El Amri 64’), 21. Oliver Southern, 22. Adam Roscrow, 23. Ross White, 27. George Newell
Subs not used: 9. Chris Venables, 29. Oliver Shannon.
Yellow Cards: Ethan Jones 82’.
Goals: James Davies 8’, Adam Roscrow 20’, 30’ & 49’, Nathan Peate 26’, George Newell 77’.
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