The Club’s first home fixture in the Novira Cymru North last Friday evening saw local rivals Ruthin Town visit Maes Tegid.
It also heralded the return of Colin Caton to Bala as Manager of Ruthin which added a degree of interest to the fixture. Colin was at the helm in Bala for 22 years! The Club also opened it’s Fanzone bar area for the first time on the evening and it proved a huge success with the large crowd that attended this much awaited fixture.
The match started with the home side dominating possession and 2 clear chances were missed in the opening 20 minutes. Tom Kelly should have scored with a header with the goal at his mercy and then Jamie Cumming blasted over from a very favourable position. Bala continued to press and Ozzy Abadaki has a shot well saved by the visitor’s keeper who himself was a product of our Bala Academy.
The game then suffered a change of momentum in the 25th minute when the Bala keeper Rhys Williams went down with a groin injury. He tried to continue but to no avail and was replaced by the ubiquitous John Owen who had to move from centre back to goalkeeper as the home side did not have a second keeper on the bench. Kyle Harrison replaced John Owen in the centre of the defence. This change encouraged the visitors and John Owen was forced into a good save with his legs on 40 minutes. The match was scoreless at half time but the momentum had completely changed after the injury.
Bala opened the second half in fine style and striker Craig Lindfield found the net again with a fine header on 49 minutes. Bala did not let up and after more pressure Iwan Lewis hammered home on 52 minutes after the visitor’s keeper had parried away a fierce shot. Naim Arsan suffered a concerning injury after a disappointing unpunished tackle on 60 minutes and had to be replaced by Charlie Fisher. The game had a period of little excitement and Ozzy Abadaki and Jamie Cumming were replaced by Henry Evans and Tomas Jones on 75 mins.
Ruthin then made a late resurgence and forced a fine save from stand in keeper Owen who tipped over on 80 minutes. Their pressure finally told on the Bala defence when a close range shot found the back of the Bala net on 85 mins leading to an unexpected exciting end to the match. There were however no further concerns for the Bala defence and the match ended with a 2-1 victory for the home side to give them a 100% winning start to the new campaign.
We travel to Penrhyncoch next Saturday and then return to Maes Tegid on Friday Aug 21 for the visit of Gresford.
Gwelwyd gêm gartref gyntaf y Clwb yn y Novira Cymru North nos Wener diwethaf, wrth i’n gwrthwynebwyr lleol, CPD Rhuthun, ymweld â Maes Tegid.
Roedd dychweliad Colin Caton i’r Bala fel Rheolwr Rhuthun hefyd yn ychwanegu elfen o ddiddordeb i’r gêm. Bu Colin wrth y llyw yn y Bala am 22 mlynedd! Agorodd y Clwb ei ardal bar ‘Fanzone’ am y tro cyntaf hefyd y noson honno, a bu’n llwyddiant ysgubol gyda’r dorf fawr a ddaeth i wylio’r gêm hirddisgwyliedig hon.
Dechreuodd y gêm gyda’r tîm cartref yn dominyddu meddiant, a chollwyd dwy gyfle clir yn yr 20 munud cyntaf. Dylai Tom Kelly fod wedi sgorio gyda pheniad gyda’r gôl ar ei drugaredd, ac yna ergydiodd Jamie Cumming dros y trawst o safle ffafriol iawn. Parhaodd Bala i bwyso, ac arbedwyd ergyd gan Ozzy Abadaki yn dda gan gôl-geidwad y gwesteion, a oedd ei hun yn gynnyrch o Academi’r Bala.
Yna dioddefodd y gêm newid momentwm yn y 25ain munud pan aeth gôl-geidwad Y Bala, Rhys Williams, i lawr gydag anaf i’w afl. Ceisiodd barhau ond heb lwyddiant, ac fe’i disodlwyd gan yr hollbresennol John Owen, a oedd yn gorfod symud o gefnwr canol i fod yn gôl-geidwad gan nad oedd ail gôl-geidwad ar y fainc i’r tîm cartref. Daeth Kyle Harrison i mewn i gymryd lle John Owen yng nghanol yr amddiffyn. Roedd y newid hwn yn rhoi hwb i’r ymwelwyr, a gorfodwyd John Owen i wneud arbediad da gyda’i goesau ar y 40fed munud. Roedd y sgôr yn ddi-gôl ar hanner amser, ond roedd y momentwm wedi newid yn llwyr yn dilyn yr anaf.
Agorodd Bala yr ail hanner mewn steil gwych, a daeth ymosodwr Craig Lindfield o hyd i gefn y rhwyd unwaith eto gyda pheniad gwych ar y 49ain munud. Ni roddodd Bala’r gorau i bwyso, ac ar ôl mwy o bwysau, ergydiodd Iwan Lewis y bêl i gefn y rhwyd ar y 52ain munud ar ôl i gôl-geidwad y gwesteion atal ergyd ffyrnig ond methu â’i chadw allan.
Dioddefodd Naim Arsan anaf pryderus yn dilyn tacl siomedig na chafodd ei gosbi ar y 60fed munud, a bu’n rhaid iddo gael ei newid gyda Charlie Fisher. Cafwyd cyfnod o’r gêm heb fawr o gyffro, ac ar y 75ain munud disodlwyd Ozzy Abadaki a Jamie Cumming gan Henry Evans a Tomas Jones.
Yna gwnaeth Rhuthun adfywiad hwyr a gorfododd arbediad gwych gan y gôl-geidwad wrth gefn Owen, a darodd y bêl dros y trawst ar yr 80fed munud. Yn y pen draw, llwyddodd eu pwysau i dreiddio i amddiffyniad Bala pan ddaeth ergyd o bellter agos o hyd i gefn rhwyd Bala ar yr 85fed munud, gan arwain at ddiwedd cyffrous ac annisgwyl i’r gêm.
Fodd bynnag, ni fu unrhyw bryderon pellach i amddiffyniad Bala, a daeth y gêm i ben gyda buddugoliaeth 2-1 i’r tîm cartref, gan roi dechrau perffaith o 100% o ran buddugoliaethau iddynt i’r ymgyrch newydd.
Byddwn yn teithio i Benrhyncoch ddydd Sadwrn nesaf, cyn dychwelyd i Faes Tegid ddydd Gwener, 21 Awst, ar gyfer ymweliad Gresffordd.
