Early signs
Although we had to wait until the 39th minute for the deadlock to be broken, there were previous signs that a goal would eventually come.
With nine minutes played, Brad Young’s shot hit the side netting.
A couple of minutes on and it was Adrian Cieslewicz’s curled attempt that struck the post.
Then we saw Ryan Astles surging forward, only to witness his strike from the edge of the box go just wide.
Patience pays off
The close encounters, combined with possession, indicated that sooner or later there would be a goal.
It’s always a psychological boost if you can get your nose in front before half-time and that’s exactly what happened.
When Ryan Brobbel played the ball back in the penalty area, although Young inside it couldn’t connect, Ben Clark outside most definitely did.
What a strike it was from the midfielder, as he scored his sixth JD Cymru Premier goal of the season.
Like the proverbial bus
After waiting thirty-nine minutes for the first goal, just five on from there and it was 2-0.
When Danny Redmond was fouled in the area, up stepped Brobbel who smashed the ball in the back of the net, to give the league leaders a comfortable lead at the break.
If the opener was important for obvious reasons, then the second equally so, as it gave Craig Harrison’s side an extended psychological boost come the half-time whistle.
Player Of The Match
It’s great to have Henstone Distillery on board with us this season and with both Chris and Henry at the game, it was a difficult choice no doubt for them, as far as Player Of The Match was concerned.
They went for Astles in the end though and just before the announcement was made, with Academy Coach, Hudson Parry, joining us on TNS Radio we were singing the central defender’s praises.
Although, naturally, football fans tend to focus on goals and action at the one end in their conversations and thoughts, it’s important to see the big picture.
The sort of statistics that we like, 3-2-1
Three points, two goals and one clean sheet.
The victory keeps us at the top of the JD Cymru Premier, three points clear of Connah’s Quay Nomads and with a game in hand.
The goals takes us to forty-five in the league so far this season, as we lead the way on that statistic as well.
Prior to kick-off, although they had only scored eleven, Bala Town’s nine conceded was the best defensive record in the league. It’s now TNS in the driving seat for that statistic, with opponents finding the net on just ten occasions in thirteen games.
It was the first clean sheet in the JD Cymru Premier since September 30, when we beat Pontypridd United 4-0. Having said that, it was just our third league game of the month, with cup competitions dominating the fixture list during October.
Lead image courtesy of Andrew Donnison / F28.Online
