JD CYMRU PREMIER: Flint miss chance to confirm safety, Bala still in major trouble
Not a single win for North Wales in the JD Cymru Premier at the weekend – but surprisingly BBC Wales Sport didn’t make a headline out of it!
JD CYMRU PREMIER – March 27-29
PREMIER CONFERENCE
Penybont 0 Colwyn Bay 0
Nothing could separate Penybont and Colwyn Bay in a goalless draw at the DragonBet Stadium on Saturday.
Jordan Davies had a glorious chance to give Bay an early lead when he received Aeron Edwards’ through ball and raced through on goal, only to fire wide from close range.
George Hughes nearly scored directly from a corner shortly after, but his strike clipped the crossbar.
Bont goalkeeper Dan Higgs was on top form throughout the afternoon by making crucial saves to deny Davies and Ryan Astles from inside the area.
The hosts nearly found a late winner through Owen Pritchard, but he could only fire straight at Alex Brown from just 10 yards out.
Bont are now winless in their last nine league matches, while Bay remain in third place.
Caernarfon Town 0 The New Saints 4
Champions The New Saints returned to winning ways with an emphatic 4-0 victory over Caernarfon Town at the Go Goodwins Stadium on Friday.
Dan Williams, Ben Clark, Jordan Williams and Dan Barton shared the goals for the title-winners.
Connah’s Quay Nomads 1 Barry Town United 1
Nomads and Barry shared the points in a 1-1 draw at the Essity Stadium on Sunday.
Barry took the lead in style as Ieuan Owen received Dan Barton’s short pass and curled beautifully into the top corner, leaving Connah’s Quay debutant Ryley Berry no chance.
However, the Nomads improved in the second half and eventually found their equaliser with a well worked team goal as Callum West’s floated diagonal ball was brought down by Max Woodcock, who fired beyond George Ratcliffe and into the bottom corner to make it two goals in two games.
CHAMPIONSHIP CONFERENCE
Cardiff Met 2 Bala Town 1
Cardiff Met confirmed their JD Cymru Premier safety with a 2-1 victory over relegation-threatened Bala Town at Cyncoed Stadium on Saturday.
Bala striker Cameron Ferguson continued his fine form to put his side ahead with 19 minutes on the clock as he ran onto Louis Hall’s cross at the front post and guided his header into the net from close range for his third goal in as many games.
Met found their equaliser six minutes into the second half as Jasper Payne controlled CJ Craven’s clipped ball over the top and slotted past Joel Torrance.
Craven missed a glorious chance from just a few yards out and Adam Roscrow saw his corner directly denied by the crossbar, but the Archers eventually made their pressure count and completed the turnaround on the hour mark as Fumpa Mwandwe received Craven’s flick-on, sprinted into the area and finished neatly into the bottom corner.
Ferguson had a major opportunity to bag his second and bring Bala level late on, but could only steer the ball wide from inside the six-yard box.
The Lakesiders thought they had found a late equaliser when Ferguson’s shot deflected into the net off Liam Higgins, but the goal was ruled out as Higgins was deemed to be offside.
Met saw out the closing stages to earn back-to-back wins and confirm their JD Cymru Premier status for next season, while defeat for Bala leaves them five points adrift of safety with two games remaining.
Flint Town United 1 Llanelli Town 2
Already-relegated Llanelli Town claimed their first league win since September with a 2-1 victory away to Flint Town United, who missed the chance to confirm their safety.
Llanelli took the lead on 26 minutes as Danny Williams made it goals in back-to-back games by sending a sweetly-struck volley into the far corner.
Reds goalkeeper Alex Pennock made important saves to deny Jack Thorn and Josh Jones from close range to keep his side in front heading into the closing stages. Pennock’s contributions proved to be key as captain Sean Cronin doubled the lead in the 83rd minute with a powerful finish.
Flint found a late lifeline in the fifth minute of stoppage-time as Ben Woollam steered the ball into the roof of the net from Jake Phillips’ corner, but Llanelli held on to end their 17-match winless run in all competitions.