The New Saints looking to bounce back from another defeat

Saints slipped to a fifth JD Cymru Premier defeat of the season with a 1-0 reverse against Bala under the Maes Tegid lights on Wednesday night.

The only goal of the game came six minutes before half-time as George Newell converted a penalty awarded after TNS goalkeeper Connor Roberts brought down Osebi Abadaki.

It ensured Bala, now up to fifth place in the table, completed the league double over Saints following their 3-2 victory at Park Hall in September.

The result leaves Saints in second spot in the table, four points behind Penybont, with a game in hand on the leaders.

TNS head coach Craig Harrison said: “We had plenty of possession, plenty of territory. We had some good opportunities and then we give a really poor goal away.

“When it’s not going well for you and you don’t take the opportunities you get and you give poor goals away, then it’s not a good combination.

“Our build-up play was good and we've got in the final third and we had Bala pinned back in for large periods of time.

“But we’ve given a really poor goal away just before half-time. It’s not good defending on our behalf and we need to do better as a group and not give such silly goals away.

“It ends up with it being a penalty but it’s not that bit, it’s the phase before that that we haven’t defended properly and it’s led to a penalty - and then Bala have got something to hang on to.

“Yes, the second half we’ve dominated possession and dominated territory and had some great opportunities but we didn’t take them, and if that happens then it doesn’t particularly bode well for you.”

Declan McManus went closest to scoring for Saints when his free-kick from just outside the penalty area late in the first half struck the crossbar.

Newtown, tomorrow’s visitors to Park Hall, are currently ninth in the table. Saints were 6-1 winners when the sides last met at Latham Park in September.