The New Saints hit a rotten run of league form
The New Saints suffered consecutive defeats in the JD Cymru Premier for the first time since October 2019 as a late fightback from Bala Town saw them leave Oswestry with three points on Tuesday night.
Saints had been well placed to respond to last Friday’s defeat at Penybont by sealing a quick return to winning ways.
They led Bala 2-1 going into stoppage time – but the visitors had other ideas and a dramatic finale saw them score twice to emerge 3-2 winners under the Park Hall lights.
Saints, who are next in action at Newtown on Friday night, are eight points behind leaders Penybont, but they do have three games in hand on the table-toppers.
“I’ve not had an emotion with football like that for a long, long time,” said TNS head coach Craig Harrison, reflecting on an incredible end to Tuesday’s match. “Obviously, we start the game really well, go 1-0 up. Concede a really sloppy goal not long after it, but then most of the second half we work hard.
“We probe, we pass, we’re patient. We create a great opportunity. It’s a great goal by the way, it’s a fantastic goal (from Dan Williams).
“And then a mad six, seven minutes at the end where we go from 2-1 up to 3-2 down in a very short space of time.
“Fortunately with technology, we had the opportunity to look back afterwards and look at the goals, and they’re just really poor goals from where we are.
“We’ve been quite naive and not managed the game. There’s a couple of individual errors as well. Look, it happens, it’s football.
“It’s a team sport and we’ve got to look after each other and get on with it, and it is what it is.”
Saints had won 30 league games in a row before losing 2-1 at Penybont on Friday.
That was their first league defeat since February 2023, with TNS crowned unbeaten JD Cymru Premier champions last season.
They signalled their intent to bounce back at the first attempt when they took a fifth-minute lead against Bala.
Leo Smith’s fine pass picked out Sion Bradley and he produced a composed finish from the edge of the penalty area.
Bala were soon level as Christian Norton ran from the halfway line before beating goalkeeper Connor Roberts.
Saints regained the lead in the 87th minute when substitute Dan Williams swept home Jake Canavan’s cross from the right.
But Bala kept pushing and staged a remarkable turnaround with two stoppage-time goals to secure victory.
Alex Downes made it 2-2 before Hussein Mehasseb ran through to score a late Bala winner.
