Reds book European ticket with play-off win

Llanelli 2 Bala Town 1

LLANELLI had to survive a nervy last few minutes before securing European football at Stebonheath Park next season with a Europa League play-off final victory over Bala Town.

All looked relatively comfortable for Andy Legg’s men as they led 2-0 going into the final 15 minutes after first-half strikes from Rhys Griffiths and Lloyd Grist.

But when Bala striker Lee Hunt side-footed in from close range extra-time seemed a possibility, and had it not been for Llanelli ‘keeper Craig Richards that’s the way the game could well have gone.

Llanelli clung on for the win though and they will now go into the draw for the preliminary round next month alongside fellow Welsh clubs Bangor City and Cefn Druids.

For the Reds, it means European competition for a seventh successive season and another chance to test themselves against a much higher standard of opponent.

Seven-time Golden Boot winner Rhys Griffiths opened the scoring inside five minutes with a neat volley past Terry McCormick following some clever interplay between Jason Bowen and Craig Williams down the right.

One quickly became two on 19 minutes when Grist’s 20-yard free-kick took a wicked deflection off Bala defender John Irving and flew past McCormick.

Bala came back into the game and Richards needed to be on his toes to push away a Mark Connolly effort before the same player brought a superb fingertip save from the ‘keeper, who pushed his free-kick onto the bar.

Hunt and Ian Sheridan led the charge for the Lakesiders after the break but it took half an hour to make a breakthrough when substitute Stephen Brown's right-wing cross was turned in at the near post by Hunt.

Moments later Hunt broke clear and forced Richards into a smart save from point blank range before the youngster got up to smother Brown’s follow-up attempt.

The North Wales outfit knew it wasn’t to be their day when another Connolly set-piece crashed off the crossbar with Richards beaten and Llanelli held out for the remaining few minutes.