Bogey side haunt Bont
Bala inflict more misery on Griffiths’ men after skipper Owen sees red
PENYBONT must be relieved they don’t have to face Bala Town every week in the J D Cymru Premiership, writes Tony Poole.
A 5-1 defeat last Saturday to the Lakesiders at the SDM Glass Stadium followed a 6-1 loss in the corresponding fixture last season, and 4-0 in the return clash at Maes Tegid.
But with Bont a goal up, the game last weekend turned in the 27th minute on captain Kane Owen being sent off by Swansea referee David Morgan for a robust sliding tackle on Kieran Smith.
The goal came in the ninth minute when a Nathan Wood shot was parried by Bala goalkeeper Alex Ramsay, and Lewis Harling was on hand to score.
At this stage Bont were bossing affairs with captain Owen prominent and just after he saw red, Kostya Georgievsky almost made it 2-0.
But the man who was to impact most on the game - Cardiff Metropolitan University import Will Evans – nearly equalised just before the break.
However, on similar lines to the 1-1 draw earlier in the month with Aberystwyth Town, once again in the 46th minute Bont got caught cold.
Olly Shannon centred for Evans to level while 10 minutes later the same player this time scored on the end of a Chris Venables ball over the top.
Roles were reversed on the hour – Evans setting Venables up for 3-1 – and in the 70th minute Bala were awarded a penalty that Venables converted.
And the Lakesiders rounded off another emphatic victory over Bont with an 81st-minute strike from Smith.
This formed back-to-back defeats for the Bridgend side going into the clash tonight (Wednesday) away to Cardiff Metropolitan University.
They host Newtown on Saturday before heading to Bridge Meadow next Tuesday night to take on Pembrokeshire giants Haverfordwest County.
Despite the current Bridgend County lockdown, these matches will go ahead, as the Cymru Premiership has been granted elite sport status.
The game with Bala saw 35-year-old defender Ismail Yabuku make a club debut having signed from Merthyr Town in the run up to the game.
Yabuku launched his career with Barnet back in 1996, and remained with The Bees until switching to Newport County in 2010.
He played at Spytty Park with Bont boss Rhys Griffiths, and last season went out on loan to the Martyrs from Kingstonian.
However, with Merthyr Town, deciding to mothball their season, owing to coronavirus, Yabuku opted to play for Bont in the Cymru Premiership.
He’s followed a well trodden path that in recent times has been taken by Matthew Harris, Ashley Evans and Ian Traylor, who is still recovering from a preseason operation and has yet to be seen in Bont colours.