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Bala top it off

A jubilant Lex team after taking the North East Wales Cup

Last updated: 16 May 2009

What an absolutely terrific season Bala Town have had. Earlier in the month they were declared champions of the Cymru Alliance League. Several days ago they had confirmation that they had achieved all of the criteria to be accepted into the Welsh Premier League. And to put the icing on the cake at the weekend, they set a new record by winning the league cup for the fourth time in five years.

They were facing a main title challengers Holyhead Hotspur who had already achieved the runners up spot and had spanked Bala recently in a league encounter, so the scene was set for a real showcase.

This encounter, however, really did turn into a cat and mouse affair, they obviously knew so much about each other they snuffed each other out in every department.

Real clear cut chances were few and far between and the 90 minutes produced some quality football, but sadly no goals.

Tiredness crept in in the extra time period and Bala broke the deadlock in the 95th minute with a touch of magic from Gary Penlington who cut in from the right flank to score from the tightest of angles.

Before Spurs could adjust, Bala made the victory safe with a second goal from the penalty spot following a foul on Marc Griffiths and Huw Price converted the resulting penalty.

The curtain also came down on the Cymru Alliance programme and Llanfairpwll beat Penrhyncoch 1-0. Netting the games only goal in the dying minutes was Craig Green.

Hats off to Llandudno who defeated GAP Connah's Quay 1-0 to lift the North Wales Coast Challenge Cup, a 30th minute strike from Danny Hughes proving decisive.

LEX XI are the new holders of the North East Wales Cup after ending their clash with Mynydd Isa winners on penalties.

This proved to be a real epic. Craig Hughes gave LEX an early lead, but this was quickly cancelled out when Paul Connolly levelled with a perfect header from a Sam Pugh corner.

Isa finished the opening half on top and a defensive error enabled Neil Wynne to beat Dan Billington from the edge of the box. LEX squared the tie through Mike Santanjeli and the game went into extra time with no further goals being produced.

In the resulting penalty shoot-out, LEX kept their nerve and converted all four of their spot-kicks through Aaron Aby, Gareth Roberts, Mike Latham and Aaron Edwards, but when Anthony Williams had his penalty saved by LEX's man of the match Billington and Wynne fired his penalty over the bar for LEX to toast their first whiff of success in over a decade.

The big news to break this weekend, however, is the fact that Isa have resigned from the league with immediate affect and ended 33 years of football in the village.

A statement on their club website reads: "It is with deep regret the committee of Mynydd Isa FC must announce that at completion of season 2008/09 the Football Club will be dissolved. 2008/09 was the most successful season in the club's history with a fourth place finish in the Cymru Alliance and a NEWFA challenge cup final appearance at Wrexham Racecourse Ground.

"The decision to dissolve the club has been reached due to a number of factors, but the two most important factors being the pressure of running with a committee of just four people, this would be three in 2009/10.

"It is disappointing that in a village the size of Mynydd Isa, not one person was prepared to assist in the running of a successful Cymru Alliance Football Club.

"The breakdown in the relationship between Mynydd Isa Football Club and Argoed Sports Association culminated in the withdrawal of any support from ASA for Mynydd Isa Football Club."
Report by Phil Jones


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