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www.balatownfc.co.uk maes tegid y bala tymor/season 2011-12 v carmarthen town uwch gynghrair cymru welsh premier league 20.8.11 5.00p.m gem yn fyw ar sgorio match live on sgorio noddwr y gêm match sponsor pedwar y garneddwen lakesiders the bala town fc noddwr y bêl ball sponsor tony watson intertain ltd noddwr y clwb club sponsor noddwr ein cit kit sponsor noddwyr y gynghrair league sponsors llun/photo evan l dobson©

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y lle yn y dre gwesty a bwyty trwyddedig plas coch hotel licensed restaurant y bala gwynedd cymru wales ll23 7ab ffon tel 01678 520309 ffacs fax 01678 521135 sponsoring and supporting bala town football club yn noddi a chefnogi clwb peldroed y bala

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the goat hotel bala situated on the main high street in bala welcomes all football supporters tytandderwen caravan park bala 01678 520273 www.tytandderwen.co.uk

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www.balatownfc.co.uk clwb pÊl-droed y bala bala town football club swyddogion officials rheolwr manager swyddog cyfryngol media officer colin caton cynorthwywr assistant gavin billington pennaeth diogelwch head of security ian roberts hyfforddwr coach steve crompton ffisio physio ted edwards cyfarwyddwr masnachol commercial director t.b.a reolwr aîl dim reserves manager gareth moon cyfarwyddwr academy director guy handscombe ysgrifennydd yr ail dîm reserves secretary andrew parry llywydd president guy handscombe 07545291350 swyddog cyswllt y cefnogwyr supporters liaison officer joe roberts cadeirydd chairman ricky willetts rhaglen programme ken edwards rheolwr cyffredinol general manager nigel aykroyd ysgrifennydd cyffredinol a chyfarwyddwr cyllidol gen secretary finance director arwel jones gareth moon hannah gwenllian gwefan web-site www.balatownfc.co.uk hannah gwenllian hannah.gwenllian@balatownfc.co.uk ruth crump is-bwyllgorau sub committees dei brei roberts keith crump andrew parry ian roberts sion t jones r f jones emlyn jones jackie jones ieuan jones arwel morris brian parry gwyn jones brian roberts haydn roberts jack roberts carol rowlands elwyn rowlands riki rowlands dave thorpe pam williams michelle jones hannah jones sue willetts bernard allman gillian evans john caradog williams jim charters robert davies arwel jones ricky willetts geraint jones rhif cyswllt contact no 07818 404516 ruth crump

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adroddiad y rheolwr cyffredinol croeso i faes tegid croeso cynnes iawn i chi gyd i faes tegid i n gornest gartref gyntaf yn nhymor 2011-12 uwch gynghrair gymru cynhyrfys ffyddiog ac optimistaidd hwyrach yw r geiriau yr hoffwn eu defnyddio yn dilyn y canlyniad gwych yn tns nos wener dwytha ond rydym yn chwarae mewn cynghrair gystadleuol anhygoel ac rydym yn wynebu prawf caled iawn y prynhawn yma dyma yw ein trydydd tymor yn yr uwch gynghrair ac mae n dangos cynaldwyaeth y clwb ar y lefel yma rydym yn bendant wedi profi r amheuwyr ac wedi gwrthbrofi r label rhyfeddod un tymor mae seiliau r clwb yn gadarn ac mae r nod o hyrwyddo tre r bala fel delwedd yn parhau a chryfhau mae nifer o fodiwlau sy n creu sylfeini r clwb ac mae pob un unigol yn gwella r ddelwedd trwy ei ddatblygiad generig ei hun i r perwyl hwn ac yn bennaf oll wrth gwrs mae r rheolwyr chwaraewyr a hyfforddwyr mae r cynnydd a wnaed yn y maes yma wedi bod yn dyngedfennol ac mae gan y clwb hyfforddwyr cymwysedig ar bob lefel ac maent yn parhau i wella i sgwad o chwaraewyr tim cyntaf gyda r gallu i hyfforddi timau drwy safon hyfforddi o r radd flaenaf mae gweithgaredd ar y cae yn creu ymwybyddiaeth o r ddelwedd a chefnogir hyn wedyn gan yr holl fodiwlau eraill mae r wefan wedi i gwella ac wedi dod yn bwynt canolog i wybodaeth y clwb mae n arf o i gyplysu a facebook a twitter yn ehangu r wybodaeth i gynulleidfa byd-eang ac yn cymharu n dda a chlybiau tebyg mae r pwyllgor cae yn gweithio n ddi-flino i wella adnoddau chwaraewyr a chefnogwyr ac mae r stadiwm wedi ei thrawsnewid i fod yn faes domestig trwyddedig mae ein hymgyrchoedd codi arian yn ddi-ddiwedd a r gwaith gwirfoddol yn ystod ffair wledig gogledd cymru y pen-wythnos dwytha a r penwythnos yma yn wa bala yn dystiolaeth bellach o ymrwymiad ein pwyllgor a n cefnogwyr mae ein hail dim yn awr yn gosod sylfeini i waith ein hieuenctid ac yn parhau i gael eu hyfforddi gan rai a r cymhwyster ucha posib fel dilyniant i hyn mae gennym ein academi ieuenctid sydd yn brolio ei hun o fod yn un o r goreuon yng ngogledd cymru ers ei ddechrau 2 flynedd yn ol mae gennym bellach 4 tim cyfansoddiadol dan 19eg oed ac ar fin cychwyn ysgol ddatblygu a fydd yn denu a hyfforddi plant dan 11eg oed mae n gam mawr ymlaen ac rydym yn ymrwymedig i barhau i gynnig y cyfle arbennig i ieuenctid y fro gobeithio n fawr y byddwch wedi ch bodloni a gwisg newydd ein tim cyntaf sy n cael ei arddangos am y tro cyntaf heddiw penderfynodd y clwb newid o errea i joma a gwelir heddiw y newid a fydd yn parhau i r tymor nesaf gyda phob tim yn manteisio ar y wisg newydd fel bydd gofyn mae r sefyllfa ariannol yn chwarae rhan bwysig yn natblygiaf y clwb rydym i gyd yn ymwybodol o r gymuned fechan yr ydym yn byw ynddi ac mor anodd ydi hi i godi arian er mwyn parhau ar y lefel uchaf mae pob ceiniog yn bwysig i ni ac mae cefnogaeth llawer yn ysgafnhau y baich ar yr ychydig rydym yn crefu am eich cefnogaeth ariannol ac yn crefu am gymorth gwirfoddol i barhau a breuddwyd tre r bala sydd wedi dod yn realiti er mwyn gwireddu hyn gofynnwn i chi gyweithio a chyfrannu unrhywbeth cynaliadwy er budd y clwb byddai n anfaddeuol gweld hyn yn cael ei ddistrywio oherwydd diffyg arian helpwch os y medrwch roeddem yn falch iawn o gefnogi cam cyntaf ein clwb cefnogwyr newydd ein bwriad yw ehangu hwn a medr hyn fod yn gatalydd i wella ein cyfleusterau ym maes tegid ymhellach erbyn hyn mae n siwr fy mod wedi eich llethu felly mi orffenaf trwy ddymuno r gorau i chi o flaen telediad byw ar faes tegid fe ch sicrheir ein bod yn gwerthfawrogi eich cefnogaeth a pharhawn i gynnig yr adloniant orau posib trwy r tymor sydd o n blaenau nigel y drol ffrwythau retail wholesale fruit 72 high street vegetables bala flowers plants 01678 520529

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general manager s notes welcome to maes tegid a very warm welcome back to you all at maes tegid for our first welsh premier home fixture of the new 2011-12 season anticipation excitement and optimism are perhaps the words i would like to use following the excellent result in tns last friday evening but we play in an extraordinarily competitive league and we will be confronted with the sternest of tests this afternoon this is unbelievably our 3rd consecutive season in the top league and demonstrates the club s sustainability at this level we have certainly proved the doubters incorrect and firmly refuted the tag of one season wonders the club s infrastructure is solid and our aim of consolidating bala town as a brand is continuing and thriving there are many modules which form the club s infrastructure and each individual module enhances the brand through its own generic development first and foremost of course is the management players and coaches the advances made in this area has been crucial and the club now has highly qualified coaches at all levels and continues to improve its squad of first team players together with the ability to coach the team through first class coaching standards the on field activity creates the brand awareness and this is then backed up by all our other modules the website has been enhanced improved and has become the focal point for all club information it is a tool which together with its links via facebook and twitter extends an information flow to a global audience and ranks very highly in comparison to other clubs of a similar standing our grounds committee work tirelessly to improve playing and spectator facilities and the stadium has progressed from obscurity to a fully licensed domestic ground our commercial and fund raising activities continue relentlessly and the voluntary work carried out last weekend in the north wales country fair and this weekend in wa bala is a testimony to the dedication of our committee and supporters our reserve team is new providing the foundation for the development of our youth and is again being coached by persons with the highest level of qualification following on from this we have our youth academy which now boasts a reputation for being one of the best in north wales from a standing start 2 years ago we now have 4 fully constituted teams from under 19 s down and will embark this season on a development school which will attract and coach all children under 11 years of age it is a massive achievement and we are committed to continue this provision of excellence to the youth of our area i hope you all will enjoy and be impressed by our new 1st team strip on show for the first time today the club has decided to change from errea to joma and will today begin a transition which will continue into next season with all teams being availed of the new kits as needs demand finances play the most significant role in the clubs continued development we are all aware of how small a community we inhabit and how difficult it is to raise sufficient finances to exist at the very high level every penny counts to us and the support of many eases the burden on the few we are desperate for you financial support desperate for your voluntary help and desperate to continue the bala town dream which has become reality to achieve this we need you all pulling together and contributing whatever you many find sustainable towards the club it would be criminal to see all this work squandered through lack of finance please help if you can we were delighted to support the initative of our new supporters club it is really our intention to grow this significantly and this could prove the catalyst for further enhancements to our facilities at maes tegid i have probably now bored you all to death so i will close by hoping you have a wonderful day at maes tegid in front of the live tv cameras please be assured that your support is hugely appreciated and we will endeavour to entertain you throughout the forthcoming season nigel

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hanes history carmarthen town the club was formed in 1948 and admitted to the carmarthenshire association football league the present ground richmond park was created in 1952 election to the welsh league came in 1953 with the club gaining its first honours in 1959-60 with promotion from division 2 west to the first division of the welsh league progress was patchy in the 70 s and 80 s with intermittent promotion and relegation in the welsh league divisions until the 1995-96 season this was the best season in the club s history with both the welsh league title and the cyril rogers cup coming to carmarthen a notable double the following season 1996-97 was carmarthen town s first in the national league and another milestone was achieved in the 1999-2000 season when the club were runners-up in the welsh senior cup under manager tomi morgan who had joined the club in mid season 2000-2001 season was carmarthen s fifth in the league of wales a third position finish saw the club gain qualification for the uefa intertoto cup an honour that had been denied them on goal difference the previous season the intertoto cup tie against swedish giants aik stockholm was a significant landmark in the history of the club and town s first european adventure ended in a creditable 3-0 defeat on aggregate following a 0-0 draw in the home match all the goals were conceded in the away leg played at sweden s national råsunda stadium in stockholm the 2001-2002 season was also town s second venture in the faw premier cup and as in the previous year they reached the quarter-final stages of the competition losing out to football league opposition the club also reached the quarter final of the welsh cup and the semi-final of the league cup but an indifferent run of results towards the end of the season saw a mid table finish in tenth position the 2002-2003 campaign saw town disappointingly finish in the bottom half of the table the season was not without its positive side however as a number of town s younger players had the opportunity to gain valuable first team experience with the club resolved to regain its position of previous years significant changes to the squad were made for the 2003-2004 season however the anticipated change in fortunes did not materialise and with the departure of manager tomi morgan team management responsibility was taken over by andrew york in december 2003 the club appointed mark aizlewood as club coach despite continuing to struggling in the league town enjoyed a successful challenge cup campaign finishing as runners up to rhyl fc having achieved significant developments off the field the club was determined to redress its playing profile with the resignation of andrew york mark jones appointed manager in may 2004 consequently there was a significant change in personnel and town had a decidedly new look for the 2004 05 season gary lloyd took over coaching duties following the departure of mark aizlewood to chester and with town finishing in sixth position and winning their first silverware in the form of the loosemore s league cup town were clearly back in contention.

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hanes history mark aizlewood returned to the club during the close season to complement mark jones management structure and with several additions to the playing squad town continue to strengthen to maintain the club s momentum for this season s campaign a uefa cup spot was town s reward as loosing finalists in the welsh cup and a very attractive draw against eircom league outfit longford town in this season s uefa draw highlighted town s resurrection in fortunes a 2-0 defeat in longford was spectacularly overturned a fortnight later at latham park newtown when town demolished the eircom league outfit 5-1 5-3 on aggregate achieving the highest score of any welsh club in european competition the second qualifying round saw town drawn against danish giants fc copenhagen town performed with great credit against the international laden danish side who recorded a 2-0 score line in both ties the 2005-2006 season saw town once again involved in a faw premier cup campaign with an exciting win over cardiff and a narrow extra time semi final defeat in front of a near capacity crowd against swansea city following a quarter final welsh cup exit late season momentum saw town gain a fourth place finish that provided a second consecutive season of european football defeats in both ties against finnish league leaders tampere united ensuring there was no repeat of the previous year s european euphoria the 2006-2007 league campaign saw town finish in a disappointing 7th position but the richmond park outfit brought the season to a close on a high with a historic first welsh cup win that ensured a fourth european campaign the win ensured a third consecutive year of european football for the club and with the departure of mark jones deryn brace took over as player manager town hosted their first european tie uefa cup at richmond park against norwegian giants sk brann who lost out in the knockout stages to everton fc town progressed to the semi final of the faw premier cup but in a tight end to the 20072008 season the richmond park outfit finish in 6th position a bright start to the 2008-2009 season saw town go seven games undefeated looking to improve on the previous season finish town enjoyed several good runs that kept them in contention for a top three finish however a series of defeats in march that included a 0-8 defeat to tns saw the professionals capture third at town s expense following town s contentious semi final defeat to aberystwyth town in the welsh cup the richmond park outfit amassed their second highest total in the league for a pleasing fourth place finish with the welsh premier league due to be restructured at the end of the season it was vital that town attain a top ten finish to the 2009 2010 campaign but lacking consistency and with a dismal home record they languished below the magic cut off point for most of the season however a 4-0 home win against druids on the last day of the season saw town attain the target to maintain welsh premier status with manager deryn brace resigning his post in june tomi morgan was appointed manager for a second term of office at richmond park despite being everybody s favourites to be relegated the completely new look old gold squad battled bravely throughout the season and comfortably avoided relegation with more time during the close season morgan has added to his young squad and begins the new campaign in a stronger position.

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smithy garage of dyffryn ardudwy bala town are proud and delighted to announce that smithy garage of dyffryn ardudwy are continuing their support/sponsorship for the club we wish to thank them for the vital boost they are giving to this season s welsh premier league campaign smithy garage are now the official sponsor of the first team s shorts bala town club partners h e j roberts sons smithy garage dyffryn ardudwy gwynedd ll44 2en http www.dyffryn.mitsubishi-cars.co.uk

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ein gwrthwynebwyr our opponents carmarthen pen pictures tomi morgan manager in charge at richmond for the second time having previously managed the club for six seasons which included a welsh cup final and town s first foray into europe following time at barry town and penrhyncoch tomi managed welshpool town before joining cpd porthmadog in february 2009 a very well qualified and experienced manager tomi rejoined town in june 2010 colin staples assistant manager colin rejoins morgan s team after being appointed as town s academy director he is a highly qualified coach with international experience was tomi s assistant during his previous reign gary morris physiotherapist gary is a highly trained first aid trainer and assessor as well as a qualified sports masseur well known and respected within the welsh premier setup rhys wilson gk 11.06.92 rhys has recently been released by aberdeen and has returned to wales to look for a new challenge he has played in all the pre season friendlies and has looked a fine prospect michael lewis gk 04.04.89 despite having being training with newport county over the summer lewis has committed himself to another season at richmond park generally recognized as the best goal keeping prospect in the league shane earp gk 06.03.89 developed through town s academy system but moved to haverfordwest county in 2006-07 currently part of town s coaching structure shane made his carmarthen town welsh premier league debut at farrar road bangor last season kyle graves defender 01.04.89 one of morgan s new signings for the 2011-12 season kyle was previously with haverfordwest county where he established himself as a very polished defender deryn brace defender 15.03.75 an u18 u21 international deryn spent six years at the racecourse before signing for carmarthen town in 2000-2001 spent four seasons as player manager at the new bridge meadow re-signed for town in november 2006 having been appointed manager in may 2007 he resigned may 2010 richard hughes defender 11.12.86 formally with haverfordwest county joined town in the summer of 2007 and having been a regular for three seasons he unfortunately sustained a broken ankle late in season 2009/10 following recuperation and a spell in local football with pennar robins richard returned to richmond park for the second half of last season s campaign now into his fifth season with town dale griffiths defender 02.11.85 now in his third season with town having signed from goytre united in january 2010 had time at swansea city and merthyr tydfil before signing for llanelli in the summer of 2006 dale moved back to the martyrs for a couple of seasons before joining goytre lee bevan defender 10.07.87 a product of neath athletic s youth system and a member of the eagles promotion squad sidelined through injury in 2008/9 and returned to the welsh premier with haverfordwest county bevan signed from clevedon town in june 2010 starting his second season with the club steve berry defender 25.01.91 steve begins his first season with carmarthen town having spent last season playing in sweden a very skilful defender with an excellent football pedigree craig hanford defender 8.07.84 the left sided defender returns to richmond

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ein gwrthwynebwyr our opponents park after helping afan lido to gain promotion to the welsh premier league craig has also played for haverfordwest county and port talbot town at this level corey thomas midfield 30.11.89 a product of afan lido s youth development programme the lively mid-fielder impressed deryn brace prior to last season before signing during the summer of 2010 a welsh boys club international he made his welsh premier debut in the first game of the 2010-11 season kieran howard midfield 17.01.91 morriston based kieran progressed through swansea city s youth set-up to captain the swans reserves side a member of the wales under-19 squad he signed professional in 2009 kieran joined neath on a season s loan at the end of august 2009 signed for carmarthen town in the summer of 2010 and was an instant success and begins his second season with the club geraint passmore midfield 18.02.86 passmore spent two seasons at park avenue after signing from university wales aberystwyth where he captained the university side moving back to south wales he joined neath fc in july 2008 but made only limited appearances at the gnoll before moving to welsh leaguers ento aberaman but returned to park avenue in august 2009 signed by morgan at the start of last season and now begins his second season with the old gold nicky palmer midfield 11.06.77 having had three season with town nicky moved to port talbot in the summer of 2010 but did not make a league appearance for the steelmen and returned to richmond park in january 2011 having made his debut for town against sk brann in a uefa cup qualifier he was sidelined for most of 2007-08 season nicky was voted town s player of the year 08-09 tim hicks forward 05.04.83 hicks is a product of town s youth development moved to haverfordwest in 2003 and had a short spell with aberystwyth town before returning to the new bridge meadow tim re-signed for town summer 2007 eclipsed his personal goal tally with 15 strikes in 2007-08 season a very versatile player nick harrhy forward 14.09 82 a former bristol city youth player the abergavenny-born forward joined newport county in march 2005 having played for most of the season with gravesend northfleet following a spell with north coburg united in australia moved to llanelli in september before leaving in march 2007 to return to australia the 2010 summer signing has also appeared for hereford united begins his second season with town steffan williams forward 08.06.92 a product of the bridge meadow academy who made nineteen starts in his first season in the league a former member of the welsh schoolboy side he was released from his contract by the bluebirds in january 2011 before moving to richmond park now starting his first full season with carmarthen town cledan davies forward 10.03.92 cledan joins town from aberystwyth town in fact he scored the winning goal for aber against the old gold in the last game of last season he will bring added balance to the town forward line jack christopher forward 18.05.87 christopher is recognized as one of the most potent strikers in the league he joins town from relegated haverfordwest county where he was their leading goal scorer in the welsh premier league rhys kelleher forward 13.10.90 kelleher was signed by morgan after impressing in pre-season and will bring added competition to wide positions lewis jones defender 01.05.92 formerly with llanelli jones also impressed in pre season and will given a chance to prove himself with town nickie jones left side 24.01.82 nickie was formerly with goytre and will bring added competition down the left hand side of the field.

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why hoops i hear you ask as you can see we have drastically changed our look in the next few paragraphs i m going to explain how we came to the decision to play in black and white hoops for at least the next two seasons firstly we have trawled through bala town fc s chronicled history and the only references to kit are that btfc play in black and white with no specific style listed therefore we have taken those references literally as a marketing tool this is fantastic can you imagine manchester united discovering that the only record of their kit specification was red white and black but in no particular format you would have no end of kit permutations and they really would use this format to their financial advantage there would be a kit for every competition one for every month of the season and let us not forget the christmas kit release a parents nightmare we decided that our previous kit the huron was old hat we were the first team to wear the errea huron kit now it has become commonplace darlington fc wear a version of it grantham town fc have just finished a huge marketing campaign only to reveal that they are to wear the exact same kit this season that we were wearing two seasons ago our football club is hoping that this bold kit change says hey heads up and look at us we are moving onwards and upwards this push for prominence goes hand in hand with our new approach to digital media including the launch of our brand new website and our high profile summer signings it is clear to see that we mean business as for the fans the new kit deal with total teamwear and joma is excellent value we have negotiated a fantastic replica shirt deal the prices of the shirts have again been frozen for the third consecutive season this is no mean feat when you take into account the massive rises in cotton costs fuel/delivery costs and a 5 rise in vat this deal actually represents a 5 saving on the cost of an adult shirt and a price freeze on child sizes for the first time in the last two years we now have child sizes available in our home shirt last but by no means least our kit sponsors we owe it to the companies who give so generously to be on our shirts and shorts without their backing we would never be able to run a club at the highest level of welsh football it is our duty to make sure their names have the upmost prominence on our kit such a radical change of kit style ensures not only the team but also the sponsors are thrust into the media limelight it is at this point i feel the need to thank aykroyd and sons ltd falconer electricals ltd erenko textile group and smithy garage of dyffryn ardudwy for their continued support and sponsorship lastly i would like to thank nick matthews at total teamwear for making sure we had the kit on time whilst working to such tight deadlines the deal is a two year contract that will see the club rebranded in joma kits we start this season with the first team wearing the new kit the reserves and academy will follow suit next season the club shop will start selling joma products immediately and any errea products in the shop will be sold at half the ticket price buy it and be proud to wear it remember we re black we re white we re dynamite bala town bala town.

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noddwyr sponsors chwaraewyr players stephen brown hugh edwards rugby mike byron colin caton aykroyd sons ltd mark connolly steve crompton george davies peter doran barry yates bolton gethin edwards geraint edwards stef edwards hannah gwenllian nia llynor john evans ryan evans stephen fisher dennis fisher guy handscombe aykroyd sons ltd stuart hayes shaun hughes lee hunt gwydion ifan john irving pedwar y garneddwen ross jefferies sue willetts dyfan jones clwb cefnogwyr supporters club over the summer period ricky willetts supporters liason and myself came together to form a bala town supporters club both of us have been following the lakesiders for many years and are both heavily involved with duties within the club we both came to the conclusion that even though we follow the team home and away and support the club the players and management deserve much more support than they get at present for the massive acheivement they have done by securing a 3rd season in the wpl we decided therefore that we needed to try and attact more people to maes tegid and also give supporters the opportunity to travel to away games too this is what we came up with for £12 as month discounted travel to away games sponsorship opportunities q&a sessions with the players competitions monthly newsletter discount at the club shop football tournaments against other clubs supporters club merchandise and much more we decided on £12 as it works out as £1 a month which means that anyone can afford to join everyone both young and old will be treated exactly the same all we ask is for you to show the same passion and love for the club as ricky and i do the more of you who join the greater the affinity and belonging we will all have for the club the seeds are there just ask any of the 120 bala supporters at tns week last friday how proud they were of being bala town fans after such an excellent performance by our team join now and show your support for colin and his team membership forms are available now from ricky or myself for more information please email me hannah.gwenllian@balatownfc.co.uk or rickywilletts92@hotmail.co.uk luke jones mark jones falconer electricals ltd nidian jones sion tudor jones stuart jones dan lloyd liam loughlin chris mason peter spitzmaul hereford terry mccormick tytandderwen caravan park bala 01678 520273 steven morrison conall murtagh linda moon harri owen mark pullman iwan roberts owain roberts gareth moon alwyn rowlands gwynant rowlands riki rowlands mike sharples owain thirsk danny williams .

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gemau cyfeillgar pre-season bala began their pre-season campaign with a trip to market drayton and came away with a 5-0 win if bala town supporters like most other supporters in the land had been under the impression that their team has been inactive and having a well earned holiday since the last match of the 2010-11 season against haverfordwest the same cannot be said of manager colin caton since the last kick of that match colin has been extremely busy building a virtually new squad for the 2011-12 season and after five intense training sessions the first young shoots of that rebuilding process were on display last saturday in our first pre-season friendly against evostick south division 1 side market drayton town we were keen to see this new look bala side and watch lee hunt stuart jones mike byron conall murtagh and peter doran in action in a lakesiders shirt for the first time with 4 trialists also making an appearance it was soon apparent from this early run-out that shirts will be keenly fought for and with a mixture of youth and experience the squad is shaping up well as mentioned from the pre-season training sessions the players are bonding well as an unit and this was immediately proven by the way they conducted themselves against market drayton and so to the match itself having said all the above it was out hosts playing in their third pre-season match of this season began the brighter of the two sides with colin starting with 5 new signings and 3 trialists in the first half the first chance fell to market drayton after only a couple of minutes when a snap shot by their striker was struck across our goal and again bala keeper mccormick gathered a shot from the right after 5 minutes bala gradually began to impose themselves on the match and were beginning to get into their stride after the first nervy ten minutes mark jones ghosted past two defenders on 11 minutes and narrowly put the ball past the post peter doren then shot straight at the keeper and also put an effort over the bar bala put all their pressure to bear on 28 minutes when they took the lead ­ lee hunt side-stepping a defender before tapping the ball in from 8 yards the same player doubled bala s lead on 39 minutes with a shot from the corner of the area that went in off the far post 2-0 at half-time second half saw once again the bala trialists making an excellent impression on the manager and with mark jones running the midfield and it came as no surprise when one of them created a chance for chris mason to tap in bala s third goal at the far post before loughlin scored another within a couple of minutes to make the score 4-0 to the visitors after an hours play with the rest of the match being played out with the majority of the possession being enjoyed by ourselves and the best chance falling to ross jefferies who rifled a screamer just beyond the post on 80 minutes the best goal of the game was kept till last ­ chris mason s belter from 25 yards completing the scoring on 87 minutes an useful run-out against excellent pre-season opponents the match played in a good spirit and many thanks to our market drayton hosts for making us all feel so welcome we wish them all the best for the forthcoming season 1st half mccormick jones roberts sharples byron murtagh brown jones hunt loughlin doran 2nd half mccormick irving roberts williams byron jefferies brown jones loughlin hayes mason doran attendance approx 92 with 25 from bala

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