BALA Town boss Colin Caton has spoken about the “massive achievement” which has seen Bala Town reach the last-four of the Welsh Cup for the first time in the club’s history.
The men from Maes Tegid required extra time to see off Welsh League high-flyers Afan Lido, but it all came good for Caton’s charges who can now look forward to a tough semi-final showdown with Port Talbot Town.
Speaking about the success, Caton said: “It is a massive achievement for the club and I don’t think it has hit home yet.
“The game should have been over before extra-time, but their goalkeeper was excellent and it is fantastic for the club to be in the semi-finals of the Welsh Cup.”
Bala’s last Welsh Cup quarter-final appearance came five years ago when they were a Cymru Alliance side.
They lost 4-0 against Rhyl on that occasion, but versus Afan Lido, Bala were seen as strong favourites to progress.
Ricky Evans, John Toner, Warren Duckett, Danny Jellicoe and Ross Jefferies all had opportunities in normal time to register for Bala, but visiting keeper Mike Lewis had a fantastic game and it remained goalless going into extra time.
Caton then showed his tactical know-how, as two of his substitutes combined in effective fashion in the opening half of the additional 30 minutes.
Ricky Evans played a long pass into Ross Jefferies, who did well to beat the offside trap.
Jefferies ran to the edge of the box and played a cross in to Osian Jones, who diverted the ball goalwards with his first touch of the match.
Fellow replacement Neil Fisher put the result beyond any doubt in stoppage time, as the visitors had committed men forward, allowing him to find space to shoot into the bottom corner of the net.
“I never thought we could reach this far with so many superb clubs in the competition, but we have worked hard and it is something to be proud of.
“The club have never been this far before and we will enjoy the match against Port Talbot, they are as good a team as we have played, but we will give it our best.”
Bala will take on Port Talbot at a neutral venue in the last-four on April 10.
At the time of going to press, the semi-final venue hadn’t yet been finalised.
Welsh Cup semi-finals draw (April 10): Bala Town v Port Talbot Town, Bangor City v Prestatyn Town