BALA TOWN were left down in the dumps as JD Cymru Premier league-leaders The New Saints (TNS) staged a late comeback at Park Hall.

A Ryan Brobbel double in the closing stages left the Lakesiders heartbroken as the Saints fought back to win 2-1 after Chris Venables had given Bala the lead from the spot early on.

The result of the match, played on Tuesday, October 12, saw TNS move seven points clear at the top and Flint Town United go above Bala thanks to a dramatic 3-2 win at Caernarfon Town.

Following a 2-0 win at Connah's Quay, Newtown also moved above Bala, who dropped down to fourth in the top-flight table before the weekend's fixtures.

It was the Lakesiders who started off as the brighter of the two sides at Park Hall however, Paul Rutherford going close early on only to be denied by Saints goalkeeper Paul Harrison.

The deadlock was broken when Bala skipper Venables, having been fouled in the box, stepped up to convert a penalty on 17mins.

Immediately after, a Rutherford just missed the head of Venables.

Bala keeper Harri Lloyd then did well to deny a great effort from Ben Clark before a Ryan Astles header went just over the bar for TNS.

In the second half, Lassana Mendes went close for Bala with a header Rutherford squandered a great chance to make it 2-0 on the hour mark.

Bala looked strong in defence for the most part, but TNS were about to produce a late, late show to steal the three points.

With eight minutes left of normal time, Ryan Brobbel struck a fabulous effort into the back of the net from range leaving Lloyd no chance and bringing TNS level.

A point would have been a fair result, but the home side had other ideas as Brobbel scored again with the last kick of the game to secure a TNS win in dramatic fashion.