Flint gave the perfect response in their quick re-match with Bala, although the final score had a much more closer look about it than should have been the case, as the Silkmen conceded two entirely preventable second half goals within the space of three minutes, setting up a tense final quarter of the game.
Following the 4-0 home drubbing by Bala in the previous game I wrote that Phase 2 would be a battle, and Flint would need to show they were prepared for it, and to be fair they did just that in an extremely strong first half showing. Indeed, if Elliott Reeves had had his shooting boots on, then the game would have been well and truly done and dusted by the interval, as it was, Flint had established a very healthy 4-1 lead, coming back from a goal down.
The Silkmen started well, and Darren Stephenson flashed a ball across the face of the 6 yard box that just eluded the incoming Reeves. Then, from a Bala goal kick, Jack Thorn played a nice defence splitting ball up to Reeves, who could have hit it first time, but elected to try and round Joel Torrance in the Bala goal, before getting his finish all wrong and slashing it wildly wide of the target.
In their first meaningful attack, the Lakesiders punished Flint for their missed opportunities, as they went ahead through Lassana Mendes, just as they had done in the previous meeting. Jake Canavan was dispossessed by Olamide Ibrahim, in the Bala half, and Ibrahim sprinted down the left, before slipping the ball into Hussein Mehasseb, who crossed low to Cameron Ferguson in the box. Ferguson applied a clever back heel to find the supporting Sam Billington, who in turn squared it to the unmarked Mendes who applied the necessary finish. To be fair, it was a well worked team goal from the home side.
Flint shrugged off that setback and set about their task with renewed vigour. Osebi Abadaki, making his first start for the Silkmen, was featuring prominently and make inroads down the Flint left, giving the Bala defence all sorts of problems. On 17 minutes he supplied a dangerous cross, looking for Reeves, only for Nelson Digbeu to come to Bala’s rescue with a great defensive header that he put over his own bar.
But shortly after that, Digbeu and Torrance had an almighty mix up, that set up Stephenson for the equaliser. Ben Wynne hooked a long ball forward to the edge of the Bala box for Stephenson to run onto. Digbeu was there to meet it, and attempted to head it back to Torrance, who was coming to meet him. The header went past the keeper, and Stephenson galloped onto the loose ball and slotted home from a wide angle.
From there on in it was a case of one way traffic as Flint kept up the pressure on the home side.
On 21 minutes, the Silkmen took the lead. Play was switched from left to right, and Jake Phillips received the ball, and found Wynne., who took a couple of steps to the edge of the ‘D’ before looking up and placing a perfectly executed shot right into the top corner of the goal.
Wynne then turned provider for the third Flint goal. A long throw from him was initially cleared back to him, and he delivered a pinpoint ball back into the area that Harry Owen met from 8 yards out to place in the corner of the net.
On 33 minutes, Flint extended their lead further. From a corner, Phillips and Wynne caught the Bala defence napping, as instead of a high cross into the box, Phillips played the ball along the deck to Wynne, who had sprinted into space and met it from about 12 yards out, and the number 10 applied a smart low finish in between a couple of Bala defenders.
Flint continued to press, and Phillips to pick out Reeves with an inch perfect delivery, but the striker got under the ball, and headed over from 6 yards out.
There was still time for the Silkmen to have a strong penalty appeal turned down and for the officials to rule that the ball hadn’t crossed the line as Canavan and Reeves were convinced their efforts had done enough, before Torrance parried it out of his goal.
Having weathered the expected Bala retaliation at the start of the second period for the opening 10 minutes or so, Flint should really have been in a comfortable position to see the game out. But as all Silkman fans know, things are rarely that simple, and once again, poor game management resulted in giving the hosts a lifeline.
First, on 63 minutes, Ben Woollam, decided to try and shepherd the ball over the byline, spurning an opportunity to clear it down the pitch. In the event, he was robbed of possession, and a cross put into the box to be met by Ferguson to reduce the arrears to two goals.
Then, just three minutes later, the deficit became just a one goal margin. Flint had been awarded a free kick in the Bala half, but in their eagerness to score another goal they over committed their forces, and the set piece was cleared to Billington in midfield, who looked up and instantly sent a ball into the path of Liam Higgins, who was one on one with Sidi Fofana. Higgins outpaced the Flint defender, rounded Jack Flint and slotted home to give the Lakesiders renewed hope of an unlikely comeback.
That set up a nervy last twenty five minutes or so. Fortunately, however, the home side were unable to create another clear cut opportunity, and Flint could have increased their lead when Thorn dinked a ball into the path of Reeves, but his attempted lob over Torrance finished just over the bar rather than under it.
Next week our attention turns to the Welsh Cup, when history beckons the Silkmen as we attempt to reach the semi finals of the competition for the first time since 1954, the year Flint went onto win the trophy for the only time in their history. Kick off at the Essity Stadium is 2pm, and their is a special discounted ticket price of £5 for all adults.
Report by Nigel Sheen
Line Ups :
Bala Town – J. Torrance, H. Dean (N. Burke 46), L. Hall (C. Fisher 90), N. Digbeu, W. Bell, R. White (c), L. Mendes, S. Billington (J. Tarasenko 69), H. Mehasseb (L. Higgins 46), C. Ferguson, O. Ibrahim (D. McGiveron 90). Unused subs – A. Connolly, T. Kelly
Flint Town United – J. Flint, B. Woollam, O. Abadaki (J. Jones 78), S. Fofana, H. Owen (c), J. Thorn, J. Phillips, J. Canavan (B. Hughes 78), E. Reeves, B. Wynne, D. Stephenson. Unused Subs – D. Sczcepaniak (GK), M. Purvis, C. Ferguson, L. Morrison
Flint MOM – Ben Wynne (Two well taken goals and an assist )
