The fifth game of the JD Cymru Premier season sees us welcome Bala Town to Stebonheath Park this Saturday afternoon – in what is seen as a huge game for both sides.
It has been a tough start to life in the top flight for the Reds with no points recorded from the opening four games, however the step up from the second tier is never easy and many sides before us have also faced the same fate in the opening games.
There are still plenty of games to go in phase one and a chance to bounce back begins with the visit of Bala this Saturday.
Joining us at Stebo? Follow our handy matchday guide below to get prepared for your trip.
Our Opponents – Bala Town
Nicknamed the Lakesiders, Bala had a tricky end to the previous campaign as they won just one game in 10 as well as losing out in the European play off to Cardiff Met. Over the summer, Colin Cation stepped down as Bala manager after an historic 22 years at the club.
Over 880 matches as well as numerous achievements such as a Welsh Cup and Nathaniel MG Cup victory – Colins boots were incredibly hard to fill.
Former player and assistant to Colin, Steve Fisher became the clubs new manager in June and has overseen a mixed start to the campaign for the Lakesiders.
Bala survived a scare in the Nathaniel MG Cup as they defeated Guilsfield on penalties, they then were held to a 1-1 draw by Flint Town United on the opening day of the JD Cymru Premier campaign.
A 1-0 win against Colwyn Bay followed by a 2-0 defeat away to Caernarfon Town sees the Lakesiders sit 8th in the early standings with 4 points on the board.
In their previous game against Caernarfon, Bala were reduced to 10 men following a straight red card shown to Spaniard Lassana Mendes.
Head to Head
The Reds last met the Lakesiders back in 2018 in which Bala won on both occasions with an aggregate score of 10-2.
The last five meetings between ourselves and this Saturdays visitors is as follows;
22nd December 2018 – Llanelli Town 1-7 Bala Town
8th September 2018 – Bala Town 3-1 Llanelli Town
20th April 2013 – Llanelli Town 1-5 Bala Town
10th March 2013 – Bala Town 4-0 Llanelli Town
15th December 2012 – Bala Town 1-2 Llanelli Town
Player to Watch
Hussein Mehasseb
The 23 year old forward returned to the Lakesiders this summer and has already made a strong impact on the side. Two goals in the opening four games of the campaign, the attacker also has an assist to his name.
Formerly of both Rangers and Motherwells academies, Hussein has played football in a range of countries such as Cyprus, Egypt and more at just 23.
Hussein is also capped for Egypt at U20 level and scored twice in two games during the appearances for his country.
A real show of his value to the Lakesiders is the fact that he has only missed 12 minutes of football this season – playing a total of 348 minutes already this season.
More of the players to watch from Bala will be available to read about in our matchday programme.
How to Follow – Llanelli Town vs Bala Town
If you are unable to make it to the game this Saturday, you can follow all the action via our social media channels. As always we will be sharing updates across our Facebook, Instagram and X accounts.
Following the game, our match report and highlights will be available to view during the evening on Saturday.
