A PITCH battle is breaking out over a Welsh Premier League playing surface.
Bala Town officials have hit back after the pitch at the club’s Maes Tegid ground was the subject of criticism.
A Bala statement this week explained: “The club has been in touch with the local environment agency regarding the adverse weather we have experienced in Bala over the past few months
“Rainfall (statistics) for Llyn Celyn, five miles from Bala showed that we had 323mm of rainfall in the month of December which is over 12 inches!
“The normal December average is 216mm, ie 34 per cent above average! Bangor had 142 mm and Broughton Chester had 105mm.
“In the 104 days from October 1 to January 12 there were only two days where nil rainfall was recorded in Bala!
“I think this gives sufficient evidence to prove how difficult it is to get our pitch in playable condition!”
Bala boss Colin Caton said: “I’m not happy with the TV to jump on the bandwagon.
“It’s easy for people to criticise, but they have got to realise the circumstances we are under here.
“We have tried to get every game on.
“Looking at Netbusters on Sky and Division One and Division Two grounds were awful.
“We don’t moan about anybody else and we’re not an awkward club.”
Elsewhere on the field of play, things are looking rosy for the Lakesiders.
They booked their spot in the last-eight of the Welsh Cup courtesy of a 4-2 extra time win at lower league Buckley Town on Saturday, but Caton felt the win should have been more comfortable in nature.
“We just missed loads of chances and the game should have been dead-and-buried.
“We were 2-0 up and the lad got his foot in front of the keeper’s clearance and it’s looped towards goal and given them a lift.
“Then they had a penalty awarded, which was never a penalty, but then we totally dominated extra time.
“In extra time I was so chuffed with the way we played.
“I have got a great bunch of lads that work so hard for each other.”
Two goals in the space of less than 10 minutes from Lee Hunt saw Bala out of sight and booked a quarter-final showdown with fellow top-five Welsh Premier League outfit Llanelli, who squeezed through against battling Rhyl on penalties.
On the draw, Caton said: “The four highest placed teams have been drawn against each other!
“A home draw’s good, but we didn’t want to meet a team above us.”
Things look a bit easier for Caton player wise this week, following on from a nervous chase to sign a goalkeeper ahead of the Welsh Cup tie at Buckley.
With regular goalkeeper Terry McCormick suspended and Mark Pullman out through injury, former Lakesiders custodian Matthew Boswell answered an SOS to help out at Maes Tegid.
“We got him in on Friday,” said Caton.
“It was a bit hairy, but he did well on Saturday.”
There is a Welsh Cup warm-up in the league on Saturday as Andy Legg’s title-chasing Llanelli pay a visit to Maes Tegid and Bala will be able to welcome Stephen Brown, Ben Collins, Ian Sheridan and Terry McCormick back into the squad.
Looking ahead to this weekend’s match, Caton said: “These are the games we wanted to be playing in the Welsh Premier.
“It’s good for everybody.
“They have beaten us twice so far this season and I think they will be quite confident.
“We have beaten them before in Bala and hopefully a bit of luck goes our way.”