Caernarfon Town boss Eardley praises "workmanlike" Bala Town win

The Canaries ended a run of four straight defeats to secure a pivotal victory over the Lakesiders’ in what was a hotly contested affair throughout, and they now enjoy a five point cushion over Colin Caton’s men having played two games more ahead of their next JD Welsh Premier League outing at title-chasing Barry Town United on March 23.

Speaking to the club’s YouTube channel, Eardley said: “It was a very workmanlike and dogged performance. It was difficult for both sides when we went down to ten men and credit to Bala, who made things very hard for us.

“I was very happy with our shape and we looked very organised. They had the lion’s share of possession in the second half and you have got to be happy with that given our recent results.

“You have got to be realistic about where we are and at the end of the day we have massively overachieved. Make no mistake though, the boys deserve to be where they are and we are up there for a reason.

“Bala are seasoned campaigners but to have two wins and a draw against them so far is brilliant. I thought we started brightly and Noah (Edwards) scored a great goal to put us in the ascendancy.

“Things were a little more difficult in the second half but I am absolutely made up with the result. We put bodies on the line which maybe we haven’t seen in the last couple of weeks and that was really pleasing.”

The Cofis’ got off to the best possible start when Edwards demonstrated fantastic composure to slot home after five minutes, and Sion Bradley almost doubled their advantage soon after during an outstanding start to the contest.

Home custodian Alex Ramsay was called into action midway through the half to deny Henry Jones and Steven Tames, but both sides had a man sent off when Leo Smith and Kieron Smith were involved in an altercation.

The visitors piled on the pressure after the break but were met by fierce resistance from the hosts’ rearguard as they held on for a vital success.