Bala Town 1 TNS 1

TNS' title bid suffered a potentially damaging blow at Bala Town on Friday night.

The Saints arrived at Maes Tegid aiming to bounce back from the previous week's defeat at home to Newtown.

However the Oswestrians trailed within the opening five minutes as Aeron Edwards steered his attempted headed clearance from Henry Jones' free-kick into his own net.

TNS dominated the remainder of the half but chances were sparse as Bala sat back and soaked up the pressure.

Adrian Cieslewicz fired wide while Jamie Mullan saw two efforts blocked as Bala continued to deny the Saints a real opening.

TNS ramped up the pressure as the half progressed with Cieslewicz blazing over the bar again before Edwards headed just over the bar.

It was a similar story after the break and the pressure finally told on the hour when Chris Marriott's cross was blocked by the arm of Ollie Shannon to allow Ryan Brobbel to level from the penalty spot.

Dean Ebbe steered Mullan's cross onto the post with Brobbel spurning the rebound as TNS went close to leading five minutes later.

Bala weathered the storm and the final stages saw both sides have chances to snatch all three points.

Sean Smith dispossessed Simon Spender and squared for Kieran Smith whose rasping shot forced TNS goalkeeper Paul Harrison into action.

Mullan fired over for the Saints before Bala substitute Dave Hayes scuffed his lines from close range in the dying embers of the game.

Saints manager Scott Ruscoe's frustrations boiled over deep into injury-time when Brobbel went down on the edge of the area under pressure from Chris Venables only for referee Dean John to wave away appeals for a free-kick.

The result saw the Saints drop to second in the table ahead of their trip to new leaders Connahs Quay this weekend.

TNS: Harrison, Spender, Marriott, Davies, Ebbe (Draper 77), Brobbel, Redmond, Cieslewicz (Byrne 84), Mullan, Edward, Holland. Subs: Dutton, Hudson, Nembhard, Harrington, Rees.

Att - 257