Bala and Connah's Quay to replay abandoned contest

Connah's Quay were 3-0 up when the game was abandoned thanks to goals from Rhys Hughes (two) and Ben Nash

The first phase of the Cymru Premier season will be completed on Friday, 17 January after the Football Association of Wales ordered Connah's Quay Nomads and Bala Town to replay Tuesday's abandoned game.

Connah's Quay were leading Bala 3-0 when the game – the final match ahead of the mid-season split – was abandoned due to fog at Flint's Essity Stadium.

The rivals each went into the match still in contention to a secure a place in the Championship Conference for the second half of the season.

"Following the abandonment of Connah's Quay Nomads v Bala Town in the JD Cymru Premier on Tuesday, 14 January, the FAW National Leagues Board (NLB) has voted in favour of the fixture being replayed in full," an FAW statement confirmed.

"In line with Cymru Premier Rule 20.1, the NLB considered both options available to them: ordering the match to stand completed as a 3-0 win for Connah's Quay Nomads – the scoreline at the time of the match abandonment – or replaying the full period of 90 minutes.

"While recognising the extremely difficult and unique circumstances for all clubs impacted, with no solution likely to appease all parties, the NLB concluded that with 28 minutes plus any additional time still to play in the fixture, multiple variables could have occurred in that time frame and therefore the scoreline should not stand completed.

"This is consistent with previous decisions with regards to previous abandoned matches."

The decision comes in a week where Bala Town boss Colin Caton said the club were "not happy at all," at playing their home Cymru Premier fixture with Caernarfon Town at a neutral venue.

The Lakesiders originally hosted the Canaries at Maes Tegid on 31 December, but the game was abandoned at half time.

The encounter was twice rescheduled and subsequently postponed due to Bala's home turf being frozen, with a fourth date of 11 January being confirmed at Llandudno's Maesdu Park.

"We're not happy at all about the venue," he said before the match, which Bala went on to lose 2-0.

'Deeply disappointing'

Barry Town has also voiced its frustration, describing the decision to reschedule the match between Connah's Quay and Bala as "deeply disappointing", while questioning the FAW's "sporting integrity".

Barry will drop out of the top six if Bala get a draw or better from the game.

"This has been the most exciting conclusion to phase one of the league in many years, with five clubs playing on the final day for the final three places in the league's championship conference, a top six place with an automatic European play-off place and no threat of relegation," a club statement said.

"Instead of a competitive conclusion to those 22 matches, we now have a single match in which one club has an advantage of knowing beforehand how they can succeed above other clubs, and their opponents objectively now have less reason to play competitively, knowing that they can no longer reach a top six placing."

Barry has called on the FAW to reconsider its "very poor" decision.