Bale force steers Wales (From Salisbury Journal)

Bale force steers Wales

9:48pm Wednesday 6th February 2013 in National Sport News © Press Association 2013

Gareth Bale continued his sensational recent form with a goal and an assist as Wales claimed a 2-1 victory over Austria at the Liberty Stadium.

The Tottenham winger scored his 10th goal for his country with a smart finish as he made full use of Joe Allen's lofted pass in the 21st minute. The hosts had to survive some nervy moments, notably when Emanuel Pogatetz had a header wrongly ruled out for offside and David Alaba struck the post.

However, Bale made another telling contribution with a pin-point cross for substitute Sam Vokes to head in the second early in the second half. Captain Marc Janko pulled a goal back for Austria but it was not enough to deny Wales.