Football: Colwyn Bay FC earn 2-1 win at Trafford

Feb 25 2010

TWO goals from Ian Sheridan lifted Colwyn Bay back into second place in the table on their own with a 2-1 win at Trafford on Saturday.

After taking the lead in the first minute they had a torrid last 10 minutes in the first half when Chris Sanna made two outstanding saves before Trafford equalised, but the Seagulls regrouped and bossed much of the second half – and in the end could have won by a bigger margin.

They started with Jamie Dunn, making his first appearance since October, up front with Neil Black in a 4-4-2 formation and he did well, troubling the home defence with his pace and industry and putting in some good runs on the left.

Danny Grannon also did well at left back on his recall, while Danny Meadowcroft was excellent at the back, particularly in the second half.

In a dream start, the Bay were in front after just 31 seconds. Greg Stones played in Sheridan to fire home. and he cut inside one defender before firing a shot that took a deflection off another and looped over the diving keeper into the net.

Neil Black should have made it 2-0 shortly afterwards when he was put clear by Luke Denson's neat pass only to blaze his shot wide with just the keeper to beat.

Trafford finished the half very strongly and Sanna pulled off two superb one-handed saves, leaping acrobatically to turn shots from Scott Barlow and dangerous left winger Shelton Payne away for corner kicks.

But Trafford equalised on 44 minutes when skipper Melford Knight volleyed past Sanna from the home side's sixth corner of the half.

In the second half, however, the Bay were in control and Grannon missed a big chance when he lifted the ball over the bar from three yards after Dunn had headed on a cross from Dave Challinor.

But the Bay's lead was restored on 64 minutes.

The Bay hit back on 64 minutes as a poor clearance fell to Stones, who crossed for Stuart Graves was put clear inside the area but a poor first touch allowed keeper Aaron Tyrer to race off his line and make a good block at the midfielder's feet. Trafford then failed to clear the ball from the rebound and Greg Stones crossed from the left to the far post for Sheridan to head in for his 12th goal of the season for the visitors.

Graves was earlier involved in a clash with Glyn Barker which drew in players from both sides in an ugly melee, but both players escaped with a booking, and the Bay went on to carve out enough chances to kill the game off.

Neil Black hit a fierce angled shot which Tyrer did brilliantly to tip over the bar before Stones had a header cleared off the line and then Sheridan had a shot half blocked by the keeper before that was also cleared off the line by a defender.

Substitute Alex Titchiner was twice denied by the keeper in a one-on-one tussle and Tyrer then dived full-length to turn a Stones free kick round the post for a corner.

Scott Barlow fired wildly over the bar from Trafford's best chance to equalise, but that was one of only two efforts on goal (against nine by the Seagulls) that Trafford managed in the second half when Sanna did not have a save to make.

So a very strong second half for the Bay and three excellent points in what was their first win over Trafford in four attempts.

Manager Neil Young was delighted with the effort the team had put in and said: "A number of those players have not played that much football lately and I thought the commitment they put in was tremendous.

"We had a bad last 10 minutes or so in the first half when we were defending too deep and at half-time we told the players to squeeze up the field more and for the front two to try and prevent their full-backs advancing down the flanks.

"That helped eliminate the threat their number 11 had posed down the left in the first half and forced them to play down the middle where they got little joy against Chally and Danny Meadowcroft.

"In the end it was a well deserved win and now it is up to us to keep that level of performance going."

Colwyn Bay: Sanna, Denson, Grannon, Meadowcroft. Challinor. Graves (Davey 65mins), Sheridan, Kelly, Black (Olsen 85mins), Stones, Dunn (Titchiner 73mins). Subs not used: Brandreth and Headley.