Football: Colwyn Bay FC pick up four points in two games

Nov 11 2010

BURSCOUGH 0 COLWYN BAY 0

COLWYN Bay extended their unbeaten away league record to nine games with a 0- 0 draw at Burscough on Tuesday night, but lost the chance to go second in the table with an amazing miss by substitute Ian Sheridan seven minutes from the end.

He somehow spooned the ball over a gaping goal from only a couple of yards out after the ball fell perfectly for him following a good run and low cross by Gareth Evans.

No wonder he sank to his knees with his head in his hands.

In the end a draw was probably a fair result, but player-boss Dave Challinor, who played despite a heavy cold, was disappointed not to have won.

"When you come to places like this you know it is going to be tough, so you need to take your chances when you get them and obviously the one Shedz had at the end should have won the game," he said.

"But in all honesty the pitch was shocking and the worst we have played on this season. It just wasn’t conducive to good football at all and played a big part in the scoreline.

"From now until the end of February, however, the pitches are not going to be at their best and you have to be prepared to dig in, stay in games and then take your chances when you get them - and unfortunately we didn’t take ours tonight, and were again just lacking that little bit in the final third.

"It would have been nice to have won and gone second in the table, but ultimately we’ve kept another clean sheet, looked good defensively again and hopefully we can take that into Saturday’s game against Buxton."

At the moment the Bay are one of five clubs in the top six separated by just one point – although Buxton played last night (Wednesday) with the chance to break free of that group – adding more importance to Saturday’s big game at Llanelian Road.

Neither side could get an effort on target in the first half at Burscough, although the hosts squandered the two best chances. Jack Mackreth was put clear down the right by Kevin Leadbetter after Karl Noon gave the ball away on the half-way line, but he shot across the goal and wide of the far post, and then Leadbetter broke clear, but his chip over the advancing Andy Metcalf dropped wide of the goal. For Colwyn Bay, Mick McGraa (twice), Noon, Lee Davey and Danny Grannon were all well off target.

Burscough then started the second half very strongly and Colwyn Bay had to defend with some determination, throwing bodies in the way of numerous shots.

When a shot from Darren Brookfield did get through, Metcalf spilled the ball, but managed to grab it at the second attempt as two Burscough attackers moved in.

Having weathered the storm in the second half, Bay finished strongly and apart from Sheridan’s miss, Jon Newby got the ball in the net in added time but was ruled offside. - he wasn’t going to get away with that two games running!

Mike Lea fired a chance into the side netting, Fraser McLachlan clipped another over the bar and Damien Allen broke clear on the right but put in a dreadful cross that cleared everyone in the middle and ran out for a throw in on the other side of the field – which summed up Bay’s night in front of goal.

COLWYN BAY: Metcalf, Denson, Lea, Challinor, Grannon, McLachlan, Davey (Evans 71 mins), Allen, Noon (Sheridan 55 mins), Newby, McGraa, Subs not used: McMahon, Sheehan and Bailey.

STOCKSBRIDGE PARK 0 COLWYN BAY 1

JON NEWBY’S 76th minute winner at the Look Local Stadium on Saturday stretched Colwyn Bay’s unbeaten away record in the Evo-Stik Premier Division to eight games.

Following the midweek departure of keeper Chris Sanna to Chester, the Bay’s defence did a great job protecting debutant teenage glovesman Andy Metcalf as much as possible.

Colwyn were only denied a bigger victory by the heroics of keeper Andy Ogden and the woodwork.

Michael Lea headed a great chance against the bar and Luke Denson saw his close range header smothered on the line by Ogden.

The home stopper also flung himself to turn efforts from Mick McGraa and Newby round the post in the first half, and after denying Denson, produced a magnificent flying save to tip away a 35-yard scorcher from Damien Allen that looked bound for the top corner.

With Ogden’s heroics and poor Bay finishing, it looked like being a 0-0 draw.

But with 14 minutes left Stocksbridge failed to clear a corner and, although Newby looked offside when the ball was played through to him inside the area, there was no flag and he tucked his shot wide of Ogden’s diving right hand.

Karl Noon did get the ball in the net again, but the goal was ruled out for a handball.