Football: Jon Newby says Colwyn Bay owe fans a performance

Dec 29 2011

COLWYN Bay manager Jon Newby says his players owe the club a big New Year’s Day performance next Sunday after the 1-0 Boxing Day defeat at Vauxhall Motors extended their losing run to four games, reports Tim Channon.

Newby’s big concern is that in the last six hours of football his side’s only goal has been a Fraser McLachlan penalty (against Lincoln).

The Seagulls became the first side this season to fail to score against Vauxhall’s vulnerable defence and the continuing goal drought is becoming an increasing worry going into the New Year.

Newby says he will now look at bringing himself back into the attack for the return game against Vauxhall at Llanelian Road’s Red Lion Foods Stadium on Sunday (3pm) and may try a slightly different formation.

“Apart from the first half against Worcester we haven’t looked like scoring since we hit six against Droylsden, when we looked great going forward, and that is frustrating,” he reflected.

Colwyn Bay should probably have had a first half penalty on Monday when Danny Meadowcroft looked to be hauled down in the area as he tried to get on the end of a Mike Lea free-kick, and Newby believes that could have changed the game.

“To then lose to such a late goal (in injury time) was a kick in the teeth,” he said, “But all in all the performance wasn’t good enough.

“We needed a spark from someone to make something happen and there were too many waiting for someone else to provide it. That isn’t good enough and the players know it isn’t good enough.”

Only Danny Lloyd on the left posed any real attacking threat, with loan signing Dan Parkinson having another disappointing game before being substituted early in the second half.

Before half-time, despite two or three promising opportunities, Colwyn Bay did not force a save out of home keeper Scott Tynan, while Vauxhall were unlucky when Craig Mahon’s shot rebounded off a post and a John Lawless free-kick clipped the top of the bar.

Cole Stockton should also have done better than shoot too close to Jack Cudworth from an excellent opportunity.

John McKenna missed Bay’s best chance of the game early in the second half when he headed straight into the keeper’s arms from six yards out and substitute Karl Noon sliced another chance wide.

Gareth Evans later had a shot blocked by a defender in the goalmouth, but Vauxhall always looked the most likely side to break the deadlock.

Cudworth made a super double save, parrying a free-kick from Lawless and then throwing his body in the way of Kevin Holsgrove’s follow up shot before the flag went up for offside. 

Vauxhall, however, snatched victory in the first minute of added time at the end when they broke quickly from clearing a Colwyn Bay free-kick.

Holsgrove muscled his way past Matty Hughes into the area and although Cudworth did well to block his first shot, the former Bay player scored at the second attempt from the rebound.

Colwyn Bay are still only three points off a top 10 place, but they must start hitting the net again soon or face the threat of being dragged towards a relegation battle which had looked so unlikely a month or so ago.