Football: Concerns for career of Colwyn Bay FC striker after defeat

Oct 8 2009

COLWYN BAY 0 WITTON ALBION 2

FA TROPHY PRELIMINARY ROUND

THE career of Colwyn Bay striker Rob Hopley is in the balance after he suffered a serious knee injury in Saturday’s FA Trophy tie at Llanelian Road.

Hopley was stretchered off after 20 minutes with what was later diagnosed in hospital as ruptured cruciate knee ligaments – with the doctor fearing the popular striker may not play again.

Manager Neil Young said he was "devastated" by the news.

"At this moment nothing else matters. All our thoughts are with Rob," he said.

At the time of the injury the manager was furious that the only action referee Andrew Hutchinson took over the challenge was to award a free-kick.

"The Witton player has gone over the top of the ball and put one our most influential players out of the game; how that is not a red card I just don't know," he fumed after the game.

It was also a match-changing incident because Colwyn Bay seemed to lose all appetite after that and put in another poor home performance to again fall at the first hurdle in the FA Carlsberg Trophy.

In contrast to their table-topping Division One North league form, this was the Seagulls’ fourth successive cup exit at the first stage.

Immediately after the game Young accused his side of going out of the lucrative competition with a whimper and described the performance as "heartless".

"We were playing the ball around well and looked in control at the start, but after the injury to Hops we stopped passing the ball, showed no heart and just went for long balls," he said.

"There were only three or four players who came out of the game with any credit."

And with Tim Brandreth also limping out of the game with a pulled calf muscle early in the second half, the injuries to two key players will be as much a concern as another early cup exit.

Former Bay boss Gary Finley was delighted to make a winning return to Llanelian Road, but admitted he was surprised by how poorly the Seagulls played.

"I have watched them a couple of times and we came with a 4-4-1-1 system which we felt would work – and it did," he said.

"Obviously I am glad to have come back here and won and I enjoyed it, but I must say I was very disappointed in Colwyn Bay.

"I was surprised they started with a 4-5- 1 formation at home, which I presume was designed to try and combat us in midfield where we are quite strong, but all they seemed to do was lump long balls up the middle and our two central defenders will deal with tactics like that all day long.

"The injury to Hopley may have had an effect on them, but overall I thought we were the better team and thoroughly deserved to win."

Colwyn Bay started well enough, although they were lucky to escape when a mistake by Brandreth put Brad Maylett clear on goal only to shoot wide with just Chris Sanna to beat.

Hopley had a header cleared off the line at the other end, but from the moment he was stretchered off to hospital, Witton always looked in control.

They took the lead on 30 minutes when Dave Challinor and Brandreth failed to cut out a long ball through the middle and Maylett ran clear to score.

Only a terrific save by Sanna to tip a shot from Steve Foster over the bar then prevented them adding a second.

Witton keeper, Joe Clegg, saved a Louis Corrigan free-kick and then dived to his left to save from Anthony Sheehan who should probably have done better with what was the Bay's best chance of the game just before half-time.

In the second half Witton defended well and dealt comfortably with anything Colwyn could offer, before clinching victory eight minutes from time when substitute Alex Hay tripped over the ball in a Bay attack with nobody near him and the visitors broke quickly for Maylett to get his second goal of the game.

Colwyn Bay: Sanna, Aspinall, Corrigan, Brandreth (Hay 47mins), Challinor, Sheehan, Jebb (Sheridan 74mins), Clampitt, Hopley (Macauley 23mins), Dunn, Graves. Subs not used: McGill, Kelly.