Two red cards in Seagulls defeat

A DREADFUL 48 hours, which has seen skipper Dave Challinor break a leg in training and Graham Branch ruled out for the rest of the season following surgery on a fractured eye socket, was capped by two second half red cards in a 2-0 home defeat to Durham City (April 18).
The dismissals mean Dean Canning and keeper Chris Sanna will now also miss the play-off final should the Seagulls get there.
Manager Neil Young felt Sanna was a little unlucky, but commented candidly: "I am not going to use the referee as an excuse. We just weren't good enough today.
"We didn't defend properly, we didn't talk to each other and we got punished for a lack of discipline.
"Give credit to Durham, they were the better side on the day, but the game demonstrated how serious the injuries to Dave Challinor and Graham Branch are to us.
"In matches like this there is no substitute for experience. We badly missed their talking and organising at the back.
"Overall we were poor today, but we have to pick ourselves up and come back strongly at Wakefield on Tuesday."
I asked Neil that if the Bay should meet Durham in the play-off final, which at the moment is very possible, can his side can still beat them without four key players.
He replied: "We will need to set ourselves up differently, but in the end it will be down to the players and they need to perform better than they did today."
By the letter of the law, Canning had to go after a needless clash with Durham's giant centre back Richard Smith, although I thought Smith should have got at least a yellow card for his part in the confrontation, and Sanna went after bringing down Gavin Cogdon after the Durham dangerman had gone past him in the area - although he looked to make the most of any contact after pushing the ball too far ahead of him.
I am sure a lot of referees would have been content to show the keeper a yellow card, but his dismissal has opened the door for Farai Jackson to play in the play-off final after nine months fighting back from injury.
The stand-in keeper got a standing ovation from the 600 plus crowd when his first touch after coming on to replace Sanna was to save Keith Graydon's penalty kick with a flying dive to his right.
Jackson said afterwards that to play in the final would be a great way to end a hugely frustrating season for him.
"If we do get tho the final I would love to help Colwyn Bay win it and get promotion as that would be my chance of saying thank you to everybody at the club who have given me so much support during what has been a long nine months," he said.
To do that the Bay may have to go to Durham and win and that will be a big ask against what is clearly a very strong side.
The pace of Cogdon and Stephen Richardson up front caused the Bay defence problems all afternoon, with Matty Wood brought on for Lee Hammond after only 24 minutes to try and deal with the problem, while the Durham defence looked solid and allowed the home side, with injured Steve Aspinall also missing, few opportunities to test keeper Craig Turns.
Matty Moffatt looked offside as he broke clear to set up the opening goal for Richardson after 26 minutes, but Durham had started the game much the stronger, forcing five early corners and always looked the more accomplished team.
Canning and Danny Jarrett came closest to an equaliser with efforts narrowly over the bar, but after Canning's dismissal early in the second half, Colwyn Bay never really threatened a goal.
Chris Sanna came off his line to make three heroic one-on-one saves from Richardson (twice) and Moffat to earn himself the man of the match award, before his red card on 72 minutes.
Jackson kept up the good work in goal for nine-man Bay with that penalty save, but Moffatt beat him for Durham's second goal on 77 minutes after another pacy run by Cogdon.
With Curzon Ashton winning again, the Bay may now need to win on Tuesday or at Newcastle next Saturday to secure third place.
Colwyn Bay: Sanna, Spearritt, Hammond (Wood 24mins), Brandreth, Jarrett, Williams (McGraa 66mins), Canning, Taylor, Hopley, Davey (Jackson 73mins), Jebb. Subs not used: Webb, Edwards.
Attendance: 606.