Colwyn Bay stay top in thrilling finish

TWO goals in the last three minutes of normal time saw Colwyn Bay snatch a thrilling 3-2 victory from the jaws of defeat against bottom side Salford City on Tuesday (Sept 29).
It keeps them a point ahead of Halifax at the top of the table and extends their winning league run to 10 games - but Salford gave them a fright by twice taking the lead.
They scored their two goals from just four attempts, while Colwyn Bay had 20 attempts, but found Salford keeper Andy Robertson in good form.
He prevented the Bay taking an early lead by diving to turn Tim Brandreth's header round the post for a corner, before Salford took the lead with their first shot at goal after 15 minutes as Domain Rouse was left unchallenged to volley past Chris Sanna from a right wing corner.
Colwyn Bay moved up a gear and forced a spell of sustained pressure, but Josh Macauley, Brandreth and Eddie Jebb all missed the target from chances to equalise and Ian Sheridan had a weak shot easily saved.
The Bay then had to replace Stuart Graves through injury after 34 minutes and substitute Anthony Sheehan was unlucky not to equalise with a shot from 25 yards that rebounded off a post after Sheridan had a shot blocked in the area.
Early Bay pressure in the second half produced a great chance for Sheridan, but he couldn't direct his shot on target with the keeper out of position.
The equaliser, however, came on 58 minutes when Macauley had a shot blocked on the line and Eddie Jebb scored from the rebound.
Robertson then produced the save of the game to finger-tip a Louis Corrigan free kick for a corner and Macauley twice went close as the Bay surged forward.
But they were caught out again by a long ball over the top and Domain Rouse, who was always a threat on the break, ran clear to chip advancing keeper Sanna and put Salford back in front on 68 minutes,
Robertson saved from Rob Hopley and Steve Aspinall, while Macauley shot narrowly wide and the Bay were facing a shock home defeat until that dramatic finale.
With 87 minutes on the clock, man-of-the-match winner Eddie Jebb got the equaliser with a shot that hit the inside of the post and went in off the keeper, and two minutes later Jamie Dunn put Hopley free on the left and his low cross was deflected into his own net by Salford substitute Russ Courtney for the winner, with Tom McGill waiting to pounce behind him.
In the end a big slice of luck got the Bay out of jail, with what should probably go down as two own goals in those closing minutes (although Eddie Jebb tells me he is definitely claiming the first of them!), but full credit to the Bay for the way they battled right to the end when heads could have dropped.
I thought Jamie Dunn did really well on the left when he came on as a late substitute and manager Neil Young commented: "We ended the game with five strikers on the pitch in a late gamble, and fortunately it paid off."
Colwyn Bay: Sanna, Aspinall, Corrigan (Dunn 84 mins), Brandreth, Challinor, Clampitt, Jebb, Macauley, Hopley, Sheridan (McGill 76mins), Stuart Graves (Sheehan 34 mins). Sub not used: Hay.