Another away day success

COLWYN BAY went three points clear at the top of Unibond Division One North as their injury-hit squad won 3-1 away to Harrogate Railway Athletic (October 10).
That makes it five wins and a draw in six away league wins this season, scoring 20 goals and conceding just four.
"Teams set up a little bit differently against us when they are at home and we are also quite a good counter-attacking side so that helps, but even so our away results have been tremendous," agreed manager Neil Young.
"Today was another good battling away performance and we deserved the three points, with Jimmy Kelly doing particularly well in his first game for seven weeks."
In fact, I made Kelly my man of the match with a hard-working and ball-winning performance in the middle of the field, and hopefully his injury problems are behind him now.
"I am a bit sore right now, but you expect that after being out for so long and otherwise I came through it OK," he said afterwards
"It is has been frustrating sitting on the sidelines while the side has been putting an unbeaten league run together (now 11 matches with nine wins and two draws) and I've been getting a bit of stick off the lads because I have not been involved - so I am very pleased we've won again today to keep the run going; I would never have lived it down if we'd lost!"
And the Bay extended their run with the squad down to the bare bones with five players either sick or injured, including Stuart Graves who pulled out on the morning of the game with a back problem.
And there were a couple more injury worries afterwards, including keeper Chris Sanna, who was hobbling on a sore and swollen ankle, and the management will be keeping fingers crossed that it is not too serious.
Ironically Chris did not have too much to do in the game apart from fielding balls into the goalmouth, and his injury was the result of a collision with Tim Brandreth.
Harrogate scored their goal with their only shot on target in the game - and they were already 3-0 down by then.
They should have taken the lead early on when Ben Jones was put clear inside the area but blazed his shot wide with only Sanna to beat.
Colwyn Bay then scored with their first attempt at goal after 21 minutes when Josh Macauley volleyed in from six yards after Harrogate failed to clear a Louis Corrigan corner.
Macauley cut inside from the right to set up another chance but shot wildly wide, and Alex Hay went close with a flicked header across the face of the goal and just wide of the far post from an Eddie Jebb corner.
The Bay then went 2-0 up just before half-time when Steve Aspinall drove forward with the ball from just inside the Harrogate half before sending a low shot arrowing into the bottom corner of the net from almost 30 yards out.
The Bay added a third six minutes into the second half when, from a long throw into the area, Hay had a shot blocked and from the rebound Tim Brandreth scored with a deflected volley from 12 yards.
Hay had another shot saved by home keeper James Mann and Macauley put in a great run into the area but delayed his shot a fraction too long as a defender got in a last-ditch tackle to concede a corner.
Harrogate got a goal back on 68 minutes when substitute Danny Husband scored from a corner, but Colwyn Bay held on fairly comfortably after that with Harrogate's growing frustration resulting in three yellow cards.
Second-placed Curzon Ashton are to have three points deducted at the end of next week for playing an unregistered player in their opening game of the season, so the Bay are effectively four points clear at the top - although Halifax and Lancaster City, who beat Woodley Sports 7-1 today, have games in hand and remain a major threat.
Colwyn Bay: Sanna, Aspinall, Corrigan, Brandreth, Challinor, Clampitt, Jebb (Denson 80mins), Kelly, Macauley, Hay (Sheridan 68 ins), Sheehan (McGill 78 mins).