Poor display surrenders third place

COLWYN BAY meekly surrendered home advantage in Tuesday's play-off semi-finals with a dismal 2-1 home defeat to Fylde (April 24).
A crowd of nearly 400 watched in almost total silence as a lethargic, careless and uninspired Colwyn Bay performance meant Fylde hardly had to break sweat to earn what must have been three of the easiest points they've taken all season.
As it turned out, the Seagulls only needed a point from the game to secure third place, but couldn't even do that. They must now travel on Tuesday to Curzon Ashton, who won 3-1 at Garforth (Dean Canning getting the third) to snatch third place on goal difference.
Skelmersdale United, who earned a creditable 1-1 draw at Halifax, go to Lancaster in the other semi-final.
Manager Neil Young commented: "The only positive thing is that our away form as been a lot better than our home form and it might benefit us to be the side that are looking to attack on the break on Tuesday."
But he admitted he was dismayed by his side's lacklustre performance in the last home game of the season.
"You can put it down to a hard game on Thursday night possibly taking too much out of some of the players, but too many of them seemed to be here for a Saturday afternoon stroll and their body language was woeful," he said.
"Fylde came with a game plan to frustrate us, pull men behind the ball and challenged us to break them down. They were happy to let us have the ball and pass it around in front of them - and I think our players got it into their heads after the opening 15 minutes or so that it was going to be easy.
"As a result we've become sloppy, given away a soft goal and in the end have only worked their goalkeeper twice in the game.
"We changed the tactics and personnel to play three up front in the second half, but there is only so much the management team can do from the sidelines. If players don't show the heart or desire to give what is required, we can't go on and do it for them.
"For a side supposedly fighting to get out of this division it was shocking. Now the players have to go away, look after themselves, and hopefully go out on Tuesday ready to prove to everybody that we can still do this thing."
The gamble of playing an unfit Adriano Rigoglioso from the start didn't work, but even though Neil Black and Tom McGill were introduced for the second half, Colwyn Bay created very little against Fylde's packed defensive unit.
It did look early on as though it was going to a be a fairly routine task, but for all their possession, a shot from Luke Denson was the only save Fylde keeper Lewis Edge had to make in the first half.
Danny Grannon (twice), Rigoglioso, Denson all missed the target with goal attempts, but as sloppiness crept into their play, the ball was given away far too easily in attacking positions, and the Bay then gifted Fylde the lead with what was their first shot at goal after 24 minutes.
Chris King lost possession to Joe Booth on the right and the Fylde skipper whipped over a cross which Matt Walwyn volleyed past Chris Sanna from close range.
It needed a goalline clearance by Denson to prevent Mark Wane adding a second after the Bay had again given possession away in their own half, and apart from Denson's raiding down the right, the Bay struggled to create anything resembling a clear cut opening in reply.
The changes made at half-time and early in the second half did see Colwyn Bay dominate possession, but Fylde were happy to defend in numbers and apart from a McGill header that hit the bar from Glenn Rule's free kick (a chance he should really have put away), the Fylde goal was never really threatened.
Rule hit a half chance over the bar and Jimmy Kelly shot wide from just inside the area minutes after firing a free kick opportunity high over the bar from 20 yards.
Since the departure of Eddie Jebb and Steve Aspinall, Colwyn Bay don't seem to pose any threat from free kicks around the edge of the box any more. Too often shots don't even beat the defensive wall, or fly harmless high or wide of the target.
As the game moved into injury time the Bay had a penalty shout for handball turned down and Fylde broke quickly from the clearance for substitute Mike Barnes to race clear and fire a killer second goal past Sanna.
Danny Grannon immediately went up front and headed a goal back in the last 30 seconds, but the damage was already done.
Colwyn Bay: Sanna, Denson, King, Grannon, Challinor, Sheehan (Kelly 53mins), Sheridan, Rule, Rigoglioso (McGill 45mins), Stones, Williams (Black 53mins). Subs not used: Graves and Davey.
Attendance: 393
It will certainly need a vastly improved performance from the team on Tuesday if Colwyn Bay are to avoid suffering a third play-off semi-final defeat in four years.
I understand Rigoglioso probably won't play in that game and the club have now also had to abandon their efforts to get international clearance for former Chester City striker Ben Jones.
After four weeks of waiting, FIFA have today (Saturday) come back and said they now want to see copies of Ben's parents' passports.
By the time that has been done and sent off there would be very little chance of clearance being received before the play-offs are done and dusted.
Ben then turns 18 next month and won't need FIFA clearance after that!