December 28, 2019 - 1649 views
Joe Chaplin hit the winner as Colwyn Bay came from behind to record a 3-2 Christmas 'derby' victory at Llandudno.
The Bay dominated the opening 25 minutes and led through a Sion Edwards goal, but two Llandudno goals in the space of eight minutes turned the game around and gave the home side a 2-1 half-time lead.
The second half, however, saw the Bay draw level when Mitch Bryant scored from a Joe Chaplin cross, and then Chaplin hit the winner with a fine left foot finish to extend Bay's unbeaten run to six games and stay third in the table.
Mitch Bryant played with his injured ankle heavily strapped, after Julian Williams was ruled out with a flu bug, and played his part with a goal and an assist.
In those opening 25 minutes Sion Edwards miscued a chance wide and saw a free kick tipped over the bar by Llandudno keeper Shaun Pearson before winning the ball on the edge of the area and putting the Seagulls in front on 17 minutes with a deflected shot that wrong-footed the keeper.
A Tom McCready shot then clipped the bar, Daz Thornton brought a diving save from the keeper and Alex Downes fired a shot over the bar after a good Bay attack down the right as the visitors looked to double their lead.
But two Llandudno goals in eight minutes turned the game on its head.
Danny Hughes headed a far post equaliser from a good left wing cross and then Alfons Fosu-Mensah broke clear on the right after the Bay had lost possession, and lobbed Andy Coughlin as the keeper raced out to meet him.
Mitch Bryant headed a close range chance over the bar from Daz Thornton's cross just before half-time, but the Bay did pull level on 65 minutes when Mitch Bryant scored his 11th goal of the season from Chaplin's low cross and was inches away from converting another Chaplin cross minutes later.
Andy Coughlin made a good save with his feet to prevent Llandudno re-taking the lead, before the Bay got the winner on 71 minutes.
Joe Chaplin beat a defender to a clipped ball over the top and cut in onto his left foot before driving a shot past Pearson from 18 yards.
Pearson came off his line to make a good block with his body to prevent Chaplin getting another and although Llandudno put on late pressure and came close with a couple of efforts, Bay saw the game out to take three very good points.
Manager Craig Hogg commented: "I thought there was only one team in it for the first 25 minutes when we took the lead and could have had a second, and I couldn't have been more pleased with the way we started. We then created our own problems and I was disappointed in the manner we've conceded their two goals.
"We failed to prevent the cross for the first and then have given the ball away for the second.
"The message at half-time was to keep doing what had worked in those opening 25 minutes, and second half we made that pay. It was a big gamble to play Mitch (Bryant) because of his injury, but he has ended up with a goal and an assist.
"I thought we were good value in the end for what was a very important win, but we need to stop conceding poor goals. There have been too many of them and we keep giving ourselves uphill battles to fight."
Reproduced with permission from Colwyn Bay FC.
