Harrogate bounced back from Saturday’s defeat with a comprehensive thrashing of Colwyn Bay.
Defender Richard Pell returned after injury and made an immediate impact, when he headed in Craig Radcliffe’s corner within two minutes.
Bay, with the lively Karl Noon prominent hit back strongly,with Noon himself twice shooting wide and then forcing Mark Cook into a good save.
Town spurned a chance to make it two, when Pell knocked down Laurie Wilson’s excellent cross into the path of Jonny Allan who fired inches over.
In spite of the poor weather conditions,both sides produced some fine attacking football,and it was Bay who looked the more dangerous,with Danny Lloyd’s cross evading everyone and rebounding of the far post.
Moments later Lloyd’s free kick flashed past the upright,but that was the high water mark for Colwyn, as Town began to take the game by the scruff of the neck.
The industrious Paul Brayson began to make his presence felt,firstly just missing the far post after being sent clear by Alex Meechan’s crossfield ball,then forcing Will Jones into a full length save.
On 31 minutes,Matty Hughes’s foul on Meechan presented Town with a free kick,which Wilson hit to the far post for Pell to score with a powerful header.
Although the resilient Bay fought back with Lloyd shooting wide after a tricky run,and then centering for Rob Hopley to head over,it was Town who made it three before the break.
In the final moments of the half,Radcliffe and Meechan combined to set up Jonny Allan,whose low shot from 20 yards beat Jones at the near post.
Eight minutes after the restart,Town were home and hosed, when Jones parried Wilson’s 25 yard screamer into the path of Matt Bloomer,who duly tapped in his first goal for the club.
This was the signal for Town to replace Pell with Luke Ashworth,no doubt with Saturday’s F A Trophy tie at Barrow in mind.
Colwyn introduced the much travelled Lee McEvilly into the action and he soon made an impact,forcing Cook to block a piledriver and then heading over from a corner.
Although sub John Newby had a free kick blocked by Ashworth and Lloyd fired just over, it was Newby himself who squandered Bay’s best chance of a goal when he was brought down by Peter Bore,but his 84th minute penalty was well saved by Cook.
Town 1 Cook 2 Bore 3 Radcliffe 4 Bloomer 5 Pell (Ashworth 57) 6 Picton (c) 7 Allan (Heckingbottom 70) 8 Wilson 9 Brayson 10 Meechan 11 Turl
Subs unused 15 Darville 17 Cohen 19 Emmett Bookings Turl ,Ashworth
Scorers Pell 2 (2,31), Allan(45), Bloomer (53)
Attendance 180
