Harrogate’s long journey to North Wales proved well worth while as they returned with all three points.
Matt Bloomer replaced the injured Luke Sheils in defence,while Dominic Rowe made way for Lloyd Kerry,and Adam Nowakowski and Alex Metcalfe swapped positions.
Town survived a first minute scare as Obi Anoruo caught Phil Barnes off his line but Dave McGurk was on hand to clear the danger.
Bay’s Anoruo fired a thirty yard snap shot into the midriff of Barnes as the Seagulls made the early running,but it was Town who struck the decisive blow that decided the match.
On eleven minutes,Chris Noone upended Kerry on the right wing and Craig Nelthorpe stepped up to deliver a perfectly struck free kick for James Walshaw to head past Liam Sharpe.
Harrogate went in search of a second goal and Nowakowski won the ball in midfield,found Walshaw who released Nelthorpe through the middle,he unselfishly squared to Kerry but Sharpe was quickly off his line to block the striker.
Undaunted,Kerry tried his luck again with a run across the edge of the penalty area,but his shot was just the wrong side of the upright.
Bay,prompted by a series of long throws by Tom Buckley, began to hit back.Rob Hopley and Anoruo shot wide,while Buckley cleared the bar from thirty yards out and Barnes displayed a safe pair of hands as he dealt with several crosses into the box.
Early Town pressure after the break saw Nowakowski and Walshaw create an opening for Kerry who again missed the target.
The game became stretched as the Seagulls threw everything into the attack,but their attractive approach play was let down by some woeful finishing.
A pinpoint cross by Wes Baynes was headed over by Hopley and Anoruo blasted wide from twenty-five yards.
Town brought on Dom Rowe,Simon Lenighan and Louis Swain for Metcalfe,Kerry and Jake Swain and almost immediately Swain had a great chance to put the match to bed when he was left one on one with Sharpe, unfortunately his powerful drive could only find the side-netting.
The Town defence was performing magnificently reducing Bay to long shots, most of which finished in the field behind the stand,although Barnes was called upon to tap a long range Louis Moss effort over the bar.
As the match entered four minutes stoppage time,Town had one last threat to overcome.
Lenighan halted a Bay attack on the edge of the area with what appeared to be a superb tackle,but the otherwise efficient Referee Mr Copeland,thought otherwise and awarded a free kick.
Luckily,the small intrepid band of Town supporters had nothing to worry about,as true to form,Rob Hopley skied way over the bar,to leave Town with a precious win.
Colwyn Bay 0 Harrogate Town 1 Att.202
Town
1 Barnes, 2 Turner, 3 Meynell, 4 Metcalfe (Rowe 58), 5 Bloomer, 6 McGurk (c), 7 Kerry (Lenighan 69), 8 Nowakowski, 9 Speight (Swain 79), 10 Walshaw, 11 Nelthorpe.
Unused subs,13 Crook, 14 Sheils. Bookings Bloomer,Kerry,Walshaw.
Scorer Walshaw 11. Att. 202
By John Harrison
