Two goals early in the second half condemned Harrogate Town to their first defeat of 2014.
Town started with the eleven that finished Saturday’s match at Brackley and Conor Sellars was given a place on the subs bench.
In a forgettable first half hour both sides found it hard to contend with the bumpy pitch and the ball spent long periods in the air.
Town were first into the attack when Dave Merris found Craig Nelthorpe whose excellent cross field pass released Steve Mallory,but home keeper, Chris Sanna,came quickly off his line to smother Mallory’s through ball.
A clever turn and shot from the edge of the area by Bay’s Marc Williams tested Craig MacGillivray, but just after the half hour Town took the lead.
A long Merris centre enabled Chris Hall to beat Sanna in the air and Dominic Rowe reacted quickly to apply the finishing touch.
The “Seagulls” hit back immediately with the dangerous Marc Williams once again shooting at MacGillivray, but it was the visitors who finished the half the stronger.
Nelthorpe had a chance to double the score when he was chopped down thirty yards out, but his well struck free kick was well saved by Sanna.
After a half time dressing down by their manager,ex Chelsea and Leicester star, Frank Sinclair,Bay were sent out early for work and it soon paid off.
Matt Heath was called into action to head away a probing cross,but the Town defence were reduced to helpless spectators when on 52 minutes, Jonathan Royle lashed in a tremendous shot from fully thirty yards.
Town barely had time to recover when shortly afterwards, Jamie Ellison, glanced a free kick from the right wing into the net.
Adam Bolder making his first appearance since suspension replaced Mallory and Town began to make inroads into the Bay defence.
A brilliant run by Ashley Worsfold down the right left Mike Lea in his wake, but Colwyn were able to scramble away his shot. Conor Sellars and Joe Ironside replaced Nelthorpe and Rowe and Town staged a grandstand finish.
Ironside’s lob over the defence set up a chance for Sellars but the defence quickly blocked his shot.
As the game entered its final minute, Town thought that they had snatched a dramatic late equaliser when Heath’s cross was turned back across goal by Adam Nowakowski for Worsfold to turn in from close range only for the linesman’s flag to be raised for offside.
As the four minutes of added time ebbed away,the Wetherby Roaders had one last chance to retrieve a point when Sellars was played in on the left,unfortunately his rising drive sailed over the bar and Town suffered their first defeat since December the 28th when they went down to Vauxhall Motors.
Town
1 MacGillivray, 2 Samuels, 3 Merris, 4 Nelthorpe (Sellars 70 mins), 5 Heath, 6 Killock (c), 7 Mallory, (Bolder 58), 8 Nowakowski, 9 Hall,10 Worsfold, 11 Rowe (Ironside 78).
Unused subs,15 Brown, 16 Franks
Scorer Rowe 31 mins. Booking Samuels. Att.213
By John Harrison.
