COLWYN BAY VS SAINT HELENS
COLWYN BAY manager Neil Young says he wants to apologise to the fans and the club after describing the 4-2 FA Cup exit to St Helens Town as one of the most embarrassing defeats in his managerial career.

The day started on a high for the manager when he became the proud dad of new baby daughter in the early hours of the morning, but his players totally ruined his big day for him. "I should be celebrating tonight, but I just don't feel like it after that,” he told me.
"It was the worst performance in my time as manager here and I want to apologise to the fans and everyone connected with the club. I am totally embarrassed by it. At the end of the day I put the team together and the buck stops with me.

"It is up to me to put it right and that is what I intend to do. There WILL be casualties from the squad after this. I won't put up with the attitude shown by some players and I have already told them I intend to ship them out of the club and find replacements. They have let me down and let the fans and the club down.

"I have put up with their inconsistency long enough. You wouldn't believe there was only one change in that team today from the one that won 4-1 at Mossley a couple of weeks ago!
"There are only three or four players who can hold their hands up and say they gave it a go."
The manager is contemplating several changes for Monday's league game at unbeaten Radcliffe Borough, with youngsters Tom McGill and Jamie Dunn, who both showed some fight when they came on in the second half, likely to be given starting places. Carl Clampitt has had a setback with his injury, however, and is unlikely to be considered.

The Bay seemed lethargic in defence from the start against St Helens and were duly punished by a St Helens side who defended better, passed the ball better and in Karl Ledsham and Graeme Mitchell had the two best forwards on the pitch.

They had gone close several times before Ledsham ran onto a through ball to put them 1-0 up at half-time.

Bay had created two or three headed chances, but visiting keeper Graeme McCall only had one save of note to make, when he did well to turn a snap shot from Alex Hay round the post for a corner.

An injury which forced Danny Jarrett's departure could not be used as excuse for a the toothless defensive performance, with little help coming from midfield, and things did not improve after the break.

Although Chris Sanna did well to deny Rob Hanley in a one on one, St Helens scored twice more in the opening 14 minutes of the half to take a 3-0 lead.

Ledhsam was put clear to score his second after Matty Hurdman gave the ball away on the edge of his own area, and then unmarked Iain Dyson volleyed in a third at the far post after

Phil Mitchell's cross from the left took out the entire Bay defence.
Two Colwyn Bay substitutes gave the fans a glimmer of hope when McGill scored with an acrobatic overhead kick and Jamie Dunn added a second. But any hopes of the side getting out of jail were ended in added time when Hanley scored a fourth for St Helens.

It is the fourth time in five years that the Bay has gone out of the FA Cup at the first hurdle, again missing out on valuable prize money.

St Helens thoroughly deserved their win, but the Bay players should be thoroughly ashamed of their non performance in a game that meant so much to the club financially.

Report courtesy of Tim Channon

Pictures courtesy of Martin Lyons Photography