COLWYN BAY VS GARFORTH
COLWYN BAY came from behind to go second in the table by extending their unbeaten league run to eight games with a 3-1 victory over Garforth Town.

With Curzon Ashton and Lancaster City both losing, it was an important win which puts the Seagulls clear in second place, two points behind Halifax.

Three goals in the last 22 minutes turned the game around, although manager Neil Young admitted they had made hard work of it against a side struggling in the bottom four.

"We did make hard work of it, but you have to give Garforth some credit for coming here with a game plan and making it tough - and other teams have found it hard to break them down this season with Halifax only beating them 1-0.

"We changed things after their goal and in the end came away with the three points, thanks to a little bit of magic by Hopley and good goal from Lee Davey, but we know we have got to work harder to break down sides that come here and play like that."
Colwyn Bay tended to get knocked off the ball a little too easily and struggled to keep hold of it for much of the first half, despite some outstanding work in midfield by Stuart Graves, but they still came closest to scoring.

Garforth keeper Tom Morgan tipped a 30 yard shot from Eddie Jebb over the bar and then dived to divert an Ian Sheridan effort round the post, while Dave Challinor was unlucky to hit a post with a header from the second of those corners.
The home side, however, were caught out badly at the back as Garforth broke quickly to take the lead early in the second half when Darren Thornton was left totally unmarked in the middle to score a simple tap in goal from a Tom Greaves cross.

Neil Young then switched things around, with Tom McGill and Lee Davey coming off the bench, and that helped turn the game round with two goals in five minutes.
McGill was hauled down in the area as he tried to reach a Louis Corrigan cross-shot and Steve Aspinall scored from the penalty spot on 68 minutes, and then Tim Brandreth's header from just inside his own half found Rob Hopley who outpaced his marker and scored with an angled shot inside Morgan's near post.

The referee waved away appeals for another penalty when McGill again went down in the box, but on 87 minutes Eddie Jebb played in Davey and he cut inside a defender before again beating Morgan low inside his near post with a right foot shot.

Garforth finished strongly and twice went close scoring again in the closing minutes as the Bay defended too deep, but although it was a far from faultless performance by the Seagulls, it is the third time this season they have shown the character to come from behind and win.

It is three more points in the bag - and with every chance of extending that unbeaten league run into double figures in their next two league fixtures against the two bottom sides (Rossendale and Salford City).

Report courtesy of Tim Channon

Pictures courtesy of Martin Lyons Photography