ROSSENDALE VS COLWYN BAY
TWO goals from loan signing Josh Macauley helped Colwyn Bay to a 4-1 victory at Rossendale which has put them top of the UniBond Division one North table. In fact, the teenage Tranmere Rovers striker should have marked his debut with a hat-trick, but fired over the bar with only the keeper to beat after being put in the clear by Alex Hay's pass.
"I should have had a hat-trick," he admitted afterwards, "but I really enjoyed the game. They (Colwyn Bay) are a good team and it was nice to get such a good win in my first game." Macauley made a good first impression. He holds the ball well, has good pace and he took his two goals very well - particularly the second, which was a high class finish.
With Tim Brandreth still not fully fit, Rob Hopley switched back to a defensive role alongside Dave Challinor, but I will be interested to see how he links up with Macauley at the front once Brandreth is fit (possibly against Salford on Tuesday) because I think the two could be really good together.
Macauley started the Rossendale game alongside Jamie Dunn and, with Eddie Jebb looking lively on the right, the Bay had early chances to take the lead with Rob Hopley having a header cleared off the line from a corner and Carl Clampitt spooning a shot high over the bar after Jebb had put in a tremendous run before pulling the ball back for him.
Rossendale then threatened for a spell and Alex Leke missed the target with two good chances, before the Seagulls took the lead on 30 minutes. An Eddie Jebb corner was headed on by Clampitt and Dave Challinor scored with a well-placed header back across the goal and inside the far post.
Clampitt then did well to head off the line for a corner to deny Rossendale's Chris Lawton an equaliser, before the Bay doubled their lead on 43 minutes. A long throw by Challinor was not cleared and when Clampitt put the ball back into the middle Macauley scored with a neat header.
Alex Hay replaced Dunn up front alongside Macauley for the second half, and within three minutes of the restart Rossendale were reduced to ten men when Vas Theophanous received a straight red card for a studs-up challenge on Anthony Sheehan.
From the free kick for that incident Colwyn Bay scored again, working the ball into the area for Macauley to run in and hit a first-time angled shot across keeper Tom Brocklehurst and inside the far post.#
Ten minutes later the Bay got their fourth when another Jebb corner, sent deep beyond the far post, was played back into the goalmouth by Challinor for Rob Hopley to force the ball over the line from close range.
The Bay carved out further chances after that with Macauley missing the best of them, while Tom McGill was unlucky with a curling shot from twenty yards which rebounded off a post, and Sheehan and Ian Sheridan both missed the target from other openings.
For a while it looked as though the Seagulls could run riot against the ten men, but they seemed to lose concentration and got a bit sloppy in the closing stages, allowing Rossendale to grab a late consolation goal when Lawton scored direct from a free kick following a foul by Clampitt on the edge of the area.
The win has extended Bay's unbeaten run in the league to nine games as they sit proudly on top of the table. And in five unbeaten away games they've now scored 17 goals and are the division's top scorers.
The size of the latest victory should also be a nice tonic for assistant boss Gary Jones who is unwell with sceptic tonsillitis and was unable to attend the game.
Manager Neil Young said: "I believe it is the first time we've been top of the table for quite some time and it is great for the club - but there is a long way to go and a lot of points to be played for yet."
Colwyn Bay: Sanna, Aspinall, Corrigan, Sheehan, Challinor, Clampitt, Jebb, Macauley (McGill 77 mins), Hopley, Dunn (Hay 46mins), Graves (Sheridan 59mins). Sub not used: Brandreth.
Report courtesy of Tim Channon
Pictures courtesy of Martin Lyons Photography |
