Ground: Llanelian Road (capacity 3,000)
Location: Colwyn Bay, Wales
Ticket price: £12 - Pay at the ground, cash or card
Colwyn Bay, located on North Wales' coastline, isn't too bad to get to. This little northern town has its own station and can be accessed by travelling through Manchester or Birmingham as there are direct links to both cities.
Colwyn Bay is a fairly nice town, though there is little to do in comparison to its near neighbours Rhyl and Llandudno, which are more catered to your regular holidaymakers and tourists. You could argue that Bae Colwyn, the town's Welsh name, is the black sheep of the coastal towns family, however the town does offer some picturesque views, and a stroll across the promenade can take up a few hours of your day. This is a town undergoing redevelopment, so it's well worth paying little mind to the Wikivoyage article on Colwyn Bay, criticizing it on its grim and outdated structure and instead judging the town on its own merits.
The Seagulls, the nickname of Colwyn Bay FC, have a fairly interesting history, in that they've bounced between the English and Welsh divisions more times than a volleyball on a Rio de Janeiro beach. Currently, they play in the Cymru Premier, the top division in Wales, though they only joined the Welsh pyramid in March 2019 after they steadfastly refused to join it upon its formation in 1991. In England, the Bay managed to play in the Conference North for 4 seasons, suffering relegation in the 2014/15 season and then continuing to tumble down the leagues thereafter, which may have prompted the division to play in the Welsh leagues. Due to this history, Colwyn Bay have a dedicated, loyal and vocal fanbase, travelling en-masse up and (mostly) down the country. Although my knowledge on Welsh football isn't the best admittedly, they surely have to be one of the best supported teams in the country.
Llanelian Road is situated some 40 minutes from the station. There is a pathway that zig-zags behind a school which can send your Google Maps in knots, but aside from that, the road to the ground is fairly linear. Upon entering the ground, you are given an 'admission' ticket, which is needed to gain entry to the clubhouse as a burly security guard mans the doors.
Connah's Quay were today's opponents, a team that currently sit 2nd in the table. Both teams are coming into the game under a good run of form, with the Seagulls having won their last 2 league games to propel them out of the relegation zone.
The game started fairly cagey until Colwyn Bay scored the first goal of a game; a brilliant free kick from Jamie Cumming that fizzed low into Andy Firth's net. No chance for the Quay's keeper as the ball swerved like a seagull stealing a fry, out of reach from his outstreched palms.
Connah's Quay would equalise minutes later, a low cross from Declan Poole finding its way to Jordan Levi Davies, with his instinctive first time finish flashing the ball past a hapless Joe Smith into the home side's net.
As the snow drifted down from the Welsh sky, the wet conditions on the ground stubbornly refused to allow it to settle, which was reminiscent of the game. With both sides going in level at the break, Connah's Quay would then take the lead in the 52nd minute, the excellet Declan Poole providing the assist again with a looping cross that bamboozled keeper Smith and the two defenders surrounding Harry Franklin, who remained calm admist the chaos around him to plant the ball home. Franklin then innocuously fouled Nick Rushden in the box after defending a corner. Akpan was tasked with putting his side level and in my eyes, it was a strange choice of taker as his shooting had been wayward this game and the discussion between he and two other Bay players led me to believe that he's not the de-facto taker. Nevertheless, he proved me wrong, blasting the ball into the roof of the net and celebrating joyously with the Bay crowd as they chanted, "Seagulls!" in his direction.
However, just like before, the Nomads would get their first goal and what would prove to be the game's winner just moments later, with substitute Michael Wilde playing in a looping cross that somehow found its way into the back of Joe Smith's net. Colwyn Bay had chances to make it 3-3 but were tepid in and around the area, taking snapshots that either went wide or were blocked by Connah's Quay's resolute defense. The away side took away all three points but in my opinion, the Bay did enough to earn the draw. Football can be cruel sometimes.
In his post-match interview, Steve "Evo" Evans made a valid point that all three goals conceded came from wide areas and it was something he swore to address. If there's one man I'd trust to help plug that hole, it would be defender Sam Downey who was excellent for his side today. Not only did he intercept and deal with anything that came his way, he showed off his ability by playing some good passes and dribbling his way out of trouble. I remember one occassion where he found himself on the opposite end of the pitch, taking on 3 Quay players and somehow coming out on top. No wonder he scored 12 goals last season en-route to their promotion.
Colwyn Bay FC 2-3 Connah's Quay Nomads 29/11/23
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