NEIL BLACK was outstanding as Colwyn Bay got their season up and running with a commanding 4-0 home victory over Warrington Town in front of a crowd of 372 on Tuesday night.
He scored two goals, was only denied a hat-trick by a fine save from Warrington keeper Danny Morton and linked up superbly with Anthony Murt, who got his first goal for the club with a great finish.
Robbie Williams worked hard in midfield and with solid performances at the back from Iain Swan, Kyle Armstrong and subsitute Tim Brandreth, there was plenty for manager Gary Finley to feel pleased about.
"You can't ask for much more than four goals and a clean sheet. I thought we played some really good football at times and dominated the game. Hopefully we can carry that on against Shepshed on Saturday," he said afterwards.
The Bay led 1-0 at half-time with a John Lawless penalty after a foul on Murt, before Black and Murt finished Warrington off in the second half.
Although Warrington didn't look as strong as when they beat the Seagulls three times last season, the size of the win will be a boost to Colwyn Bay's confidence and Murt's first goal will lift a big weight off his shoulders.
They struggled to turn periods of pressure in to clear cut chances in the first half, but in the second half they tore Warrington apart at times.
Consistency is going to be the key factor this season if the team are to have a real chance of promotion and it is important they take Tuesday night's performance into Saturday's game against Shepshed Dynamo.
The manager is expected to use the same squad of 14: Jamie Speare, Lewis Callaghan, John Boardman, Kyle Armstrong, Iain Swan, Robbie Williams, Martin Crowder, James Olsen, Neil Black, Anthony Murt, John Lawless, Mark Quayle, Paul Roberts, Tim Brandreth.
A more detailed report and more news on Gary Finley's bid to further strengthen the squad are in this week's North Wales Weekly News.
There's a round-up of all the other local football news, plus the usual comprehensive service of bowls news, results and tables, darts results, golf club scores and other local sports news.

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