TWO goals in the last 17 minutes ended Colwyn Bay's hopes of success at Cammell Laird on Wednesday evening with a 2-0 defeat.
The Seagulls did really well for three-quarters of the game, creating the better chances and looking compact and well organised at the back.
Only a brilliant diving save from Paul Whitfield denied James Olsen a goal with a header from a Lewis Callaghan cross inside the first 15 minutes, and Kyle Armstrong had another headed chance from a corner which he put straight at the keeper.
Cammell Laird's best effort was an angled chip over Jamie Speare by Anthony Sheehan which bounced on top of the bar, but generally the Bay keeper had little to do.
Olsen put in some good runs and crosses down the left early on but he had to come off at half-time with a thigh strain. That meant a reshuffle, but with Adam Wade having a good game in the middle, Colwyn Bay still created chances.
Armstrong saw his volley from a Jon Walker corner cleared off the line and Neil Black and Paul Williams (twice) both had chances inside the area but couldn't get their shots on target.
In the end those misses proved costly, when on 73 minutes Lairds subsititute Stuart Wright got the ball on the left edge of the area and curled a great shot into the top corner of the net to put the home side ahead.
Cammell Laird dominated the last 15 minutes after that with Speare making a fine save to deny Alex Hay, but he was beaten again five minutes from the end by a deflected 25 yard shot from another Lairds susbitute Jason Ward.
It was a disappointing end to a game in which the Seagulls had done so well for so long.
Colwyn Bay: Speare, Callaghan, Roberts, Swan, Armstrong, Wade, Williams, Olsen (Boardman 45mins), Black, Murt, Walker (Crowder 80mins). Sub not used: Brandreth.

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