Colwyn Baywatch.

Colwyn Baywatch.

Last Saturday saw the Shaymen have one of their best performances since Wrexham. I was impressed by Colwyn from the start really, though a lot of fans thought they were in no way a top-end team. They were a lanky bunch, probably all of them above 5'10, and were out to play football nontheless. That sounds standard, but I sincerely believe there's a handbook doing rounds in the Unibond on "How to Play Halifax Town." It instructs clubs to stop the Shaymen from playing football through all means necessary.

Some teams (Prescot) have kept the handbook well-thumbed, put dog-ears all over it and meditated over it in a cave for weeks. Other teams have read a couple of pages and decided it isn't really for them (Radcliffe), and others have decided to go it without any of the advice (Colwyn), and to the latter, this resulted in a good standard of play, however one that was easily snuffed out before they passed the last defender.

I applaud the guys though. They have a fanbase, one that decided to make the 100-mile trek, a good team, a good spirit about them and generally make it to be the team I'd most like to go up with us. The first goal their 'keeper failed to tip over, and it found Lowe. The next came at the next attack, as Deano's strike found it through a few players and to the other side of the net. And the third came near the end, an unmarked Phelan strike that the goalie failed to hold onto.

Overall a very strong performance from the start, which makes a nice change. Stopped being threatening for a while in the second half but there was never a scoreline to fuss about. Hedge seemed the most chuffed of the lot of them and they have succeeded in impressing one of the biggest home crowds this season. A treat to see.

FC Halifax Town 3 – 0 Colwyn Bay; att. 1388.