COLWYN BAY slid out of the top ten in the Unibond Division One on Tuesday, after a battling second half effort failed to prevent their first home defeat on the season.
The Seagulls must now take on FA Cup conquerors Ossett Albion on Saturday (3pm) trying to end a three-match losing run which has seen them drop six places down the table.
The league is so open at the moment, however, that Colwyn Bay are still only three points adrift of the top five play-off places, but with the side struggling to convert chances, these are frustrating times for Bay supporters.
Manager Peter Davenport knows the side needs more goals, and the search for more attacking power is an on-going crusade.
The Seagulls dominated the second half on Tuesday, but couldn't make it tell in front of goal.
Tim Brandreth, Chris O'Brien and Chris Priest all missed the target with close range headers
and Chris Adamson shot narrowly wide from another chance.
Three penalty appeals for hand ball were refused as Colwyn Bay peppered balls into the area and Bamber Bridge managed to hang on for only their third league win in 13 games.
Greg Brickell got the only goal of the game after 23 minutes, cutting in from the left and firing an angle shot past Ryan Brookfield.
Colwyn Bay, in fact, were poor in the first half, looking uncertain at the back, and continually giving the ball away in midfield. Yet Martin Crowder still missed two great chances to score.
In the end it needed two fine saves from Brookfield to prevent the Lancashire side from extending their lead before half-time.
But Colwyn Bay looked a totally different side in the second half, launching wave after wave of attacks at the Bamber Bridge goal, but with nobody able to get a decent strike on target.
Colwyn Bay also suffered from a poor first half display at Shepshed
Dynamo last Saturday, where they found themselves 3-0 down at the interval.
Another second half revival got it back to 3-2, but again they couldn't force an equaliser.
Shepshed's decisive third goal, right on half-time, was bizarre. The referee appeared to award the Bay a free kick for a foul on Tim Brandreth, but as the ball was placed for Chris Adamson to take it, and the Bay players all moved up field, home forward Darrell Thomas ran in and tapped the ball past a bemused Brookfield.
Despite furious protests, the referee allowed the goal to stand.
The second half saw a revitalised
Bay with Martin Crowder and then Kyle Armstrong heading the Bay back into the game, but they couldn't force a third. lThe Raise the Roof appeal, aimed at raising funds to put a roof over the terracing at the Llanelian Road ground has almost reached £3,000 after the John Martin cabaret evening raised £700.
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