Colwyn Bay 1 Leigh Genesis 0

Leigh Genesis drew a league blank for only the second time this season as they returned from the North Wales coast empty-handed after a narrow defeat to high-flying Colwyn Bay left Garry Flitcroft's side in seventh position in the UniBond League First Division North.

With Karl Munroe serving the second game of a three match ban following his sending off in the defeat to Lancaster City last month, Chris Page was drafted in to the centre of the Leigh defence, with Mark Ross returning to his preferred right back slot after Paul Howarth had deputised for him in Saturday's 1-1 draw with Mossley. Andy Heald, the scorer of Leigh's equaliser that afternoon, was missing from the side after suffering a heavy challenge in the process of scoring his goal at the weekend, while Jordan Stepien and Chris Thompson formed the Leigh attack, with Chris Baguley starting on the bench.

Hosts Colwyn Bay, joint top scorers in the league going in to the game, had an early chance to take the lead when Robert Hopley was afforded a clear glimpse of goal, only to flick his shot wide of the target, while Jordan Stepien nudged a Jamie Baguley cross just off target at the other end, before flashing a shot narrowly past the post from the edge of the box.

Eddie Jebb missed a golden opportunity for the Welsh outfit when he hooked a shot well over Stephen Drench's crossbar when finding himself in a wonderful position in front of goal by virtue of a deflected cross, before Tom Ince went close for Leigh with a rasping strike that skimmed the crossbar after Jamie Baguley had been alert enough to spot the potential of a short corner kick to Ince on the edge of the area.

After an earlier warning shot when Mark Ross failed to properly connect with a backpass but gratefully saw Hopley scuff his shot wide, Leigh were indebted to Drench following a similar error when Jamie Baguley misplaced an attempted pass back to the goalkeeper, with Drench palming wide Ian Sheridan's shot to leave the game without a goal at the break.

Having been somewhat on the back foot in the first period, Leigh started the second half brightly, with Tom Ince seeing a powerful shot deflected over the crossbar after a free kick had been diverted in to his path, before Chris Thompson missed possibly his side's best chance of the night when heading the ball over the crossbar after a flowing attack had seen Ince deliver a pinpoint cross from the left flank.

That momentum was dashed on sixty one minutes when the hosts immediately took advantage of commanding centre back Jonathan Smith being forced from the field and scoring from a set piece in the inevitable confusion that saw Dale Whitham come on at right back and Mark Ross moved to centre half.

Veteran Seagulls centre back Dave Challinor, a one-time Bolton Wanderers tormentor in his previous guise as Tranmere Rovers' not-so-secret weapon in their John Aldridge-inspired ‘glory days', hurled one of his trademark long throws in to the penalty area that Leigh failed to clear with any clear conviction, with the ball eventually finding centre back Tim Brandreth, who fired the ball past Drench from the edge of the area, albeit with the aid of Drench's left hand post in diverting it in to the net.

Jack Dorney almost pulled Leigh level with a thrilling run that saw him beat defender after defender before cutting inside on to his favoured left foot, only to fire the ball over the crossbar when surely a shot on target would have hit the back of the net.

Colwyn still posed a threat and were again denied by a smart Drench save when he tipped a Lee Davey header over the crossbar, with Kris King perfectly placed to clear a header off the line from the resultant corner.

Leigh still had chances to level late on when first Chris Thompson's shot on the turn flew over the crossbar after being set up by Jamie Baguley, before Tom Ince saw a stoppage time shot deflected agonisingly wide of the target with his side desperate for an equaliser.

The defeat cements Colwyn's top three place in the UniBond League First Division North, while Genesis drop to seventh ahead of Saturday's trip over the Pennines to take on joint leaders FC Halifax Town in a 3pm kick off at the Shay.

Leigh Genesis; Stephen Drench, Mark Ross, Kris King, Chris Page, Jonathan Smith (Dale Whitham), Jamie Baguley, Jack Dorney, Steve Flitcroft, Jordan Stepien (Chris Baguley), Chris Thompson, Tom Ince. Subs (not used); Lee Green, Scott Sephton, Dean Porter