COLWYN Bay manager Craig Hogg was left with mixed emotions after his side were beaten 3-2 at Flint Tow United in the JD Welsh Cup.

The Seagulls’ first foray in the competition for almost three decades ended at the fourth-round stage after a thrilling encounter against their second tier rivals, and Bay will now focus their attention on securing a high league finish for the remainder of the campaign.

Hogg, said: “It was a proper cup tie and a game that genuinely could have gone either way. I’m frustrated but proud and that leaves me with so many mixed emotions to contend with.

“The story of how the goals were scored tells you what type of match it was and I’m sure the very few neutrals in the ground left Flint feeling very entertained.

“For us we are bitterly disappointed not to have won. We were desperate to give our fans a victory as a way of saying thank you to them for the support they’ve given us this season. It just wasn’t meant to be.

“I’m proud of how the players stood up to everything that was thrown at them and how they played the tie. When you play Flint away you know you are in for a real battle.

“They have a very direct game strategy, but I don’t mean that as a slight on them at all. They are very effective at playing in that way at home.

“We won battles all over the pitch and we were always in the game, even right up to the last second. We’ve had good chances during 90 but so did they in fairness - it could have been four all at full time.

“There are 11 league games left and we want to finish the season off as best we can because there is so much to play for, for a number of reasons.

“How we now respond moving into the remainder of the campaign will be the most important test our dressing room now faces.”

The visitors got off to the best possible start when Julian Williams opened the scoring with a minute gone, but the Silkmen responded quickly through a Richie Foulkes effort with eight on the clock.

Prolific striker Mitch Bryant capitalised on an error to put the away side back in front on 16 minutes, but they were unable to take this lead into the break as a sensational Alex Titchiner volley tied things up once again.

The crucial moment arrived on 59 minutes when Mark Cadwallader finished off a fine team move to settle a pulsating cup tie.