Frank Sinclair: Colwyn Bay manager puts faith in young talent

Sinclair, who made his Chelsea debut in 1990, spent eight years with the Blues and is still registered as a player

Manager Frank Sinclair believes his youthful Colwyn Bay side has the quality to secure the highest league placing in the club's history.

The Bay finished 12th in Conference North last season and only slipped out of the running for the play-offs in the closing weeks of the campaign.

Sinclair told BBC Sport: "They are a very talented group but inexperienced.

"I want to improve and finish higher than last season and think we can. We must be patient but can still do well."

He added: "If we can do that with these players then I will be really pleased. Decision-making is a big thing in football, but they have good quality, they will buy into what we are preaching and they will learn from the experienced staff here."

Sinclair, 42, signed a new one-year contract in the summer and is in his second full season as boss of the north Wales club.

The former Chelsea defender said: "There have been a lot of changes over the summer and we have lost four or five.

"Some changes have been forced because players have left to move up to a higher level or because they have had better offers at other clubs at the same level.

"There were two ways we could have gone, either replacing them with similar players or going down the route of getting younger players who need coaching and can benefit from playing regularly and learning from staff here and our experience.

"And we have gone for younger, less experienced talent from league clubs - players who have ambition to get back in the league."

Colwyn Bay began the season with a 0-0 draw against Solihull Moors and although they lost their second match 2-0 against newly-promoted Chorley, Sinclair said the early signs were encouraging and there were extenuating circumstances that contributed to the midweek defeat.

"The new players have settled in really well and we played well in the opening game so that was promising," said Sinclair, who is still registered as a player. "It was a good performance and we deserved something. We've only been together seven or eight weeks.

"But against Chorley, there were some crashes on the M56 so the players were late arriving. Everything was up in the air, and the preparation was far from ideal. Players who were going to start couldn't and it did cost us.

"But I don't want to use it as an excuse. We still gave away a silly goal, the build-up just didn't help things."

Colwyn Bay are at home against Boston United on Saturday.