Despite an audacious fightback in added time, when they scored two late goals, the second placed team in the JD Cymru Premier paid for a first half display that saw the Seagulls fly into a 4-1 lead inside the opening half an hour.
Two goals from Jordan Davies, and one each from Jamie Cuming and Sol Forde, gave the home side a dream start.
James Crole’s 18th goal of the season at least kept the visitors in the hunt and then Mael Davies gave them further hope with a second in added time at the end of the first half.
But Colwyn Bay were in no mood to fold and Davies went on to complete his hat-trick to make it 5-2 before Ioan Phillips scored in the 91st and Owen Pritchard in the 93rd minute to cut the gap to a single goal.
Connah’s Quay Nomads moved to within a point of second placed Penybont thanks to their 2-1 win at bottom of the table Llanelli Town.
The Reds took the lead with a Jac Norris goal on the half-hour mark, but Noach Edwards levelled on the stroke of half-time. Then harry Franklin grabbed all three points for the visitors with a 74th minute goal.
Haverfordwest County failed for the seventh game in a row to win on the road as they were once again put to the sword by Barry Town United. The 4-0 win for the Linnetts did their chances of finishing in the top half a power of good.
Meanwhile, at the foot of the table, Tony Pennock’s Bluebirds continue to struggle and with five games to go to the split they face an uphill task to reach the top six.
“With six games to go to the split we knew we’d need to probably win five to reach 30 points and potentially sneak into the top half. This this defeat has put us in a really bad position,” said Pennock.
“I just want to win a game away from home and keep a clean sheet, but that never looked possible from the first goal going in. The last seven games had been a bit better, but in this one we were back to the team that struggled in the first eight games.
“If that team turns up against Bala next week then we will get the same result. It was a bad day at the office and Barry were head and shoulders better than us.”
Having knocked Pennock’s men out of the Nathanial MG Cup earlier in the month 2-0 away from home, Barry doubled that at Jenner Park. Keston Davies and Ben Margetson scored in the first half and then Ieuan Owen and Ollie Hulbert, from the penalty spot, added second half goals.
Ben Clark and Jordan Williams struck late to earn The New Saints a much needed boost with a 2-0 home triumph over Caernarfon Town a week after they were bundled out of the JD Welsh Cup.
Clark finally broke the deadlock in the 82nd minute before Williams added a second five minutes into added time. That made it 17 goals in 17 league outings for Williams this season – seven more than his nearest rival for the Golden Boot.
Bala Town and Cardiff Met drew 2-2, as did Briton Ferry Llansawel and Flint Town United.
