WHATEVER its outcome an abiding image of the 2016/2017 Rams season will be young Josh Askew arms outstretched in front of the travelling fans having just scored the winner with his last touch in his last match in the final kick of Saturday's 2-1 win at Colwyn Bay.

The young full back, his loan spell now completed will be sorely missed.

It was a bitter sweet moment which delivered all three points when seconds earlier the Rams were clinging on to a point and desperate for the final whistle in the face of sweeping home attacks.

Despite having taken the lead and holding it until the 82nd minute, in truth they had been pummelled for most of the second half and owed everything to a superb performance by keeper Martin Fearon.

The return of Gareth Seddon and Ryan Salmon certainly added to the attacking threat but both seemed leggy after missing games and for long periods of the game struggled to get sufficiently close to each other to make a connection.

When they are able to connect it is usually to devastating effect as it was on Saturday when they combined with 20 minutes left to put the Rams in front, much against the run of play.

Seddon received the ball with his back to goal and showed an instinctive awareness of Salmon's run towards the box. On the half turn he sent the burly striker free on goal. The finish was emphatic – the ball lashed past the keeper into the roof of the net.

One of the Rams' problems is that they struggle to exert control.

After a drab first half in which neither keeper was troubled they had come out strongly from the restart.

The Rams were pushed deeper and deeper, unable to get any sustained possession.

The back four found themselves defending on the six-yard line and Fearon was under constant pressure.

Within a couple of minutes he was forced to tip over a firm header, had to dive bravely at the foot of the far post, parry away a shot with goal written all over it and then swoop to push away a header bound for the bottom corner.

Salmon's goal to put the Rams in front provided only temporary respite.

The equaliser when it came was no surprise.

Tom Schofield was upended in the D and Louis Corrigan curled the free-kick into to the top corner.

Colwyn Bay pushed hard for all three points. The Rams cleared off the line and then Fearon, on his backside, somehow managed to push another shot on to the inside of the post, with the home forwards turning away thinking they had scored.

Four minutes of added time was a torture until the ball found its way to Damian Green out wide.

His diagonal pass was headed on by Salmon into the path of Askew who controlled neatly, settled himself before drilling home from eight yards – cue delirium among the travellers and despair in the home contingent.

The result moved Rammy up to 11th in First Division North of the Evo-Stik League. It was hoped they could push on at home to Hyde United on Tuesday night, but the game was postponed due to floodlight failure.