Nomads Overcome Early Scare To Send Minnows Packing

gap Connah's Quay romped to yet another high-scoring victory to see off lower league outfit Gwalchmai, despite their first step on the road to the 125th Welsh Cup final providing brief consternation.  

Stunned by their visitors early domination during which time the Welsh Alliance side took the lead, Nomads stormed back thanks to super-striker Gary O'Toole who grabbed four goals in a little over a quarter of an hour.

With Jamie Petrie and Danny Forde both ruled out, teenager George Baxter was given a full senior debut and Rob Jones slotted comfortably into Forde's vacated midfield role, while Louis Mackin regained the goalkeeping gloves. Nevertheless, it was the Anglesey outfit who were quickly into their stride, passing the ball with pace and using the full width of the superb Deeside Stadium pitch. Jon Williams and James Burgess immediately caught the eye with their neat play and for a while Nomads could not get hold of the ball.

Thus, it was in keeping with the early play that Gwalchmai took the lead in the 15th minute. Initially Rob Jones was knocked off the ball on the half-way line before a piercing through ball caught Andy Alston the wrong side of Corey Sinnott and as Mackin rushed out to narrow the angle, the Anglesey striker managed to poke the ball past the despairing home 'keeper.

The goal immediately spurred the Deesiders into life and, after O'Toole put Baxter through only for the winger's cross to be deflected for a corner, Ben Collins broke clear down the left flank in the 19th minute and played Rob Jones into space. After riding one tackle, Jones steered the ball across goal for O'Toole to have the simple task of firing it past Kenny Hughes for the equaliser.

On 28 minutes the elements came to Nomads' aid when a long kick by Mackin caught on the strong breeze allowing O'Toole to scurry past two static defenders and give Hughes no chance with a sweetly struck first time half-volley. On a day when the highest ever October temperature in Wales was recorded at nearby Hawarden, the Quay really turned up the heat. No more than 60 seconds after his second goal, O'Toole notched his hat-trick - latching on to a James McIntosh header to thump the ball beyond the shell-shocked Hughes.

A dismal afternoon for the Gwalchmai goalkeeper became one to forget in the 36th minute when he was red carded for dragging O'Toole to the ground as the hitman was about to score again. The game was held up while Gerallt Jones took over between the sticks only to be beaten by O'Toole's penalty. It was the second time in successive home games that the Quay's lethal striker had scored four goals. There was still time for Nomads to grab a fifth before the interval when Shaun Roscoe struck a beauty from 20 yards that Jones could only palm against an upright and into the net.

After such a dominant period of play, last season's beaten Welsh Cup semi-finalists must have thought their passage into this year's second round was all but assured. Play became sloppy and Gwalchmai began the second half as they had the first. The visitors introduced another goalkeeper, their third of the afternoon, in the rotund shape of former Wolverhampton Wanderers player Kenny Jones who quickly belied his size with several excellent saves notably from Andy Alston and Rob Jones.

At the other end, Mackin just got a hand to a Gerallt Jones effort which came back off the post but moments later Gwalchmai deservedly reduced the arrears as Gareth Allman fired past Mackin's outstretched left arm. With O'Toole having been replaced at half-time Iwan Williams and Rhys Healey were both given a run out and each took his opportunity to impress.

Williams is quick off the mark and in the 71st minute he was on hand to slip the ball past Jones from the edge of the box for Nomads' sixth goal of the game. Then it was Healey's turn, the teenager rising high to nod Collins' swirling cross into the far corner before Williams struck a post from close range in the dying moments.

Not for the first time in recent seasons Nomads started slowly against so-called 'lesser' opposition only to gain a crushing victory in the end and, with it, a place in Monday's second round draw.

NOMADS: Louis Mackin, Ben Alston, Ben Collins, Mark McGregor, Andy Alston (Michael Robinson 66'), Craig Jones, George Baxter, Rob Jones (Rhys Healey 61'), Gary O'Toole (Iwan Williams 46'), James McIntosh, Shaun Roscoe.

Substitutes not used: Jack Rowlands, Alan Hooley.

Booked:

Attendance: 105