Heroic Macca steals the show

Mark McGregor stole a dramatic late point to salvage his side’s slender advantage in a thrilling Huws Gray Alliance championship race, levelling a sucker punch to Buckley’s promotion ambitions in the process. Not for the first time this season the Nomads player-manager struck deep into stoppage time just when it looked as if Carl Lamb’s stunning long range free kick earlier in the second half had blown the title race wide open.

The Globe Way hosts commenced the afternoon as one of three teams still in with a chance to steal the league crown from Nomads’ grasp, and with a great deal at stake McGregor named an entirely unchanged squad following the previous weekend’s 5-0 thumping of mid-table Guilsfield which had opened up a 10-point cushion at the top. The Bucks though, with games in hand, were aiming their shot at the league leaders and came out of the blocks all guns blazing. With barely three minutes on the clock Derek Taylor’s effort rebounded off the inside of the post and with Neil Wynne waiting to pounce, visiting ‘keeper John Rushton charged out to divert the ball to safety before a couple of half-chances flashed wide and over as the hosts’ continued to probe in the early stages.

Nomads patiently built up plays of their own, with a fluid four-pronged attack of Gary O’Toole, Ricky Evans, Jamie Petrie and rob jones interchanging positions but the home defence largely held firm with first meaningful attempt at goal courtesy of Rob Jones’ 20th minute free kick. Towering centre back Michael Robinson met the delivery at the far post but his thumping downward header crashed narrowly wide. When the visitors did break through Buckley’s stubborn defence they were met by the impressive safe-keeping of home stopper Khalid Al Samaarie, who watched Rob Jones’ curling effort flash across his goal before blocking Petrie’s shot on the slide – the tricky winger having been slipped into the area by an expert rob jones through ball.

As the half wore on conditions took a torrential turn for the worse and the pitch began to cut up badly, adding to the tension as both sides began to scrap for possession in a match neither could afford to lose. The increasingly bobbly surface played a large part in O’Toole struggling to get the ball out of his feet in front of goal ten minutes before the break - with the watching crowd expecting a close range finish to break the deadlock - before Alan Hooley created a similarly gilt-edged chance for himself moments later but his fierce low drive was diverted behind. In the closing five minutes, veteran centre forward Evans sent a looping acrobatic volley over the top as Nomads ended the half strongly.

After the interval the introduction of Danny Dobbins in place of Petrie for the start of the second period prompted McGregor to reshuffle his pack, with Hooley switching flanks to the right, and Nomads struggled to gain any rhythm – though the state of the playing surface was beginning to cause a hindrance for both sides. Buckley had an early ‘goal’ for Wynne ruled out by an offside flag within five minutes of the restart and three minutes later three lurking Nomads players were flagged when Danny Forde returned Rob Jones’ deep set piece back into the danger zone.

If stalemates in such conditions are broken it usually takes either something special or a defensive error, but in this case it was perhaps a combination of the two that led to Buckley gaining the lead just past the hour mark. Robinson was cautioned for a foul midway through the Nomads half and, 35 yards from goal Lamb stepped up to blast an unstoppable strike high into the top corner of the stranded Rushton’s goal. The opener knocked the visitors for six for a short while but McGregor’s side have built a reputation for their perseverance and, after teenage striker Rhys Healey replaced Hooley in a further re-shuffled outfield, they proceeded to lay siege on the Bucks’ goal for the final 20 minutes.

With the creativity of rob jones and Dobbins on the flanks to support the three-man frontline of Healey, Evans and O’Toole, Nomads surged forward in search of the goal to keep the title odds narrowly in their favour. Evans blazed high and wide from O’Toole’s pass then Healey was denied by the alert Al Samaarie, having seen his surging run into the box forced to the byline by a Bucks defender. Buckley then survived a dangerous goalmouth scramble following Healey’s long throw, then rob jones was next to see his path to goal blocked by the in-form Al Samaarie after holding off the attentions of two home defenders.

Nomads were relentless in their pursuit but were continually denied by the in-form Bucks’ stopper. Healey saw his close range effort saved after Dobbins had played Rob Jones’ deep cross back into danger, before substitute James McIntosh cracked a fierce first-time effort which was turned behind after latching onto a loose ball when McGregor tumbled on the edge of the area. Nomads’ efforts appeared to look in vain until, in the fourth minute of added time, McGregor latched on to a long ball and showed all the composure of a player of his experience to strike a heroic pin-point shot low into the bottom far corner with the last kick of the game.

NOMADS: John Rushton, Ben Alston, Alan Hooley (Rhys Healey 68’), Mark McGregor, Michael Robinson, Craig Jones, Jamie Petrie (Danny Dobbins 46’), Danny Forde, Ricky Evans, Gary O’Toole (James McIntosh 79’), rob jones.

Substitute not used: Liam Loughlin.

Booked: Michael Robinson, Danny Dobbins, Craig Jones.

Attendance: 217