Nomads beat Barry in live Sgorio clash

Connah's Quay Nomads defeated Barry Town United by three goals to one at Deeside Stadium on Saturday afternoon in the JD Cymru Premier.

A Jordan Cotterill goal sent the visitors ahead, but Michael Wilde, Declan Poole and Aeron Edwards ensured a third consecutive victory for the reigning Welsh Champions.

• Early Barry goal was quickly cancelled out by Wilde
• Poole scored Nomads' second to secure half time lead
• Aeron Edwards added third with well taken header
• The victory sees Nomads move to 2nd in the league

The live Sgorio fixture at Deeside saw Nomads come into the game looking for a third consecutive win following 2-1 victories over Caernarfon Town and Cefn Druids respectively.

Barry Town United were meanwhile without a win a four, but remained a real contender in the JD Cymru Premier, sitting fourth below third-placed Nomads.

The two sides had last met in October at Jenner Park, but the stalemate encounter gave little away after an early red card for John Disney, which was later overturned.

The match also marked Nomads' goalkeeper Oliver Byrne's inaugural game as the club's recognised first choice 'keeper following the departure of Lewis Brass. It was however his second appearance of the season after making his full debut against Cefn Druids in the previous week.

It was also a milestone fixture for midfielder Callum Morris, who made his 135th league appearance for The Nomads, whilst the in-form Michael Wilde was only two goals away from scoring 70 for Nomads in all competitions.

Andy Morrison made only one change from his previous side, with Jay Owen coming in to replace Aron Williams who started on the bench.

Gavin Chesterfield's Barry Town were without talisman Kayne McLaggon, but started the likes of Luke Cummings, Clayton Green and Nat Jarvis.

The game started brightly and it took only seven minutes for a breakthrough, as Jordan Cotterill broke for Barry with a run to the by-line before slotting past Byrne at a tight angle.

But Barry's lead would be short-lived, as just two minutes later Michael Wilde equalised to secure his 69th goal for the club.

The ball was knocked onto him from a Priestley Farquharson throw in, and he showed great skill to control the ball in the air with his right foot and finish a left-footed strike under keeper Mike Lewis.

With the scores even once again at 1-1, the game became a battle for possession as tackles began to flow, with Andy Morrison getting the first yellow of the game on the touchline as he was booked by referee Rob Jenkins.

Connah's Quay were beginning to see more chances, seen through set pieces from Jay Owen who had a corner kick punched away by GK Lewis in the 24th, and a Declan Poole free kick being again collected by the keeper in the 26th.

On the 30 minute mark, the encounter was somewhat end-to-end with both sides attacking their respective areas.

After regaining possession, Danny Davies went on a pacy run down the left wing and crossed close to the Barry box. Wilde was running in to finish, only to be tackled by a chasing defender, but Poole was there to finish it the 37th despite keeper Lewis getting a touch on it.

The goal was enough to give Nomads a 2-1 lead at half time, and in the second half they quickly set about looking for a third.

On 48 minutes they won a free kick taken by Jay Owen which was headed away, while Farquharson was battling well to keep the ball away from the chasing Nat Jarvis.

Danny Davies was making some great runs down the left wing for Nomads, and twice had a chance to score after successfully beating defender Cummings on the inside to get a shot away, but saw Lewis collect on both occasions.

After the hour mark, Andy Morrison made his first change, replacing Danny Harrison with Aron Williams who joined the Nomads attack.

In the 69th minute, Nomads' pressure finally paid off when Aeron Edwards sent an excellent header into the top left corner via a Danny Davies cross, after another of his runs past the Barry defence.

Connah's Quay nearly scored a fourth - and Michael Wilde's 70th club career goal - in the 74th from a Jay Owen cross, but keeper Mike Lewis managed to palm the ball off the goal line to deny the Nomads forward.

Inside the final 10, Nomads keeper Ollie Byrne was then called into action at the opposite end, and made a fantastic low save off of his left post to deny Barry's Luke Cooper from close range.

The visitors continued to press as they looked to stage a late comeback, but Nomads' disciplined defence held out, with further substitutions seeing Sameron Dool and Craig Curran make late cameos in place of goalscorers Poole and Wilde respectively.

Following three minutes of stoppage time, Nomads' victory was confirmed to send them to 2nd in the league table with their third win in a row.

Their next game is in just three days' time, as they welcome Flint Town to Deeside for a 7:45pm kick off in a behind closed doors match in the JD Cymru Premier.

Match Photos

Match Report by Will Catterall