Nomads complete quickfire comeback at Barry

Connah's Quay Nomads came from 0-1 down to win 2-1 against Barry Town United in the JD Cymru Premier at Jenner Park on Tuesday evening.

A Theo Wharton goal sent the hosts ahead, but two goals in two minutes from Callum Morris and Craig Curran saw Nomads snatch a vital victory.

• Competitive first half ended goalless
• Theo Wharton broke deadlock in the 66th for Barry
• Callum Morris equalised with 75th minute penalty
• Craig Curran took the lead just two minutes later
• Nomads stay top of the JD Cymru Premier with two to play

The live Sgorio game was a key part of this season's thrilling title race in the JD Cymru Premier, with league leaders Nomads above 2nd placed TNS by just two points, with three games to go in the season.

It followed a stalemate clash between the top two on Saturday at Deeside, where the 0-0 draw kept Nomads' fate in their own hands in the end of season run-in.

Andy Morrison made just one change from that game, starting stalwart defender Danny Harrison in place of Craig Curran who was on the bench.

His counterpart Gavin Chesterfield meanwhile started the likes of Jordan Cotterill, Jamie Bird and Rhys Kavanagh as Barry Town kept up their fight for a home advantage in the play-offs.

The game started and the first major chance came in the sixth minute, when a Danny Davies cross was headed goalwards by Jamie Insall, who was denied by a save from the hosts' keeper Mike Lewis.

That chance was the result of a strong start by Nomads, who dominated much of the possession for the first half hour of the encounter at Jenner Park.

They kept the pressure on to win a corner in the 17th, which saw Poole send the ball in and captain George Horan head over after rising highest in the Barry area.

It took until the 25th minute for Barry's first major chance to arrive, when Kavanagh ran through on goal to shoot wide from 18 yards in a warning shot at the Nomads.

After half an hour, the game had become more even with Connah's Quay battling hard for chances in the Barry final third. The likes of Danny Davies and Declan Poole were making good runs through the midfield, trying to find the awaiting Wilde who was looking to add his goal tally for the season.

Despite this, Nomads continued to search for a clinical finish whilst Kavanagh again threatened with a shot from around 20 yards out, with Nomads keeper Ollie Byrne pushing it wide.

The competitive half ended goalless, and Andy Morrison's side came out in the second half knowing the remaining 45 minutes would have huge ramifications on their season.

They made their attacking intent clear as Declan Poole set to work in the Barry half once again, with Craig Curran coming on to bolster the Nomads' frontline in place of Danny Harrison.

Kris Owens was meanwhile sending a flurry of crosses into the Barry final third, with Wilde heading one of his free kicks wide in the 59th.

As the hour mark passed, the tension was rising as Nomads continued to look for a crucial goal on the night.

But then, they were dealt a significant blow when Theo Wharton took the lead for Barry in the 66th minute. He got on the end of a Barry move on the edge of the Nomads' box, and struck to give Nomads a big hill to climb with just over 20 minutes to go.

Connah's Quay's urgency to find an equaliser was clear, with George Horan sending a Poole cross wide as the frustration grew for his side.

They continued to attack relentlessly, and it paid dividends when Poole was brought down in the area and referee Dean John pointed to the spot.

Callum Morris stepped up and made no mistake in the 75th, converting the kick to bring Nomads back into the game and with 15 minutes left to find a winner.

But it took them less than two, with Craig Curran scoring on 77 minutes to complete a dramatic comeback from the visiting Nomads. When a Poole cross found Aeron Edwards, he headed it down towards the goalmouth where Curran converted with a crucial touch.

Having been 0-1 down with just 15 minutes to go, Nomads were now 2-1 up and seeking to control the game as it entered its latter stages.

Neither side relented, with Patton being stopped on a run into the Nomads half by Horan, and Wilde being intercepted as he tried to get on the end of a cross from Insall in the 85th.

In the 90th, there was another twist when Barry were reduced to ten men when Jordan Cotterill was shown a second yellow card for a late foul.

Nomads showed their experience and composure to manage their possession well during six minutes of injury time, during which Neil Danns was introduced in place of Jamie Insall.

The result sees Nomads stay top of the JD Cymru Premier league with just two games left to play this season.

In their penultimate fixture and final home game of the campaign, they will face Caernarfon Town on Saturday 8th May at Deeside.

Match Photos

Match Report by Will Catterall