Super Mac Comes To Nomads Rescue

Substitute James McIntosh netted his first two goals in a Nomads shirt to hand Mark McGregor's Huws Gray Alliance leaders the spoils in a topsy-turvy tussle on a Maesydre quagmire.

The former Buckley Town and Airbus UK Broughton striker scored twice late on for Nomads, who had fallen behind to a goal by former alumnus Gary Pinch with only a quarter hour left on the clock - after Nathan Mapletoft had cancelled out McGregor's first half opener.

Nomads made just one change to the side the started the Welsh Cup fourth round win at Carmarthen Town the previous week, with Adam McGee returning between the sticks having missed out on the Richmond Park upset.

New signing Louis Mackin was, therefore, dropped to the bench where he was joined by McIntosh - who also had to sit out the 3-2 extra time win seven days earlier.

Much was made in the build-up to this clash of the ex-Connah's Quay connections in the home side's line-up, led largely by player-manager Chris Herbert who had featured in the Nomads side that romped to a 6-0 win over Welshpool on the opening day of the campaign.

Defender Gary Pinch, elder brother of current Nomads youngster Danny, lined up alongside former player/assistant manager Wes Kilgannon and ex-Nomads and Caersws striker Chris Melia, whilst Herbert named himself as one of the substitutes.

It was the visitors, though, who started with intent in their bid to extend their winning run to seven in all competitions, in torrential conditions.

Talismanic captain Craig Jones led the early charge, firing over from a neat Stuart Scheuber pass just outside the box, inside the opening minute, before 20-goal Gary O'Toole somehow found the hands of home 'keeper Dave Jones when well-placed in the six-yard box to meet Jamie Petrie's testing delivery.

The first real opening for the hosts' was caused by the swirling wind as Andy Alston was caught out, allowing Nathan Mapletoft through - only for McGee to scramble off his line and smother the ball at the second attempt.

Chances were few and far between on an increasingly deteriorating pitch, but Nomads were intent on expressing their much-hailed passing game.

One such move arrived when Ben Collins and skipper Jones combined to win possession on the left side, before Dean Thurston moved the ball on to Scheuber who released Petrie with a through ball on the right flank, but the tricky winger was hauled down for a free kick.

Moments later O'Toole latched on to a long Andy Alston pass - missed by home defender Dan Barnett - but saw his top corner-bound shot plucked out of the air by an alert Jones.

It was soon evident that the visitors had to depart from their usual style on what was fast becoming a paddy field and it was a set piece that proved decisive in breaking the deadlock with ten minutes of the half remaining.

Scheuber delivered a long free kick from deep to the left side of the Welshpool area, where player-boss McGregor was left completely unmarked to send a looping header high into the top far corner from 15 yards.

The opening goal proved the catalyst for an exciting end to a previously scrappy half, as Scheuber found space to shoot narrowly wide of the foot of the post after twisting and turning on the edge of the area.

Soon after, the home side were presented with a rare opportunity to equalise by McGee's horrendous clearance, which landed at the feet of left winger Josh Evans - only for the youngster to lob over the crossbar to spare McGee's blushes and to keep Nomads' lead intact at half time.

Trailing against his former team-mates, Herbert must have had some strong words to say during the interval as his charges came out fired up for the second half and were quickly back on level terms.

Three minutes in, a quickly taken corner was played short to Sean Kilgannon on the right, whose in-swinging cross picked out the dangerous Mapletoft at the far post and the former West Bromwich Albion youngster found the bottom corner at the second attempt.

McGregor's men were quick to react to being pegged back, with Petrie heading wide from a Collins cross, then feeding Collins with a cross of his own - only to see the on-rushing left wing-back denied by a deft defensive header by Jack Pickering.

But Welshpool were clearly buoyed by the equalising goal and managed to carve out openings for Lee McElmeel, who blazed over after a scramble in the box, and Mapletoft who twice came close.

Nomads threw on McIntosh and Sam McNutt in place of Thurston and Scheuber in an attempt to take an attacking stranglehold of proceedings, but it was the self-introduction of Herbert that led to a thrilling final quarter.

The veteran replaced his former Deeside Stadium team-mate Chris Melia with 15 minutes left on the clock and immediately made an impact, helping on an in-swinging free kick with his first touch to find another ex-Nomad in Gary Pinch, who poked home via the outstretched hand of McGee to put the hosts in front.

But Nomads have proven time and time again that they never say die and within two minutes the tie had turned on its head when McIntosh was given the freedom of the home penalty area to coolly slot beyond Jones to bring the scores level.

O'Toole then saw a powerful header held by the increasingly busy Jones, before McIntosh glanced a well-placed header beyond the home custodian inside the final five minutes to cap a tremendous quick-fire comeback.

The striker's celebratory flying dive into the mud only compounded his 'Super Man' status to the jubilant travelling Nomad army.

There was still time for McIntosh to almost grab his hat-trick, but he drove straight at the legs of Jones with a first time snap-shot from the edge of the area following McNutt's neat cut-back.

But the pre-Christmas signing had done his job to deliver a welcome present - a five-point lead at the top of the table going into a tricky Dee Estuary derby with Flint Town United in midweek.

NOMADS: Adam McGee, Ben Alston, Ben Collins, Mark McGregor, Andy Alston, Craig Jones, Jamie Petrie (Tom Baker), Alan Hooley, Gary O'Toole, Dean Thurston (James McIntosh), Stuart Scheuber (Sam McNutt).

Substitutes Not Used: Danny Pinch, Louis Mackin