Nomads forced to settle for draw after late equaliser

Saturday afternoon saw Connahs Quay Nomads suffer heartbreak right at the death as Ben Fawcett's 88th minute equalizer cancelled out Callum Morris' 35th minute penalty.

• The Nomads faced Haverfordwest In their furthest away day on the calendar
• This game was the first for new manager Craig Harrison and his assistant Jon McCarthy
• Captain Callum Morris gave The Nomads the lead through a first half penalty
• Ben Fawcett equalized late on for Haverfordwest to make the score and eventual result 1-1

The Nomads traveled to Bridge Meadow stadium following a draw and 2 defeats in their last 3 matches in the JD Welsh Cymru Premier League. This game was the first for new manager Craig Harrison and new assistant Jon McCarthy following Andy Morrison's departure.

The Nomads started the game very well in the early minutes enjoying possession down the wings but crosses from Jamie Insall, Declan Poole and Ryan Harrington proved to be straight forward for Haverfordwest keeper Gadja.

In the 22nd minute, The Nomads suffered a setback as Kris Owens went down with a slight knock but was deemed able to carry on and he was back out there for time being. This led to his eventual substitution in the 29th minute as he was forced to come off due to the injury. In his replacement came on Harrison Webster who had an instant impact but his crosses were cleared by Haverfordwest.

In the 35th minute the pivotal point in the first half came as Jamie Insall was brought down inside the penalty box and the referee, with no hesitation pointed straight to the spot. The captain Callum Morris straight away picked up the ball and place it on the spot and he calmly slotted it down the middle of the net to give The Nomads a well deserved 1-0 lead.

Towards the end of the first half, Haverfordwest began to pile on the pressure including a free kick 20 yards out. As a result, they couldn't manage to find a way through The Nomads defence and goalkeeper Oliver Byrne in the first half, so the Nomads went into the break with a 1 goal advantage.

In the 50th minute, the Haverfordwest pressure continued as Touray Sisay was put through on goal, but John Disney showed incredible determination and strength to keep The Nomads' clean sheet intact.

This pressure kept coming as Touray Sisay was played in but following a crucial block from number 15 Danny Holmes gave Haverfordwest a series of corners but resulted in no troubling attempts on goal.

Jamie Mullan was then introduced onto the pitch in place of Paulo Mendes as Craig Harrison looked to add that extra attack to try and push for that all important 2nd goal to put the game well within The Nomads' favour.

In the 80th minute, Wilson controlled a long ball over the top for Haverfordwest and looked to tip it past Oliver Byrne but his shot came back off the post and looked to be trickling in but Byrne's incredible collection still meant The Nomads led 1-0.

In the 88th minute, the equalizer for Haverfordwest came as a scramble in the box fell to forward Ben Fawcett and tapped the ball just over the line which Oliver Byrne couldn't keep out and the referee gave the goal which made the game 1-1.

The fourth official added an extra 2 minutes at the end of the full 90 minutes but nothing cam of it and that was the final whistle and so the final score was 1-1 which meant frustration for The Nomads.

The next fixture for The Nomads sees them host current leaders in the league, The New Saints which is going to be a cracking game and one that The Nomads look to be victorious in after being frustrated in their last three fixtures.

Match Photos

Match Report by Adam Angerer