Valiant Nomads beat Prishtina but bow out of Europe

Connah's Quay Nomads bowed out of the UEFA Europa Conference League despite a stunning 4-2 victory over Kosovan champions Prishtina on Thursday evening at Park Avenue.

A Jamie Insall goal sent The Nomads ahead early on, with a first half brace from Endrit Krasniqi giving Prishtina the lead at the interval, before a stunning second half saw George Horan, Insall and Callum Morris seal the victory.

However, it was Prishtina who progressed by a narrow 6-5 aggregate result, which sees them play Norwegian side Bodø/Glimt in the Third Qualifying Round.

• Insall's 3rd minute opener saw Nomads take the lead
• Brace from Endrit Krasniqi looked to have killed the tie
• An inspired second half was started with a George Horan header in the 47th
• Jamie Insall headed in a brace in the 57th
• A penalty by Callum Morris in the 82nd set up a tense finish at Park Avenue
• Despite a late chance, Nomads bow out of Europe for the 2021/22 season

The game started in the best way possible for Connah's Quay, who were looking to reduce the deficit following a 4-1 loss in the first leg in Kosovo, where key decisions went against them on the night.

They quickly got into the visitor's final third to win set pieces, which saw them take the lead in the third minute when a Declan Poole free kick from the left wing was headed in by Jamie Insall.

And Nomads capitalised on this dream start, going onto enjoy a strong opening 20 minutes in which they regularly got into the Kosovan's half and kept goalkeeper Ardit Nika busy in his goalmouth.

However, just as Connah's Quay had taken control, Prishtina brought themselves back into the game with a strike from Endrit Krasniqi, who had scored their third goal in the previous leg. He sent a low effort into the bottom left corner of Ollie Byrne's goal, making it 1-1 after 29 minutes at Park Avenue.

Then, just over five minutes later, Krasniqi sealed a brace after a mistake at the back from Connah's Quay left their goal open, with the Prishtina number 10 sending a long range effort into the goal.

His goals were enough to give Prishtina a 2-1 (6-2 on aggregate) lead at the interval on the night, but far from letting their heads drop, Connah's Quay would go onto to put on a second half performance which brought one of their most impressive single-leg results in Europe.

Andy Morrison made his first change in the interval, replacing the booked John Disney with Aron Williams who proved highly effective on the wing for The Nomads.

The Nomads again opened the half with a goal, and it was none other than captain George Horan who scored to make it 2-2 as well as confirm his first Europa Conference League goal, following his header against Alashkert in the Champions League first qualifying round.

With Andy Morrison's side already fired up and matching Prishtina across the field, Horan's goal only served to spur them on as they pressed for a goal to take a lead on the night and plot a sensational comeback.

The likes of Michael Wilde, Aeron Edwards and Callum Morris all worked tirelessly to keep the pressure on Prishtina and make runs at their area, which paid dividends in the 57th minute.

Jamie Insall got on the end of a flicked on ball from Aeron Edwards, and made no mistake from close range heading in to shock the Kosovan champions and take a 3-2 lead, bringing the tie to 4-6 on aggregate.

As the hour mark approached, Connah's Quay had already gone against the odds and got back into the tie following their 4-1 first leg defeat, and remained well in the game as they chased at least two goals to stay in the Europa Conference League by forcing 30 minutes of extra time.

They continued to cause problems for Prishtina and in the 71st minute looked to have made another step towards the monumental comeback task as Aeron Edwards rose highest in the box to head towards goal with Michael Wilde nodding in at close range, however Wilde was adjudged to be offside, cancelling out the goal.

Morrison made his second change of the night in the just two minutes later, introducing Jordan Davies in place of Jamie Mullan.

Davies quickly got involved in the thick of the action on the left wing, and played a crucial role in setting up Nomads first, as he was fouled in the Prishtina area in the 80th minute by DR Congo international Gauthier Mankenda.

Callum Morris stepped up at the crucial moment, and delivered as he has done many times before, slotting into the right side of the goal to make the comeback well and truly on for Nomads, who were now 4-2 up and 6-5 to Prishtina on aggregate.

The final stage of the game was a frantic and fast-paced one as Nomads, who had dominated much of play, looked for a fifth goal to level the second qualifying round tie, potentially taking it to extra time and penalties.

It also saw a series of yellow cards for Nomads with Horan, Edwards and Davies all booked in quick succession by Finnish referee Petri Viljanen, despite their protests and a series of unpunished simulations from the visitors.

A series of stoppages saw the fourth official indicate a minimum of five minutes' additional time, in which Nomads knew they had to score to remain in Europe.

They did get their chance in the 91st minute, when the ball fell to Jamie Insall just a few yards from goal, but he was unable to connect and strike by an agonisingly narrow margin before the ball went out for a goal kick.

The Nomads battled on and secured an historic 4-2 win over Prishtina on the night, which was cruelly not enough to see them through to the next round with the tie finishing 6-5 to Prishtina on aggregate.

Despite the defeat, Andy Morrison's side had proved themselves worthy European opposition over the past few weeks, with both ties against Alashkert of Armenia and Prishtina decided by just one goal.

The result signals the end of Connah's Quay's involvement in Europe this season, as they now prepare for domestic action to get underway as they prepare to face Llandudno in the Nathaniel MG Cup on Friday 6 August.

Match Photos

Match Report by Will Catterall