Nomads reach final after dominant second half display

Friday night saw Connah's Quay Nomads defeat Bala Town 4-1 in the semi-finals of the Nathaniel MG Cup in horrible conditions as Storm Arwen hit Maes Tegid.

• The game was played through wind, snow and hail
• Bala took the lead through an Anthony Stephens close-range finish
• Paulo Mendes equalised calmly for Nomads just before half time
• A sublime seven minutes for Nomads in the second half claimed victory

The Nomads reached this semi-final after defeating Holywell Town 4-0 in October. This comes along with impressive league form over recent weeks as The Nomads drew 0-0 against Penybont and saw off the likes of Cefn Druids and Caernarfon as well as defeating Bala Town 4-0 in the league at the start of the month.

Bala Town, reached the semi-final by defeating Newtown 3-1. However, on top of that 4-0 defeat to Nomads, they have lost to Penybont and have drawn against Newtown. In their last game, they did impress as they saw off Flint Town.

The first few minutes of the game showed signs of what The Nomads can do as a series of long throw-ins lead to a Jamie Mullan chance but his shot flew over the bar.

Bala then threatened for the first time as in the 11th minute Ollie Byrne was put under severe pressure from David Edwards but he did enough to clear the danger and keep it goalless.

Nomads then replied instantly with a great counter attack of their own as Declan Poole skipped past his man on the left hand side before sending a fierce low strike towards goal but Bala keeper Alex Ramsay was there to save well.

The end-to-end action continued as Bala got Chris Venables through on goal but he couldn't find his feet and the attack was seen out for a Bala corner. From this corner, Bala took the lead in this semi-final as a flicked-on header fell to the feet of Anthony Stepthens who stabbed home to put them in front.

The next ten minutes saw Nomads seek a perfect opportunity to get themselves in but through balls from Callum Morris and Jamie Mullan could not find the right man and Bala managed to keep on clearing.

The 43rd minute saw The Nomads get themselves level as long ball up the pitch found Craig Curran who headed Paulo Mendes through on goal and as Alex Ramsay rushed out of his goal, Mendes was there to pounce and slot into the back of the net to give The Nomads their well worked equaliser just before half time.

So as both teams went into the break, The Nomads had cancelled out Bala's opener and the game therefore looked like it could go either way.

The start of the second half saw very few chances and both defences were blocking every attempt and through ball. The game had to be stopped for a few minutes in the 54th minute as Nomads goalscorer Paulo Mendes took a knock to the head but he was fine to continue playing.

As the game continued, Nomads were slowly finding their feet and were knocking the ball about in the deep midfield areas and final third. This eventually paid off as The Nomads took a 2-1 lead as Jamie Mullan's high cross was headed back into the area superbly by Aeron Edwards and Craig Curran was there to emphatically finish into the bottom corner.

Two minutes later, The Nomads scored another goal in quick succession to make it 3-1 as Paulo Mendes was there to leap above his man and head home at the back post thanks to a sublime cross from Kris Owens.

Paulo Mendes yn sgorio ddwywaith wrth i Gei Connah ymestyn eu mantais yn rownd gynderfynol Cwpan Nathaniel MG.

67' Y Bala 1-3 @the_nomads #NathanielMGCup ?????? pic.twitter.com/fpacm9fv7x

— Sgorio (@sgorio) November 26, 2021

Bala then showed their frustration as Bradley Bauress picked up a yellow card with just under 20 minutes to go as he slid in on Jamie Mullan as The Nomads looked to control the rest of the game.

The Nomads then got their third goal in seven minutes and took a 4-1 lead and now their place in the Nathaniel MG Cup final looked to be secured. Paulo Mendes was played through with only one defender left to beat but he decided to play it across to Jamie Mullan, whose thundered a shot in from the edge of the box, going in off the crossbar.

Both teams then made their first substitutes of the night as Jamie Insall was introduced in place of goalscorer Craig Curran who will be delighted with his performance. The Bala substitution saw Bradley Bauress come off for Lassana Mendes.

Instantly, Jamie Insall's first touch saw him get past his man and through on goal but the striker could not convert as the ball whistled wide. Bala then made their second substitution as their goalscorer Anthony Stephens was replaced by Johnny Spittle.

The Nomads made their final two substitutions as Jamie Mullan and Aeron Edwards both came off for Aron Williams and the returning Jay Owen who has had bad luck recently with a nasty injury and Nomads will certainly be delighted to have him back in the squad.

There was no more action in the final moments of the game and this means that The Nomads reach the final of the Nathaniel MG Cup thanks to a dominant second half display and The Nomads will now look forward to having the chance to retain their position as holders of this cup.

The Nomads' next game sees them travel to Aberystwyth as The Nomads return to JD Cymru Premier League action. This game will take place at Park Avenue on Friday 3rd December with an 8pm kick off and The Nomads will look to continue their pursuit of finishing inside the top six.

Match Photos

Match Report by Adam Angerer