Nomads retain Nathaniel MG Cup after crazy shootout

Sunday afternoon saw The Nomads retain the Nathaniel MG Cup after defeating Cardiff Met 10-9 on penalties after Ollie Byrne's heroics.

• The Nomads took on Cardiff Met in the final of the Nathaniel MG Cup
• Both sides could not be separated after 90 minutes which meant the tie went to penalties
• Ollie Byrne saved two decisive penalties to keep Nomads alive in the final
• Eliot Evans' missed penalty meant Nomads secured a staggering 10-9 victory on penalties

Nomads' path to the final started way back in early August with a 2-0 victory over Llandudno before a glut of goals in a 6-3 victory over Airbus - a game in which we first led 3-0 before being pegged back to 3-3 just before half time but ultimately won convincingly in the second half.

Nomads next match saw a 4-0 victory over Holywell Town in a game which saw youth dominate for The Nomads as Josh Williams and Harry Owen made their full debuts for the club. Our place in the final was confirmed as we comfortably cruised past Bala Town 4-1 at Maes Tegid in one of our most impressive performances this season.

Cardiff Met's run in the competition started out with a 4-0 victory over Ammanford before beating Aberystwyth Town 5-2. The following round saw Met pick up a 2-0 victory over Haverfordwest in the semi final.

The first half began with the tension of a cup final already being shown as the roar from both sets of fans clearly showed the high stakes of this game. Declan Poole did well to win an early free kick on the right hand side but Alex Lang was able to see out the danger for Met.

Kris Owens then took a long throw-in which saw Met clear but only for it to fall to Owens again on the right. He then swung one of his superb crosses towards the back post but Callum Morris was unable to control and get a shot on target.

The first yellow card of the match was then shown to Adam Roscrow who chased a long ball into the box but Roscrow evidently leaped high into Ollie Byrne and with no hesitation, referee John Dean showed him the yellow card.

Met came close to getting a shot on target in the 12th minute as Harry Owen nearly got on the end of a long ball but he could net the vital touch. However, Ollie Byrne had to be alert as the long ball almost sailed directly into the bottom corner.

Met continued to pile on the pressure as Lewis Rees found space in the final third. He resorted to go for an audacious attempt from 25 yards out but his effort was wayward and over the top.

Just before the half hour mark, Cardiff Met enjoyed spells of possession before eventually releasing Eliot Evans through on goal but Callum Morris was back to make another outstanding tackle.

As we neared half time, Met picked up their second yellow card as Callum Morris escaped Tom Price down the left hand side resulting in Price dragging him to the floor.

Both teams then went into the break goalless with the tie all to be played for in the second half of this tense cup final.

Nomads were caught out early in the second half as Lewis Rees was alert and intercepted a pass from the right which led to him bursting towards the area but Kris Owens speedily got back and halted the attack.

Adam Roscrow found space down the left wing in the 56th minute as he skipped past Neal Eardley. However, his ball across the face of goal fizzed past everybody and the danger was cleared.

Both sides made their first change of the afternoon as Met introduced their new signing Sam Jones in place of Lewis Rees and Nomads took off Connor Simpson to allow Craig Curran to enter the field of play as he returned to the Nomads squad today after a short injury.

After Declan Poole delivered a dangerous free kick into the area which Met defended well, Craig Harrison turned to his bench again. This time, Jamie Insall came on to replace Jamie Mullan.

Jamie Insall came close to making an instant impact as he got on the end of Neal Eardley's delightful cross which Insall directed a looping header towards goal but Alex Lang was there to tip over the bar and these sides still could not be separated.

Five minutes later, Jamie Insall was the danger man once again as Neal Eardley crossed another cracking ball into the box but Insall's flying header was narrowly wide of the top corner.

Met came straight back with a similar effort as Joe Evans directed his header towards goal but Ollie Byrne was watching it all the way and caught fantastically to deny Evans of the opener.

The full time whistle then blew and as we have seen in the league this season, these sides once again could not be separated and the only way to decide this final was through penalties.

The first three penalties were converted as Cardiff Met's Evans, Craven and McCarthy cancelled out Nomads first penalty takers of Morris, Eardley and Owens.

This led to Jamie Insall missing the first penalty of the afternoon as his chipped effort was caught by Alex Lang. All Emlyn Lewis had to do was slot home and cancel out Aeron Edwards' lifeline penalty.

Lewis stepped up and Ollie Byrne had guessed superbly and saved down to his left and we were now down to sudden death penalties.

The penalties continued to fly in as both teams were locked at 9-9. Paulo Mendes was next for Nomads but Alex Lang tipped his penalty onto the post and now it was Joe Evans who had the chance to win the cup for Met.

Joe Evans stepped up and Ollie Byrne heroically kept Nomads in it as he denied Met not once but twice. Both keepers then scored their respective penalties and Callum Morris was back to take his second penalty which creeped into the bottom corner.

The pressure was now on Eliot Evans as he looked to keep Cardiff Met in the final but his low effort smashed back off the post meaning Nomads had retained The Nathaniel MG Cup they won back in 2020 after a crazy shootout. The Nomads players and staff ran away in celebratory fashion and immediately praised Ollie Byrne for his heroics during the shootout.

This was undoubtedly a huge boost for The Nomads' season overall as they picked up their first piece of silverware under Craig Harrison and now look to continue their push for a top six position in the league.

The push for a top six position continues on Friday 11th February as Nomads host Flint Town in a rescheduled Deeside Derby with a 7:45pm kick off to be held at Deeside Stadium. The last meeting these two sides saw Cal Bratley salvage a last minute point for Flint as he cancelled out Connor Simpson’s first Nomads goal.

Match Photos

Match Report by Adam Angerer