Mendes and Horan secure important victory in derby day win

Friday night saw Nomads defeat Flint Town 2-0 in the local Deeside derby to boost their hopes of a top six finish.

• The Nomads faced local rivals Flint Town in their penultimate fixture in Phase One of the JD Cymru Premier League
• Paulo Mendes scored Nomads' opener after a stunning passage of play
• George Horan scores early in the second half to double Nomads' advantage
• Jack Kenny suffered a nasty injury midway through the second half resulting in him being stretchered off

Nomads come into this game with their most recent result being a cup final thriller in which The Nomads ran out 10-9 winners on penalties thanks to Ollie Byrne's miraculous performance in the shootout. However, league form since the restart has seen Nomads suffer a slight setback in recent weeks as they lost a 2-0 lead against Barry Town in a 3-2 defeat as well as conceding a late equaliser to tonight's opponents Flint Town.

Flint come into this game on similar form as their last league fixture saw them involved in a 2-2 clash with Cardiff Met. However, Flint have already secured their top six position prior to this game and so they will be eager to get underway in Phase Two.

The derby began with a corner each for both sides with Nomads managing to clear the Flint corner. The Nomads corner on the left hand side was halted as referee Bryn Markham-Jones spotted a foul in the area.

Minutes later, Flint had a corner which saw the first shot of the night coming from Ben Maher on the edge of the box but his shot was well wide of the target and Ollie Byrne could watch it all the way.

Kris Owens then found space on the left hand side and found Craig Curran on the edge of the box but as he slid in to get his shot away, Ben Nash was in the way so the corners were back and forth for both sides as we reached the 15 minute mark.

The first shot on target came from Jack Kenny in the 16th minute as he won possession back of George Horan to set aim towards goal but his low near post effort was collected safely by Ollie Byrne.

As we passed the half hour mark, Neal Eardley did well down the right, looking to find Paulo Mendes who was racing into the area but the fast-paced ball was too much for Mendes to direct his header on goal.

The 36th minute saw Nomads score the opening goal of the night. The move began with Jamie Mullan and was finished off by Paulo Mendes as both produced fancy footwork before Jamie Mullan used the outside of his boot to flick the ball into the path of Mendes which saw him slot past Ryan Woods to put Nomads one up.

Micheal Wilde then had a great chance to level for Flint as Sam Hart delivered a nice ball towards the far post which saw Wilde connect with his header but was well wide of the target.

The half time whistle then blew as this was the final action of the first 45 minutes and Nomads cruised into a 1-0 lead at the interval thanks to Paulo Mendes who is back on the scoresheet for the first time since December against Haverfordwest.

The Nomads almost got off to a dream start as we resumed for the second half. Kris Owens delivered another one of his delightful crosses into Craig Curran who was rushing in at the far post but his header was slightly wide.

The Nomads doubled their lead shortly after as Kris Owens swung in a free kick deep on the right hand side. The free kick led to a scramble in the area resulting in an easy finish for George Horan who poked his shot into the roof of the net to make it 2-0 to Nomads.

Flint were looking to get themselves back into the game as Conor Harwood found space in the final third and went for glory from 25 yards but his effort was always rising and Ollie Byrne was yet to be fully tested.

Nomads then looked to seal the deal as they almost grabbed their third goal of the evening as Jamie Mullan ran through on goal despite Flint defenders sprinting back, Mullan managed to get a shot away which forced Ryan Woods into making a crucial save.

The first sub of the night was made by Flint as they brought off Mark Cadwallader in place of Callum Bratley who scored Flint's late leveller when these two sides last met.

Another key moment in the match saw Micheal Wilde intercept John Disney and deliver a low ball in towards Jack Kenny but as Nomads defended well, Ryan Harrington unfortunately fell onto Kenny resulting in a stoppage in play as Kenny was down holding his arm. The full extent to Jack Kenny's injury is yet to be announced but everyone at The Nomads would like to wish Jack all the best in his recovery.

With just ten minutes left on the clock, Craig Harrison made his first change for Nomads as Declan Poole was introduced in place of Jamie Mullan who played outstandingly well as he provided a clinical assist for Nomads' opener.

Flint continued to put pressure onto The Nomads as Sam Hart lobbed a dangerous ball back into the box following a cleared corner but there was nobody to make a key connection for Flint and so Ollie Byrne could make light work of the situation.

Nomads then looked to put the game to bed once more as Aeron Edwards latched onto a long ball and went for a bold attempt as he looked to lob Ryan Woods but the touch from Edwards would see Woods claim the ball.

Nomads almost got a lucky third as Declan Poole played a daring ball across the face of goal but as the ball went past the first man and looked to go behind Paulo Mendes, Mendes' connection almost trickled into the bottom corner.

Despite six additional minutes due to Jack Kenny's unfortunate injury, Flint were not able to get themselves on the scoresheet and so the full time whistle blew and Nomads could celebrate an impressive 2-0 victory over their local rivals in a win that could potentially see them secure a top six position.

Nomads' next fixture sees them play at Deeside Stadium for a second week running as we turn our attention to the quarter finals of the JD Welsh Cup as we host Colwyn Bay on the 19th February with a 2:30pm kick off time to be scheduled. The Nomads are looking to continue their impressive cup form having already secured a piece of silverware as we won the Nathaniel MG Cup.

Match Photos

Match Report by Adam Angerer