Edwards steals the show as Nomads continue unbeaten run

Tuesday night saw The Nomads grab a 3-0 victory over Cefn Druids thanks to a brace from Aeron Edwards and a great team goal from Byron Harrison.

• Aeron Edwards opens scoring following superb ball from John Disney
• Byron Harrison is on target to double Nomads lead in second half
• Aeron Edwards delightfully places a header into the bottom corner to ensure three points
• The Nomads keep their ninth consecutive league clean sheet

The Nomads came into this game on the back of amazing form recently. Although The Nomads dropped points against Haverfordwest, crucial victories against Aberystwyth and Barry Town saw them reignite the relegation battle as The Nomads look to remain in the JD Cymru Premier.

With their relegation from the JD Cymru Premier already confirmed, Druids did pick up their first league win of the season earlier in the month as they saw off Cardiff Met but were unable to take any points last weekend as Barry Town were 1-0 victors.

The Nomads made two changes from their last win against Aberystwyth as Aeron Edwards made his way back into the starting eleven after recently impressing in the Cymru C side. Nomads’ other change saw Mello earn himself a start after he scored a stunning hat-trick last time out against Druids.

As for Druids, they also made two changes as Liam Buckley and Nacho Torres came back into the side in place of Eric Durnell and Peter Evans who dropped to the bench for tonight’s fixture.

The first 15 minutes saw Mello almost haunt the side he scored a hat-trick against last month as he placed a wonderful cross towards the back post which just eluded Byron Harrison.

Mello then won the ball back deep into the final third and looked to fire across the face of goal but Druids survived as they thumped clear.

The first shot on target of the night for Nomads came when Danny Holmes and Mello combined on the right hand side before Mello unleashed a low shot which deflected straight into the path of Druids keeper Micheal Jones.

The Nomads had their best chance to open the scoring shortly after as Kris Owens found Aeron Edwards who saw his powerful header well saved by Micheal Jones to keep the score level.

Druids had their first shot of the evening as Ioan Evans burst down the left and dribbled his way inside the area before poking towards the far corner, however his effort was wide and Nomads regained possession.

George Horan went close for Nomads on the 20 minute mark as Neal Eardley's cross connected with Horan but his header bounced narrowly wide of the bottom corner.

Aeron Edwards had another glorious opportunity come his way as a cross from the right saw Edwards leap up high yet again but could not keep his header down and Druids had a goal kick.

After many chances, Edwards did open the scoring for Nomads as John Disney swung one in towards the far post which saw Edwards beat his man and calmly place his header beyond Micheal Jones to give The Nomads a 1-0 lead just before half time.

As the second half got underway, The Nomads were forced into a half time change as keeper Ollie Byrne picked up an injury and so on came Kai Calderbank-Park for his second league appearance.

The Nomads continued to apply pressure on Druids as they looked for their second. This time, Druids defender Liam Buckley picked up a yellow card for a foul on Kris Owens. However, the free kick was cleared and the scoreline remained 1-0.

Nomads' second goal of the night came on the 62nd minute as Aeron Edwards was on point to take the ball off Phil Mooney which fell to Danny Holmes whose low driven cross saw Byron Harrison calmly finish from close range to double Nomads' lead.

Harrison almost grabbed his second as a cross into the box from Neal Eardley fell kindly to Harrison but his shot was blocked well by Mitchell Williams.

Nomads then made a double substitution as Paulo Mendes and Jamie Insall were brought into the action and off came goalscorer Byron Harrison as well as Declan Poole.

Druids came forward on the counter attack before a cross into the box was superbly caught by substitute Calderbank-Park to keep the clean sheet record alive.

The Nomads made their second substitution of the evening as Neal Eardley picked up a knock and Craig Harrison took no risks and so on came Ryan Harrington to replace him.

With just ten minutes to go, The Nomads made it three as Aeron Edwards as Kris Owens’ corner from the left saw Edwards convert a header into the bottom right hand corner to put Nomads one step closer to another important three points.

Nomads' next substitute saw the introduction of John Ufuah for his third league appearance since joining The Nomads back in January as he came on for captain George Horan. Druids also made a change as Frederick Whiles came on for Samuel Hanley.

John Ufuah sprung into action as he teased the Druids defence on the left hand side before cutting inside and delivering towards a darting Jamie Insall but a slight touch on its way through took it away from Insall.

Ufuah then saw himself get taken out on the edge of the area as Nomads had another chance to add to their impressive goal tally. Danny Holmes lined up the free kick and curled it over the wall but Micheal Jones was alert and Holmes was denied.

The game was brought to a close as referee Mark Petch blew his final whistle and an excellent Aeron Edwards brace and a well worked team goal from Byron Harrison was enough for Nomads to grab all three points, continue their unbeaten run in phase two and keep their ninth successive league clean sheet with the last goal being conceded all the way back in January.

The Nomads now turn their attention to their next league fixture which sees them travel to Jenner Park to take on Barry Town in a vital match in the JD Cymru Premier Play Off Conference. The game will be held on April 9th with a 5:15pm kick off time being scheduled.

Match Photos

Match Report by Adam Angerer