Nomads Stutter in Maesdu Stalemate

On a blustery evening beside the seaside, Nomads failed to illuminate proceedings despite playing against ten men for a third of the game. Indeed, a loss of power 25 minutes before kick-off almost failed to illuminate the ground at all.

With Andy Alston suspended for three games Tommy Baker, making his 100th appearance in a Nomads shirt, moved into the centre of defence while Stuart Scheuber returned in midfield at the expense of Dean Thurston who scored the only goal against Porthmadog last Saturday. Top scorer Gary O'Toole was restored to the attack following his recent injury but saw little of the ball in a forgettable first period.

Indeed, 16 minutes elapsed before anything of note happened. Then, Jamie Petrie was upended near the corner flag by Llandudno left-back Sean Eardley but Scheuber's free-kick was easily dealt with. On 30 minutes, Gary O'Toole was put through but his effort was parried for a corner kick by the former Nomads custodian Paul Whitfield.

It took the home side until three minutes before the interval to threaten McGee's goal and then the Nomads goalkeeper had little trouble in taking Eardley's low cross from the left edge of the penalty area. With full power restored to the floodlights the fans of both sides were hoping for a brighter second half.

Within two minutes of the restart Alan Hooley saw his effort cleared by Whitfield before Llandudno playmaker Lee Thomas fired wide from 20 yards. Thomas had been cautioned in the first-half for a foul on Hooley and when he clattered Jamie Petrie from behind on the hour, he was given his marching orders.

Dean Thurston replaced Scheuber five minutes later and with Mark McGregor bolstering the attack, Nomads upped the pace. A high back pass hung in the wind and must have given Paul Whitfield palpitations though he was able to hack clear before James McIntosh headed wide from a Petrie corner kick.

With 14 minutes left on the clock, Gary O'Toole thought he had bagged another goal, firing home from a Ben Collins cross but the latter had already been flagged offside. A minute later, however, the home side almost scored against the run of play when Ryan Williams thumped a left-footed effort from the edge of the box against an upright.

That would have been a real body blow for the league leaders who could only offer another O'Toole shot that Whitfield held comfortably before the game petered out.

Nomads: Adam McGee, Ben Alston, Ben Collins, Mark McGregor, Tommy Baker, Craig Jones, Jamie Petrie, Alan Hooley (Sam McNutt 88), Gary O'Toole, James McIntosh, Stuart Scheuber (Dean Thurston 65). Subs not used: Rob Jones, Danny Forde, Louis Mackin.