Newell penalty ends Nomads’ winning away streak

The Nomads suffered their first defeat of Phase Two last night as George Newell’s penalty secured a narrow victory for Bala Town.

The result puts The Nomads’ European confirmation on hold for the time being, but there are still six league games left and Nomads still hold a ten-point lead in second place.

The Nomads can secure Europe in the coming weeks, but will require an improved performance after suffering a devastating defeat tonight.

The decisive moment came nine minutes into the second half as Eddie Clarke’s foul on Osebi Abadaki inside the area allowed Newell to step up from twelve yards and roll the ball past Andy Firth.

Team News
Neil Gibson made just one change from our 2-1 victory over Cardiff Met last Saturday as Jack Kenny’s suspension meant there was a first senior start for Eddie Clarke.

Academy stars Luca Hogan, Ben Hesketh, Lucas Gregson and Jayden Tang were all named on the bench.

The First Half
The opening period of the match was tightly contested in freezing conditions at Maes Tegid. Nomads and Bala were eager to break each other down, but important moments in defence meant there weren't any clear-cut chances for either side.

Bala striker George Newell looked to continue his impressive form after netting a hat-trick against Newtown last weekend, but his first opportunity at goal forced a vital tackle from Ben Nash, who continued to take up the captain’s armband in place of the injured John Disney.

The Nomads continued to work Kelland Absalom and the Bala defence in search of the opener. The closest they came was from Eddie Clarke’s cross from the left hand side, which saw Absalom produce a fingertip save to prevent the ball being nodded home by Jordan Davies.

The best chance of the half came moments before the break as another cross from Clarke sailed all the way through to the back post where Davies headed the ball back down into the path of Harry Franklin, whose powerful effort from close range was kept out by Absalom’s diving reflex save.

The Second Half
The Nomads had another great chance to take the lead after the restart as some intricate passing in the final third saw Franklin poke the ball into the path of Davies, who dragged his shot an inch wide of the far post as he continued to search for his 18th league goal of the season.

After a bright start to the second half, The Nomads suddenly found themselves a goal as George Newell converted a 56th minute penalty.

Eddie Clarke’s late challenge on Osebi Abadaki saw the referee point straight to the spot, and Bala’s star striker Newell made no mistake from twelve yards, rolling the ball down the middle of the goal to give his side the breakthrough.

Neil Gibson turned to his bench for the first time of the match with hopes that fresh legs would spark a comeback as Callum Bratley returned from a series of injuries to replace Eddie Clarke.

Bratley’s first action saw him receive a yellow card for a foul on Ross White as the frustration grew for The Nomads, but this didn’t stop them from posing a threat on the attack.

Noah Edwards went for glory from outside of the area, but his low drive proved to be a comfortable save for Absalom.

Despite introducing Luca Hogan and Aron Williams in the final ten minutes, The Nomads were unable to find a late equaliser, which therefore saw their six-game winning streak away from home come to an end.

Next Fixture
The Nomads will aim to return to winning way next weekend against The New Saints with Neil Gibson’s side looking to cement their place in second and secure back-to-back European campaigns.

The JD Cymru Premier clash with Saints will take place on Friday 8th March with a scheduled 7:45pm kick off time at The Essity Stadium.

Match Report by Adam Angerer