Nomads’ unbeaten record at Oval ended by quickfire Cofis double

Jordan Davies scored his 19th goal of the season with a stoppage time penalty, but his spot kick wasn’t enough as Louis Lloyd and Marc Williams found the net to give Caernarfon a 2-1 victory - their first win in 15 matches against The Nomads on home soil.

Davies missed his first spot kick inside the first minute of the match as Lewis Webb guessed correctly and made the save.

With the Cofi Army buoyed by Webb’s save, the hosts created numerous chances and got their reward as Lloyd’s volley and Williams’ header put Richard Davies’ side in a comfortable position.

Davies halved the deficit by converting his second penalty of the match, but it was too little too late as The Nomads lost three consecutive league games for the first time since 2015.

However, despite defeat, our hopes of reaching Europe remain positive.

Team News
Andy Firth made his 50th start in the JD Cymru Premier as Neil Gibson made just one change to the side that were beaten by The New Saints last Friday with Dan Roberts coming back into the starting eleven to replace Eddie Clarke, who was named on the bench.

Caernarfon boss Richard Davies made two changes to his side that drew 1-1 with Bala Town last time out as Louis Lloyd and Dion Donohue replaced Gwion Dafydd and Cai Griffith.

The First Half
The first five minutes at The Oval were probably one of the most frantic opening periods ever seen in the JD Cymru Premier.

The Nomads were awarded a penalty with just 15 seconds on the clock as Harry Franklin was blatantly fouled inside the area from Jordan Davies’ low ball.

Davies stepped up from twelve yards, but was unable to find the breakthrough as Cofis goalkeeper Lewis Webb made the save, which hugely jeered up the home crowd.

Caernarfon went close to breaking the deadlock themselves in the third minute as a curling delivery towards the back post saw Gruffydd Williams smash a well-timed volley onto the woodwork before Nomads eventually cleared.

Captain Ben Nash showed his defensive quality to keep the scoreline goalless as moments after Williams’ close effort, the Cofis launched another counter attack as Kai Edwards was dispossessed at the back, which allowed Louis Lloyd to send a low ball across to Adam Davies, but luckily, Nash was there to make a crucial tackle.

Both goalkeepers were called into action as we passed the 15 minute mark. Firstly, Andy Firth made a terrific stop to deny Adam Davies’ header from close range, and up the other end, Lewis Webb made two near post saves, denying both Jack Kenny and Noah Edwards.

Louis Lloyd posed an attacking threat for the hosts once again as he rounded Firth and looked to roll the ball home from a tight angle, but Kai Edwards tracked back and made a vital goal-line clearance.

The Nomads had the final chance of the half as the Cofis failed to clear Declan Poole’s curling delivery, which nearly gifted Nash the opener, only for Webb to meet him just before he could poke the ball home. The rebound fell back out to Jordan Davies, but his tame effort was a comfortable one for Caernarfon to clear.

The Second Half
Caernarfon broke the deadlock eight minutes into the second half as Dion Donohue’s cross from the left fell to an unmarked Louis Lloyd, who sent his first time volley into the bottom corner.

The Cofis doubled their lead five minutes later, which came from another cross from the left from Donohue. The defender’s delivery was met by Marc Williams, who powered his header beyond Firth to make it two.

Neil Gibson turned to his bench hoping fresh legs would provide a comeback. Josh Williams, Luca Hogan and Aron Williams all replaced Noah Edwards, Jack Kenny and Dan Roberts.

Eddie Clarke was also introduced as he came on for Callum Bratley a few minutes later.

The Nomads pushed for a way back into the game, but were again denied by Webb. Hogan’s cross was cleared, but only as far as Ryan Harrington, whose deflected strike from the edge of the area saw Webb make a fingertip save to deny Cymru C international Harrington.

The Nomads were handed a late lifeline in the fourth minute of stoppage time as Joe Faux’s foul on Franklin saw The Nomads awarded with another penalty.

Jordan Davies stepped up and this time made no mistake from the spot, sending Webb the wrong way for his 30th goal contribution of the season and in doing so, setting up a tense final two minutes.

Andy Firth made his way up the field as The Nomads had one last corner to salvage a point. However, Ryan Harrington’s header was narrowly over the top, meaning Caernarfon held on to claim all three points.

Next Fixture
Next up for The Nomads is the much-anticipated JD Welsh Cup semi-final against Bala Town at OPS Wind Arena, home of JD Cymru North side Llandudno.

The Nomads will be looking to avenge last season’s Welsh Cup semi-final loss to the Lakesiders in order to reach the final for the first time since 2018 and for the first time under Neil Gibson.

Our clash at OPS Wind Arena will take place on Saturday 23rd March with a 5:15pm evening kick off time. Fans will be able to watch the match live via Sgorio’s online platforms.

Match Photos

Match Report by Adam Angerer