Seventh Heaven For Nomads On Derby Day

The Nomads boosted their top six hopes with a convincing 7-2 victory over local rivals Flint Town United at the Essity Stadium on Boxing Day with six of our goals coming inside the first-half.

Harry Owen’s own goal got things rolling for Billy Paynter’s side, before Callum Bratley’s brace and a close range finish from Rhys Hughes gave us daylight.

Florian Yonsian quickly gave Flint a glimmer of hope, but a spectacular strike from Hughes and a composed finish from Noah Edwards ultimately put the game to bed at half-time.

Substitute Tyler Berry then came off the bench and got his name on the scoresheet just after the hour mark by finishing off a neat team move. Yonsian would score again for Flint midway through the second-half, but the damage had already been done, seeing the Nomads claim a vital three points.

Team News
Billy Paynter made just one change from our JD Welsh Cup win over Mold Alexandra almost two weeks ago as Aron Williams replaced Ben Maher, who was named on the bench. There were also returns to the matchday squad for young trio Jordan Pownall, Jayden Tang and Luca Hogan.

Flint manager Lee Fowler made two changes from his side’s recent 2-0 loss away to Cardiff Met as Elliott Reeves and Ben Wynne came back into the side to replace Josh Jones and Mikey Burke.

First-Half
The first real chance of the match fell to Flint as a set-piece delivery led to a goalmouth scramble, which allowed Jake Phillips to get his shot away. However, a crucial block from Chris Marriott on the line averted the danger.

The Nomads took the lead with 21 minutes on the clock thanks to a piece of good fortune. Jack Kenny’s header from Rhys Hughes’ cross struck the post, but the ball rebounded back off Flint captain Harry Owen and trickled into the back of the net to make it 1-0.

Callum Bratley doubled the advantage just two minutes later after he capitalized on a defensive error and slotted home with ease.

That was Bratley’s first goal for the Nomads since returning from a lengthy injury, and the midfielder would soon have two to his name as he received Noah Edwards’ pass on the edge of the area and clinically curled beyond Jack Flint to make it three.

The goals continued to fly in, this time it was Rhys Hughes who got in on the act as he sent a fierce strike into the bottom corner from close range.

Florian Yonsian tapped home Flint’s first of the afternoon, but his goal would mean little in terms of who took home the three points as Hughes quickly restored the four-goal cushion with a spectacular strike into the top corner. Hughes’ stunning finish saw him move joint-top of the league’s goalscoring charts with 10 goals - half of those coming from outside the box.

Noah Edwards rounded off an unforgettable first-half with his second goal of the season. Edwards initially had his first effort saved by Jack Flint, but our No.14 was there to fire home the rebound and ultimately put the game to bed already.

Second-Half
Jack Kenny, who had been booked in the first-half, was replaced by Ben Maher ahead of the restart at the Essity Stadium.

Flint boss Lee Fowler wasted no time using his substitutions following a tough first-half for his side as Mikey Burke, Bobby Beaumont-Broadhead, George Maire and Josh Jones all came on to replace Izaack Lambert, Luke Marriete, Jake Phillips and Elliott Reeves.

It was a quiet start to the second-half with no chances for either side, but when Tyler Berry was introduced in place of Declan Poole on the hour mark, that all changed.

Just three minutes after George Ratcliffe produced a superb diving save to deny Ben Wynne’s looping header, Berry made an instant impact and added a seventh by tapping home from fellow substitute Maher’s cross.

Yonsian bagged a brace for Flint as his deft flick from Beaumont-Broadhead’s cross reduced the deficit.

However, it would just be a consolation for the Silkmen as the Nomads saw out the closing stages to pick up a dominant derby day victory.

The victory was our biggest under Billy Paynter, and we are now just two points adrift of a place in the top six with a game in hand.

What’s Next?
We will continue our push for a top six spot on New Year’s Eve (Tuesday, 31 December) as we travel to Park Hall to face The New Saints (2:30pm KO)

Match Report by Adam Angerer