Woodcock stunner not enough as Cofis win at Essity

Connah’s Quay Nomads suffered a narrow 2-1 defeat to Caernarfon Town in the JD Cymru Premier at the Essity Stadium on Tuesday night despite another impressive performance and a stunning strike from Max Woodcock.

The Nomads responded well after Ryan Sears put the Cofis ahead from close range inside 15 minutes, but Zeli Ismail missed the chance to level the scoreline before half time after failing to hit the target from the penalty spot.

John Disney’s side continued to apply serious pressure on their opponents, but Sam Downey fired home in the midst of a goalmouth scramble to double Caernarfon’s advantage against the run of play.

Woodcock came on as a late substitute and made an impact just one minute after his introduction as he sent a dipping strike from distance over Connor Roberts and in via the underside of the crossbar, but the Nomads were unable to find another goal to complete the comeback.

Team News
John Disney made three changes from last Saturday’s win away to Haverfordwest County as Kai Edwards, Marco Fregapane and Zeli Ismail returned to replace Dan Cowan, Harry Franklin and Jacob Cook.

Dan Roberts returned to the bench after serving his one-match suspension, while Abdi Sharif also returned to the squad following a minor injury.

Caernarfon boss Richard Davies made two changes from his side’a 2-1 loss at home to Penybont as Kyle Harrison and Sam Downey replaced Morgan Owen and Connor Evans.

First Half
The Nomads showed great early signs of determination and pressure as Caernarfon really struggled to get out of their own half. Once the Nomads did win the ball back, the only thing on their mind was to push forward, although the visitors did their job in defence to see out the danger.

Despite the early pressure, Caernarfon took the lead in the 15th minute as Sion Bradley’s free-kick delivery was not fully cleared, which allowed Sears to slam home the loose ball into the bottom corner.

The Nomads continued to create chances in search of an equaliser, but crosses narrowly averted Jack Kenny and Ben Nash inside the six yard box, while Rhys Hughes forced Connor Roberts into a diving save with his free-kick from the edge of the area.

Zeli Ismail had a glorious opportunity to level the scoreline in the 34th minute after he stood over a penalty awarded for Iwan Lewis’ handball from Noah Edwards’ shot. However, Ismail was unable to hit the target from the spot, adding to the Nomads’ penalty frustrations so far this season.

Hughes then went close on two occasions in the final eight minutes of the half as his strike from outside the area was saved by Roberts, before his deflected low drive from the left flew inches past the post.

Second Half
Both sides cancelled each other out in the opening stages of the second half, while an off-the-ball incident resulted in two yellow cards each for both teams. Kenny and Nash were booked for the Nomads, while Roberts and Kyle Harrison were cautioned for the visitors.

Four minutes after the incident, Caernarfon doubled their lead through Downey. Kit Margetson did well to get a hand to Bradley’s inswinging corner, but the ball was hooked back into the box, where Downey fired home in the midst of a goalmouth scramble despite appeals for handball before the midfielder put the ball into the net.

Disney turned to his bench for the first time immediately after that second goal as Abdi Sharif and Harry Franklin replaced Marco Fregapane and Zeli Ismail.

Downey then received a yellow card for a late challenge on Noah Edwards, but the resulting free-kick was somehow scrambled out of the six-yard box and away to safety.

Two more changes arrived as Woodcock and Jason Oswell replaced Kenny and Callum West, with Woodcock immediately giving the Nomads a lifeline.

Just seconds after coming onto the pitch, the 20-year-old forward received a neat backheel from Hughes, took one look up and curled beautifully beyond Roberts with help from the crossbar.

Our number 18 nearly doubled his tally and found a late equaliser when he brought the ball down inside the area and sent a thunderous half volley towards goal, only for Roberts to tip his effort away.

The Nomads peppered the Caernarfon defence for the whole six minutes of stoppage time, but there was to be no late drama as the away side took home the three points.

The Nomads dropped down to seventh in the table, but just 10 points separate 4th - 11th at this stage of the season.

What’s Next?
We are back in south Wales this Saturday (27 September) as we travel to face Barry Town United at Jenner Park (2:30pm KO).

The Nomads won just one of four meetings against Barry with goals from Noah Edwards and Sam Durrant securing a 2-0 win at Jenner Park in February.

Saturday’s game will in particular be a special moment for our goalkeeper Kit Margetson, who is set to face his older brother and Barry defender Ben Margetson.

Match Report by Adam Angerer