Nomads shine against Old Gold

The Nomads continued their great form with a 2-1 victory over Carmarthen at Deeside Stadium on Saturday afternoon.  Carmarthen took the lead in the 16th minute via Jeff White, but The Nomads came back to clinch the win with goals from David Forbes and George Horan in the 34th and 62nd minute respectively.

The concentration for both sides was on the seventh place position, which ninth placed Nomads and eighth placed Carmarthen could still reach with two games to play in the league.  With this, the fixture was a must win for The Nomads and their visitors who started a strong line up of Idzi, Thomas and Sacha Walters.  The Nomads were without the on-loan from Carmarthen, Cortez Belle, and placed David Forbes up front alongside Alan Bull and Sean Miller.

The game started evenly with neither side opting for a defensive approach.  Kyle Bassett and Jordan Wells both tried their luck at The Nomads' goalmouth, but were inhibited by the home defence.  The first chance of the game came in the seventh minute when Bull did well to hold the ball just on the edge of the Carmarthen area, passing to Fraughan who then chipped towards Crowther – who had his shot caught by Idzi from around five yards out.

The Nomads' attacking style was highlighted by the frequency of their corners awarded during the game, the first seeing Fraughan take and aim for Evans, who collided with Harrison on a heading attempt but with no subsequent injury for either player.

Despite The Nomads continuing their pressure with George Horan heading over from another corner, it was Carmarthen who found the breakthrough moments later in the 16th minute.  On a counter attack, Jeff White ran into the box whilst his teammates produced a slick passing display through The Nomads' midfield, squaring the ball to White who hit home easily.  This was a lead which may have taken The Nomads crowd by surprise with chances for the red men coming fast minutes before the goal, yet it was Carmarthen who took advantage of the counter attack and led 1-0.

Against a strong opposition, The Nomads had to fight to get back into the game, and looked to create chances via the midfield of Crowther, Harrison and Fraughan.  Miller looked to equalise but his shot from inside the Carmarthen area was saved by keeper Lee Idzi. 

The chances mounted as The Nomads grew closer to an equaliser. Firstly Miller had a shot from eight yards bobble to the safety of the goalkeeper’s hands, before Forbes forced a corner.  It was this corner that lead to the goal, with Fraughan sending the ball to Evans who knocked the ball onto Forbes who was in a great position to score, and did just that with a high reaching strike on 34 minutes.

Rejuvenated by the goal, The Nomads continued to attack via Forbes and Miller, the latter who saw his shot go across the goal in another great chance.  Despite a final push before half time, referee Brian James blew his whistle to signal for the interval at the score of 1-1.  This was overall a fair score to go into at the break, with both teams showcasing quality in their attacking departments.

Carmarthen made two changes at the start of the second half, replacing Paul Fowler and Chris Ham with Ceri Morgan and Chris Hartland.  The latter striker looked to make an immediate impact, attempting to force his way to The Nomads' area, however Jack Riley was there to make the tackle.

The Nomads were awarded a supposed half-chance of with a free kick from around 40 yards, but Fraughan connected with Evans who headed just wide of goal.  Riley then crossed the ball into the box trying to find Crowther, but Lee Idzi was there to catch the attempt.

It was again from a corner that The Nomads scored, when after an initial corner kick went out for a second take, George Horan rose up to head the ball into the roof of the net and send his team 2-1 up.  Carmarthen looked to equalise straight away, forcing Evans to make a big clearance for The Nomads.  After this, Liam Thomas stepped up but his shot was saved comfortably by McCormick.

Carmarthen did indeed get the ball in the net, but were denied by an offside decision which was duly accepted by the away players.  Both sides saw the need for changes with Alan Bull substituted replaced by Kieran Gaul, and Luke Prosser replacing Craig Hanford for the Old Gold.

Awarded their seventh corner of the game, The Nomads looked to create a two goal cushion through Steve Evans, who once again, could not get his headed effort past the goal line.  The Nomads may have got the third when Crowther was free upfront, but could not reach the long pass from Ryan Fraughan.

Further power upfront was applied via the substitution of Russell Courtney for David Forbes and Rob Jones for Ryan Fraughan, but a goal could not be found with Courtney hitting the post from a header just four yards from the goal in the 85th minute.

As they have done so many times this season, The Nomads looked to maintain the lead in the face of an attacking opposition when they had to defend a number of corners and free kicks in the final five minutes.  During the additional four minutes of injury time, Chris Hartland found himself with space in The Nomads' area, but hit his shot over in what was a golden opportunity for Carmarthen.

After a final minute of grit and determination in the form of some defensive clearances from the likes of Steve Evans and Kieran Gaul, The Nomads were confirmed a 2-1 victory by the referee’s whistle.  This concluded a great game, but merely continued a fight for seventh place which saw The Nomads move into eighth position and go two points behind seventh placed Rhyl FC.

All eyes are now on The Nomads final league game of the season, which could see them take seventh place against Prestatyn Town at the Deeside Stadium, for a 1pm kick off on Sunday the 26th April.

Match Photos