Champions!

Nomads were confirmed as champions of the Huws Gray Alliance for the 2010/11 season this afternoon when, following a goalless draw with Cefn Druids, news filtered through that Rhyl had lost at home to Flint Town United.

It was a strange anti-climatic end to a day when Nomads had been clearly second-best to a lively Cefn Druids side. The balmy sunshine of the past week had given way to a strong and chilly breeze when the teams took to the field. Louis Mackin was back in goal for the home side having missed Tuesday's win over Penrhyncoch while Jamie Petrie and Alan Hooley were restored to the starting XI after being rested in midweek.

The early stages of the match were scrappy, the hard ground and swirling wind making it difficult to control the ball. Nomads forced three left-wing corners in quick succession without troubling the Druids goal and the first real scoring chance fell to the Ancients' Luke Powell who forced a save from Mackin with Ben Collins steering the ball to safety.

On 22 minutes Gary O'Toole raced clear down the left and was only stopped in the penalty area by an excellent sliding tackle from Robbie James. At the other end Powell fired past Mackin only for Hooley to clear off the goal line and within two minutes, up at the other end, Petrie chipped just over Chris Mullock's crossbar.

Druids went close again when Collins' back header sold Mackin short but this time Mark McGregor was on hand to hook the ball clear. As the interval approached, Druids' towering centre-half Adam Hesp sent a header onto the top of the Nomads' bar while Petrie saw two crosses from the right wing cleared to keep the game scoreless at half-time.

Enduring his most barren spell of the season, Gary O'Toole was looking for his first goal in four games. He unlocked the Druids' defence on 57 minutes with a crossfield pass to an unmarked Craig Jones but the attack foundered when Petrie's shot was cleared. O'Toole's tireless running was almost rewarded ten minutes later when he forced his way into the Druids' area only to see his shot diverted away from goal by Mullock's right boot.

With 15 minutes remaining, Nomads made a triple substitution replacing Collins, Danny Forde and James McIntosh with Sam McNutt, Stuart Scheuber and Dean Thurston in a positive attempt to snatch the three points. Yet it was Druids' substitutes who almost broke the deadlock when Josh Griffiths sent his namesake Marc away and the left-winger's low cross was intercepted by Jones.

Towards the end of this disappointing affair the home side began to look the more likely to score although that would have been unfair on the visitors who performed well throughout the game. As the match petered out to a stalemate Mark Harris sent a fierce free-kick over the bar before McNutt brought a save from Mullock from another set piece.

While Nomads' success this season has largely been achieved with attacking play, they have now gone 435 minutes in the league without conceding a goal on their way to lifting the championship trophy.

NOMADS: Louis Mackin, Ben Alston, Ben Collins (Sam McNutt 75'), Mark McGregor, Andy Alston, Craig Jones, Jamie Petrie, Alan Hooley, Gary O'Toole, Danny Forde (Stuart Scheuber 75'), James McIntosh (Dean Thurston 75').

Substitutes not used: Rob Jones, Adam McGee.