Lady Luck Deserts Nomads In Title Tussle

A single Mark Cadwallader strike midway through the first half failed to tell the full story of this table-top tussle that Nomads will feel aggrieved to have lost. 

The ex-Chester City youth team player struck a 30-yard piledriver low into Louis Mackin's bottom corner to inflict a second defeat in four days upon his former club, hoisting Rhyl three points clear of Mark McGregor's side at the top of the Huws Gray Alliance in the process.

But the visitors will look back on a number of gilt-edged misses in the second half and wonder how they contrived to lose for the 14th time in 16 league meetings with the Lilywhites.

McGregor was forced into three changes to the side that commenced the agonising 4-3 home defeat by Llangefni on Saturday, with injured striker James McIntosh joining the player-manager on the sidelines and Dean Thurston dropped to the bench. 

Ben Alston, Stuart Scheuber and Danny Forde all came in - the latter making his first Nomads start since October following a lengthy lay-off - whilst Adam McGee, Scott Baker and Rob Jones were all called to the reserve list as Nomads lined up in a 4-5-1 formation.

Nomads, wearing an all-yellow affair, began proceedings on the back foot as Rhyl looked to impose their marked attacking threat from the outset - with dangerous winger Chris Williams blazing high and wide from a good position and Mike Pritchard hitting a half-volley straight at Mackin.

After surviving an early onslaught the visitors began to gain a foothold and after Ben Collins had almost played in Gary O'Toole following a brilliant interception on halfway, the left winger then jinked his way towards the Rhyl penalty box only to run straight into a sea of white shirts.

Lone striker O'Toole then came close when he raced to meet a long Andy Alston pass, forcing home stopper Chris Howarth into a hurried headed clearance - the ball eventually coming back to O'Toole whose ambitious lob from wide on the right was denied a goal by a combination of Howarth and the crossbar.

Six minutes later, though, after a handful of nervy moments around the Nomads area, Rhyl went ahead when Cadwallader unleashed a fierce drive from distance which arrowed into the bottom corner to beat Mackin convincingly.

The dynamic midfielder, who made 25(+4) Welsh Premier League appearances at the Deeside Stadium in 2007/08, opened the scoring against Nomads for the second time this season but McGregor's side were intent on producing a better outcome than that 3-2 Deeside defeat and reacted strongly.

First, Scheuber played in Collins to shoot tamely at Howarth then O'Toole struck inches wide with an acrobatic volley before dragging a low shot wide of the post moments later.

The visitors ended the half in control and after Jamie Petrie had clipped the top of the crossbar with a powerful strike from the right touchline, Collins fired across goal from the left corner of the box a minute later.

Nomads went into the break well and truly still in the tie but they had to be wary of the threat posed by Rhyl's quick-fire breaks and set piece play, and immediately after the restart player-manager Greg Strong tested the Deesiders' resolve when he sent a swerving half-volley inches past Mackin's post from 18 yards after a corner was only partially cleared.

Williams then blazed horrendously high and wide when clean through to let Tommy Baker off the hook, but the visitors came close at the other end when Scheuber slid a first-time effort wide of the near post after Baker had played Petrie to the byline to cross.

Buoyed by the chances they were starting to create, Nomads found an extra spring in their step as they searched for an equalising goal and they came agonisingly close to finding one on 65 minutes when home 'keeper Howarth miskicked a back-pass before hurriedly scrambling the ball off his goalline with Petrie looming in.

Rhyl were now on the ropes - Howarth had to be alert to hold a low O'Toole effort at his near post following a neat pass from Nomads' captain Craig Jones, and shortly later Scheuber's shot from distance lacked power -  providing the anti-climax to a beautiful display of one-touch passing in the Nomads midfield.

It was much the same in the final quarter hour after Dean Thurston had entered the fray, prompting a switch to 4-4-2, and Rhyl had withdrawn livewire Williams for sturdy veteran midfielder Gareth Owen.

When Thurston dinked a pass towards the unmarked O'Toole at the far post with 12 minutes left on the clock, Nomads were on the verge of a much-deserved leveller, but the 30-goal hitman couldn't get the ball out of his feet and Howarth smothered.

Nomads continued to surge forward but were almost caught out when Mooney forced a fine save from Mackin at the other end before Owen snatched at a loose ball - firing well wide.

With two minutes of normal time remaining another gilt-edged chance came Nomads' way when Thurston was bundled over on the edge of the Rhyl penalty box - despite the cries from both players and supporters who were sure the offence took place inside the 18-yard line.

Fellow substitute Sam McNutt, who had earlier replaced full-back Baker in a sign of Nomads' intent, wasted the opportunity by looping his free kick comfortably over the bar.

There was still time for one last effort deep into added time when Petrie raced to the byline and supplied a neat cut-back for the on-rushing Forde but he connected with his shin and sent the ball flying high to the anguish of the Nomads contingent.

That proved to be the last action as the final whistle was sounded from the resulting goal kick, with Nomads left to wonder how on earth they had lost for the second time in as many games to hand the title race initiative to Rhyl.

NOMADS: Louis Mackin, Ben Alston, Ben Collins, Tommy Baker (Sam McNutt 85'), Andy Alston, Craig Jones, Jamie Petrie, Alan Hooley, Gary O'Toole, Danny Forde, Stuart Scheuber (Dean Thurston 73').

Substitutes not used: Rob Jones, Scott Baker, Adam McGee. 

Booked: Jamie Petrie.