10 man Nomads topple Saints

Saturday afternoon saw The Nomads claim their second win over The New Saints of the season with a dramatic 2-1 victory at Deeside Stadium.

Chris Seargeant sent The New Saints ahead with a penalty at the end of the first half, but Callum Morris and Les Davies both scored in the second half to secure a magnificent win for The Nomads.

The game was an important one in which The Nomads looked to continue their push for European qualification, while The New Saints had the chance to confirm their league championship if results went their way that afternoon.  Furthermore, the two sides knew they would meet again in two week's time in the JD Welsh Cup Semi-Final.

Proceedings opened brightly with both sides attacking - Ruane went straight towards goal from the kick off, and had a shot blocked just inside The Saints’ area.  The New Saints then forced a corner, which Miller headed out of The Nomads’ area to safety.  Chris Seargeant took a free kick in a dangerous position just outside The Nomads’ area on 13 minutes, but his low effort hit the wall and was cleared by the home defence.

The fast pace of the game continued for some time, but with 30 minutes played the score remained nil all and with no major chances to report.  An alteration to The Nomads’ defensive line was made when Kevin McIntyre was substituted for Sean Smith, owing to an injury sustained by McIntyre.

Quigley and Ruane both sent low shots towards their respective targets, but both Harrison and Danby managed the efforts.  The New Saints were again awarded a free kick in an advantageous position, but Marriott’s well taken low effort was saved by Danby.

With half time just a minute away, The New Saints were given the chance to break the deadlock when referee Bryn Markham-Jones awarded a penalty.  Chris Seargeant stepped up and scored with a shot to the right of The Nomads’ goal, ending the first half on a high for the visitors and a sour note for The Nomads, who felt hard done by after a largely even first half.

The Nomads sought to retaliate in the second half, and succeeded just seven minutes after the restart.  From a free kick around 30 yards out, Jamie Crowther rose highest, flicking the ball on to Les Davies, who from five yards out thundered his effort beyong Harrison in the TNS goal to draw the game level.

Rejuvenated by the goal, The Nomads again went for the TNS goalmouth and were rewarded when Callum Morris scored The Nomads second just six minutes later.

From a corner taken by Wes Baynes, Morris headed low beyond the reach of Paul Harrison, turning the game on it's head in under ten minutes with The Nomads now in the lead and facing 30 more minutes of play to retain their lead.

On 68 minutes The Nomads were dealt a big blow when Danny Harrison was shown a straight red card for a two footed tackle on Simon Spender.  With just ten men to defend against the Champions, Chris Rimmer replaced Ashley Ruane in an attempt to solidify the defence who were soaking up a growing amount of pressure from TNS.

Tensions were running high at Deeside as TNS continued to search for an equaliser.  The lively Jamie Mullan forced a corner, with Rimmer clearing the subsequent effort off his goal line.

The crowd at Deeside were then denied a stunning goal when Les Davies turned the TNS backline and sent a half volley over keeper Harrison, but just above the crossbar from around 25 yards.

With ten minutes to go, The Nomads remained in the lead and were passing the ball well, but TNS were far from resigned to their second defeat of the season and persisted to threaten, with four corners inside the last ten minutes.

Their penultimate corner saw their best chance to equalise, when the ball was tipped towards the top right corner of The Nomads’ goal only for John Danby to push the ball over by his fingertips.  In spite of this late pressure from TNS, The Nomads held strong and were rewarded at full time with a sensational 2-1 victory - their second over TNS this season.

The result maintains The Nomads’ position of fourth in the Dafabet Welsh Premier League, and provides great confidence for when they face the Saints again on April 2 in the JD Welsh Cup Semi-Final.

Following the game, Manager Andy Morrison said "We've shown incredible character - to come in at half time and be 1-0 down right on 45 minutes... I've challenged them at half time and said 'you've climbed mountains since I've come here, and we've got to go again now and you've just got to show incredible character and desire in the second half' and they have done."

The Nomads now look to their next fixture on Saturday 26 March at Llandudno FC for a 2:30pm kick off.

Match Photos

Match Report by Will Catterall