Nomads remain unbeaten with Llandudno draw

The Nomads drew 1-1 with Llandudno on Tuesday evening at Deeside Stadium. A Nathan Woolfe goal sent Nomads ahead in the 46th minute, with Marc Williams equalising for Llandudno in the 61st.

The game was The Nomads’ second of an extended run of home fixtures, having comprehensively beaten Aberystwyth 4-0 the previous Sunday.  Llandudno meanwhile came into the game looking to get back on track, having lost to Cardiff Met at home on Sunday.

With a host of injuries, The  Nomads were forced to field a makeshift defensive line as they did on the Sunday, with natural midfielders John Disney and Jay Owen acting as centre halves.  Nick Rushton earned a start, leading the line along with Nathan Woolfe and Les Davies.

The Nomads dominated much of the first half, starting from the off with two chances in the first two minutes.  Les Davies flicked a header onto Nathan Woolfe who shot wide from six yards, before Woolfe then assisted Davies with a cross headed just over the crossbar.

The Nomads continued to attack the Llandudno area but with no end result.
Nick Rushton, Les Davies and Wes Baynes all had good chances that were either saved or sent wide.  As the game moved on, The Nomads would come to rue these missed opportunities.

Llandudno’s first chance of the game forced an excellent save by John Danby, when John Owen broke free to have his shot saved by the left foot of Danby from 15 yards.  Nathan Woolfe then sent another dangerous cross  into the Llandudno area which would’ve gone in on its own had Roberts not been on hand to tip it out.

Llandudno grew into the game, nearly taking the lead in spectacular fashion when a 30 yard Danny Hughes effort had to be put out for a corner by John Danby.  The arguable chance of the half came to John Owen of Llandudno who saw an effort hit The Nomads’ post on 37 minutes amidst a busy area.

Les Davies sent a firm effort towards goal from 20 yards on 42 minutes, but Roberts dealt with well.  At half time the sides went in goalless, both knowing they should have taken their respective chances.

In the second half, The Nomads set out to correct that, and scored in the 46th minute via Nathan Woolfe.  After a Tom Field shot rebounded from the goalmouth, Woolfe was on hand to slot the ball in from close range despite the attention of two Llandudno defenders.

The Nomads set out to continue their attacking style of play but also retain their lead, which was challenging against a Llandudno side who were now very much in the game.  On 53 minutes, Marc Williams headed a cross towards goal from six yards only for Danby to excellently push the shot away.

Williams returned minutes later and was this time successful, when he broke free from The Nomads' defensive line to neatly send the ball into the bottom right corner of the net from the left of The Nomads' area.  The goal was not without controversy, with many Nomads players believing it should have been ruled out on the grounds of offside.

With the sides level, the atmosphere grew tense at Deeside with both teams looking capable of scoring the winner.  Nathan Woolfe turned to send a shot just high of the Llandudno goal, whilst Tom Field sent a powerful effort just over the crossbar from 20 yards.

A change then saw Callum Morris depart the field with Matty Owen his replacement. As the game entered its final ten minutes, Michael Wilde replaced Nick Rushton in the hope his firepower could help The Nomads take a late win.

Les Davies and Nathan Woolfe sent efforts towards goal which were dealt with, before Llandudno hit Nomads on the break which resulted with Lewis Buckley sending a header just above the crossbar in a chance that would have won it for the visitors.

After three minutes of injury time, play concluded to hand both teams a deserved point, yet Nomads will reflect on a game where they could have emerged victorious.

They now move onto a North East Wales derby, welcoming Rhyl to Deeside on Sunday 25 September in a fixture that pits 2nd against 3rd in the Dafabet Welsh Premier League.

Match Photos

Match Report by Will Catterall