Deflected strike sees Nomads bow out

The Nomads were knocked out of the Nathaniel MG Cup at the semi final stage by The New Saints at Deeside on Tuesday evening.  A deflected goal from Scott Quigley was enough to end The Nomads’ run in the competition.

The game was a replay of its original date, with heavy fog forcing an abandonment of the semi final with The Nomads and TNS locked in a 2-2 draw with 73 minutes gone a week earlier.

After such a close encounter, both teams had a second chance at reaching the Nathaniel MG Cup Final, which Barry Town United reached earlier on in the month after a 1-0 defeat of Carmarthen.

The New Saints fielded a strengthened lineup from the original tie, with captain Paul Harrison starting along with Ryan Brobbel and Scott Quigley.  The Nomads meanwhile gave a start to new signing Declan Poole who joined the likes of Jay Owen and John Disney.

Late changes to the team happened on both sides, when Callum Morris and Greg Draper replaced Wes Baynes and Robbie Parry respectively after the latter players were forced out with injuries.

The game began and both sides looked to create chances, with The Nomads having the first opportunity to score when a Nathan Woolfe pass to Nick Rushton was intercepted inside the Saints six yard box.

The opening goal was somewhat against the run of play, when Scott Quigley ran to the edge of The Nomads' area to see his low shot go in with the help of a deflection off Callum Morris.

The New Saints built on their lead to start controlling the game, meaning the first half was a largely subdued one for the crowd of 188 who took advantage of The Nomads’ free admission offer for the evening.

Nathan Woolfe put a number of dangerous crosses into the TNS area, with Rushton having a header cleared in front of goal in the 27th minute before Les Davies ran tirelessly around the TNS half in search of a break for The Nomads.

The second half was a livelier affair, with Les Davies missing a golden opportunity from a Nathan Woolfe corner when he hit the post from four yards out on 50 minutes.  Davies sent another shot wide minutes later from 15 yards after Nathan Woolfe again made a good run into the TNS area.

Despite The Nomads’ constant pressure, The New Saints stayed solid in defending their lead, prompting The Nomads to replace Callum Morris with Chris Rimmer as time began to run out on 70 minutes.

The Nomads would hit the post for the second time in the game on 76 minutes, when Lewis Short saw a shot almost parallel with the goal line go off the post.

In the final ten minutes, The Nomads would push even harder for the much sought after equaliser, at times having up to 10 men inside the Saints’ half. 

Jay Owen sent a shot towards the bottom left corner of the TNS goal which looked to be going in, but it was practically cleared off the goal line to the agony of The Nomads.

Greg Draper had the chance to seal victory for TNS when he sent a 15 yard effort off the crossbar of The Nomads’ goal, but he would not come to rue this missed chance as after four minutes of additional time, his side’s victory was confirmed.

The result is a disappointing one for The Nomads, who fought well against the Champions for both the original semi final and replay only to eventually be knocked out at the semi final stage.

They now move onto a Friday night fixture on 25 November, travelling to Rhyl for a Dafabet Welsh Premier League clash with a 7:45pm kick off.

Match Photos

Match Report by Will Catterall