Nomads claim away victory at Old Gold

Saturday afternoon saw gap Connah's Quay Nomads record a 3-1 victory over Carmarthen Town in the Dafabet Welsh Premier League at the newly named Cymru Tyres Stadium.

• Ryan Wignall and Kai Edwards gave The Nomads a 2-0 lead in the first half
• A deflected Luke Cummings strike after the interval gave Carmarthen a second half lifeline
• Substitute Lewis Short scored Nomads' third five mintues after entering the fray
• The win keeps The Nomads in the race for Europe

The game was seen as vital to The Nomads' quest for automatic European qualification, as they looked to build on a 2-0 win against Cardiff Met.

The Nomads started an unchanged line up from that game, with Nathan Woolfe and Lewis Short on the bench.  Carmarthen were meanwhile looking for their first win in three games, having defeated The Nomads 1-0 in the reverse phase two fixture.

The visiting Nomads started well, with George Horan adopting a temporary offensive role during which he created good chances alongside Les Davies and Matty Williams.

Ryan Wignall and Wes Baynes’ crosses caused problems for the Carmarthen defence, with goalkeeper Lee Idzi forced to make two punching clearances early on.

The Nomads' pressure paid off when Ryan Wignall sent them ahead in the 26th minute.  A Wes Baynes throw-in fell to Wignall in the Carmarthen area, and he scored with a slick back heel from from inside the six yard box.

Les Davies nearly doubled The Nomads’ lead a minute later, when his low shot from 13 yards hit Lee Idzi’s left post before going out for a goal kick.  The Nomads' second was however found before half time, when Kai Edwards found the net from close range after a corner in the 33rd minute.

The Nomads’ dominant performance continued until the interval, during which Michael Wilde replaced Matty Williams as The Nomads sought to seal an important victory.

After an even restart, Carmarthen brought themselves back into the game when Luke Cummings scored from 25 yards, his effort taking a slight deflection to beat Danby near his left post.

With Carmarthen pushing for an equaliser, The Nomads substituted Ryan Wignall for Lewis Short in a change that paid dividends when he scored after five minutes on the field.

Receiving a well placed pass by Les Davies, Short ran at the Carmarthen goalkeeper to send a powerful finish low into the net on 70 minutes.

With their two goal lead restored, The Nomads controlled the remainder of the game, with Sean Smith and Danny Harrison stepping in to close down any attacking moves from the home side.

The Nomads’ final change saw Wes Baynes replaced by John Disney, who helped his side maintain their possession through to 90 minutes and three of additional time.

The result keeps The Nomads in third place, five points above fourth-placed Bangor City and three below Bala Town who occupy second.

They now move onto a clash against Champions The New Saints at Deeside on Tuesday 21 March for a 7:45pm kick off.

Match Photos

Match Report by Will Catterall