Lights go out on match at Bangor

Connah’s Quay Nomads’ fifth game of the JD Welsh Premier League season came to a premature end at Bangor City on Friday evening after floodlight failure caused the match to be abandoned.

• The Nomads went into game off back of Bala win
• Wilson goal gave Bangor the lead
• Game abandoned after 41 minutes

Bangor City went ahead in the 27th minute after a Lawrence Wilson strike, but the game was stopped in its tracks on 41 minutes when three of the floodlights went out.

Going into the game, The Nomads were looking to build on a win against Bala Town and maintain their position near the top of the JD Welsh Premier League table.  Bangor meanwhile were intent on continuing a run of two consecutive victories, starting the likes of Gary Taylor-Fletcher and Brayden Shaw.  The Nomads were without the injured Mike Pearson and suspended Ryan Wignall, starting Sean Smith, Danny Harrison with Michael Wilde leading the line.

The game got off to an even start, and although The Nomads forced two corners early on, they were unable to convert the set pieces into credible chances on goal.

Michael Wilde controlled the ball well outside the Bangor area in the fourth minute, but under pressure from two defenders sent his shot wide.

Both sides’ attacking flair was shown when Sean Smith intercepted a Bangor pass to open up a chance for he Nomads, only for the home side to win possession and go close via Danny Gosset who narrowly missed a pass in front of The Nomads’ goal.  Gosset was back in the action in the 13th minute, forcing Danby to make a low save with a powerful shot from 10 yards out.

As the half went on, Bangor enjoyed more possession inside The Nomads’
half, making a number of quick passes to threaten The Nomads' back line.  Dean Rittenburg nearly broke free on goal after a good run down the left wing, but Matty Williams made a vital tackle to stop him.

In the 27th minute Lawrence Wilson broke the deadlock, shooting from the edge of The Nomads’ area to see his shot take a slight deflection, taking the ball over goalkeeper John Danby.

Bangor’s pressure had paid off, but The Nomads remained in the game whilst lacking a clinical finish in Bangor’s final third.  As such, play was even up until the floodlight failure.

Nathan Woolfe found space to run with in the midfield in the 38th minute, but his long range attempt went wide of the Bangor goal.

Just as The Nomads were faced with the prospect of trailing 1-0 during the interval, one half of the pitch was plunged into darkness in the 41st minute due to floodlight failure.

Despite the best efforts of the ground staff for around 30 minutes of stoppage, referee Huw Jones was left with no choice but to abandon the match, ruling the current 1-0 scoreline void.

The Nomads now move on to a challenging home fixture against Cardiff Metropolitan on Saturday 23 September for a 2:30pm kick off.

Match Photos

Match Report by Will Catterall