The International Stars Representing Nomads This Season

Within the Connah’s Quay Nomads First Team squad this season, there are several players with significant international connections. 

From FIFA World Cup appearances and youth international call-ups to large support online, the Nomads are strengthening their profile well beyond North Wales. 

In this article, we take a closer look at the players whose stories and connections are helping the club reach audiences across the world. 

Abdi Sharif - Somalia

In his first season at Connah’s Quay Nomads, Abdi Sharif has experienced football across the globe. His first game for the club came away to Colwyn Bay and his Player of the Match performance that day was noticed by Somalia’s national team manager Yusuf Ali Nur. 

Sharif was consistently called up to the Somalia squad throughout last season and he featured in FIFA World Cup, AFCON and international friendly action for the Ocean Stars. 

There were two remarkable occasions for Sharif and Somalia when the country registered their first international win for six years with a 2-1 friendly win against Bahrain before they beat Mauritius on penalties to reach the AFCON qualifiers for the first time ever. 

Our Instagram post which showed Sharif playing in front of over 60,000 fans against Algeria in FIFA World Cup qualification reached over 145,000 views.  

Dani Liepa - Lithuania 

An exciting future awaits for 17-year-old Lithuanian goalkeeper Dani Liepa, who signed his first professional contract with the club ahead of the 2026/27 campaign and got to experience our UEFA Conference League trip to Kosovo in July. 

The goalkeeping position at the Nomads has been pivotal to our success in recent years, more or so now that Cymru U21 international Kit Margetson has completed a sensational move to English giants Manchester United following his successful loan spell with the club. 

Liepa played a key role for our U18s, who finished fourth in the FAW Reserve League last season. His only appearance for our title-winning U19s side came in a 7-1 victory away to Airbus UK Broughton. 

Liepa will continue to develop alongside fellow First Team goalkeeper Chris Renshaw and Goalkeeping Head Coach Jon Rushton as he looks to establish himself at the senior level. 

Darren Stephenson - Jamaica

Born in Saint Catherine, a parish in the south east of Jamaica, Darren Stephenson is one of many summer signings for the Nomads ahead of the 2026/27 season. 

Stephenson, who graduated from the Bradford City academy in 2011, has a wealth of experience for clubs across England and Wales. 

His impressive performances for Flint Town United last season, in particular those against the Nomads, caught the attention of First Team Manager John Disney. The 33-year-old has already shown his quality with solid displays during pre-season and in our UEFA Conference League tie against FC Ballkani. 

Frankie Deane - Scotland

Not many players stepping into the Novira Cymru Premier this season have had a more prestigious youth career than Frankie Deane. 

Deane was born in Motherwell, Scotland and signed a professional contract with Celtic aged 16, and a year later, the midfielder transferred to Burnley, where he further impressed in academy football before moving back up to Scotland to join Edinburgh City in 2023. 

Although he was born in Scotland, Deane represented the Republic of Ireland at U19 level. His first ever international call-up was in fact just a few months after he signed his professional deal at Celtic. 

Deane has overcome a series of setbacks and injuries, enabling him to now enjoy his football with the Nomads as we aim for another successful season. 

Hussein Mehasseb - Egypt

Egyptian football has become synonymous with exciting forwards wearing red home kits, and Hussein Mehasseb is now looking to write his own chapter at the Nomads. 

Our Egyptian king joined the club from Bala Town this summer and has instantly shown his quality with four goals across our UEFA Conference League and pre-season fixtures. 

Mehasseb entered the record books with his goal against FC Ballkani in Kosovo, becoming just the second ever Egyptian player to score in the UEFA Conference League, alongside current Manchester City forward Omar Marmoush. 

Joe Simatupang Ferguson - Indonesia

Former Blackburn Rovers scholar Joe Simatupang Ferguson has expressed his desire to play for the Indonesian national team. The 2021 FIFA U20 World Cup was set to be hosted in Indonesia, but Ferguson and his country could not feature due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

As seen with Abdi Sharif’s Somalia call-up, playing for the Nomads does provide opportunities for players to represent their county at senior level international stage, so we hope Ferguson can continue to excel. 

The 23-year-old has had remarkable support online since joining the Nomads. Our Instagram post announcing his arrival drew over 276,000 views and almost 7,000 likes, making the post one of our most engaged ever. 

Max Woodcock - Scotland

Scottish forward Max Woodcock may have only celebrated his 21st birthday last month, but he is currently the longest-serving player in the Nomads First Team squad. 

Woodcock joined the Nomads in January 2025 and was a key part of our side which qualified for the UEFA Conference League in John Disney’s first season in charge. He is also only one of two players to have featured in a Welsh Cup final for the Nomads, joining fellow striker Harry Franklin on that list.

Woodcock has scored for Scotland at U19 level in a 4-1 win over Estonia four years ago and found the net on the international stage for the Nomads against FC Ballkani in our UEFA Conference League first qualifying round in July. 

Shane Flynn - Republic of Ireland 

Shane Flynn has already announced himself well to Nomads fans after he earned the Player of the Match award from our first leg against FC Ballkani in the UEFA Conference League last month. 

Flynn enjoyed his academy days with Leicester City after impressing in his home country of Ireland with St Joseph’s academy. Flynn spent six years at the former English Premier League champions and was named the 2021 Development Player of the Season. He even got to play alongside current Premier League stars Harvey Barnes, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Wesley Fofana on a few occasions. 

Flynn is another summer arrival at the Nomads who has represented their country at youth level having been involved in the Ireland U19 and U21 camps. At just 24-years-old, Flynn already lots of experience internationally and at some well renowned clubs, which will be key to our 2026/27 season.

Date Published: Wednesday, 5th August, 2026 - 11:20pm by Adam Angerer