Academy rise to occasion in League Cup victory

Not many people knew what to expect when several of our academy stars took to the stage against Caernarfon Town in the Nathaniel MG Cup on Tuesday night.

Billy Paynter named a rotated squad, which featured 10 academy products. This was billed as "Billy’s Babes", and it is safe to say, every single one of them delivered against full-strength opposition.

Paynter put his faith in our younger generation, all of whom have come through the Connah’s Quay Nomads academy or scholarship programme.

Let's start with the youngest player in Tuesday's squad, Joe Bennett. At just 16-years-old, Bennett made his first senior start and caught the eye straight from kick off.

Bennett showed confidence on the ball at left-back and more notably, dealt with Caernarfon forward Zack Clarke in a superb manner. Clarke scored a hat-trick for the Cofis against Briton Ferry Llansawel last weekend, but Bennett kept him at bay all evening to prevent the forward from finding the net again.

Bennett's tremendous performance earned him our Player of the Match award.

Another standout performer in defence was Dan Flanders, who also made his first team debut. 19-year-old Flanders was an unused substitute when a part of our JD Cymru Premier squads versus Barry Town United and Penybont.

However, his time to shine finally came when he slotted into centre-back and earned a spot in the JD Cymru Leagues Team of the Week for his incredible composure. Flanders dealt with a series of long balls and corners from our opponents and this was just a glimpse of what an extraordinary talent we have on our hands.

Luca Hogan has been at The Nomads since he was just eight years old. A prolific goalscorer for our academy sides in recent years, Hogan’s dream senior moment finally arrived on Tuesday. With The Nomads trailing 2-1, Hogan popped up with his first ever senior goal for the club as he scored the rebound from Elliott Dugan’s header.

It was only a matter of time before he found the net. He ran away in celebration with a fist pump in the air, and this will now hopefully open the floodgates for the forward as he aims to increase his goal tally and continue his breakthrough season.

Breakthrough seasons may also be on the cards for Jordan Pownall and Brad Barnes. Pownall made his first senior start, while Barnes came off the bench for his first senior appearance in any competition.

Pownall and Barnes provided crucial assists for Dan Roberts and Elliott Dugan respectively with well-taken corners and both players were lively in every single minute they played.

Both have also captained our U18s and development sides on numerous occasions, so experience in the first team can certainly help them improve their leadership skills, especially with scholars coach John Disney wearing the captain’s armband for the first team.

Pacy winger Tyler Berry also continued his impressive start to the campaign as he gained another start under his belt. He, along with fellow teenage attackers Jayden Tang and Noah Sumner were electric all evening.

Just three lads enjoying their football, and performing at the highest level for their hometown club. There is certainly more to come from this talented trio.

Finally, the two senior players who started were Dan Roberts and Aron Williams. They may have had more memorable occasions such as winning trophies and playing in Europe during their time at The Nomads. However, Tuesday's match was still one to remember for both players.

Dan Roberts wore the captain's armband for the first time and he scored his first competitive goal in over two years, which was also his first for The Nomads. A number of accomplishments were ticked off for Roberts and hopefully there are many more to come.

Aron Williams, who has first started at the club when he was just 10 years old, is known for his pace and technical ability and he used that to his advantage, covering a huge amount of distance to help us secure a place in the Nathaniel MG Cup quarter-finals.

Manager Billy Paynter claimed his side were asked a lot of questions due to Caernarfon’s full-strength squad, but made no mistake in answering them.

Technical Director and First Team Coach Jay Catton took to X to comment;

An amazing night for @the_nomads. Eight academy and @colegcambria scholars started the game with further two coming off the bench with 6 of the 10 involved aged 16-19 . Great achievement by players, families and all coaches who have supported development over time. #academy https://t.co/BEoYSKpraA
— Jay Catton (@JayCatton) September 18, 2024