Hughes and Franklin star as Nomads storm to another win down south

Two penalties from Rhys Hughes and a composed finish from Harry Franklin saw Connah’s Quay Nomads earn an emphatic 3-0 victory over Cardiff Met at Cyncoed Stadium  in the JD Cymru Premier on Saturday. 

The Nomads wasted no time in the capital as Franklin was brought down inside the area, allowing Hughes to clinically place his spot kick beyond Sam Seager’s reach. 

Hughes returned the favour to Franklin with a lofted pass, which saw Franklin slot home one-on-one with the goalkeeper. 

Both sides battled through torrential conditions at Cyncoed for the majority of the second half, but Franklin won another penalty after neat work down the byline before Hughes stepped up to convert his second of the match.  

Kit Margetson was not really tested all game, so it was another impressive display in all areas of the pitch which sees the Nomads boost their hopes of finishing inside the top six.  

Team News

John Disney made just one change from last week’s 3-3 draw with Haverfordwest County as Callum Bratley replaced Chris Marriott, who missed out through injury. 

Abdi Sharif and Jack Kenny were absent through illness, while Marco Fregapane still nurses a hip issue. Andrew Buah returned to the bench as U19 stars Ryley Berry and Jack Waterhouse continued to gain more valuable senior experience.  

Met boss Ryan Jenkins named an unchanged team following his side’s 4-1 victory at home to Flint Town United last time out. Former Nomads winger Fumpa Mwandwe was amongst those in that starting squad. 

First Half

The Nomads took the lead with just two minutes on the clock as Matt Chubb’s foul on Franklin inside the area allowed Hughes to pick out the bottom corner from the resulting spot kick. 

Cardiff Met had received three yellow cards by the 11th minute as Chubb’s challenge was followed by more late tackles by Jake Morris and CJ Craven. 

The Nomads doubled their advantage on 26 minutes with another well-worked goal as Hughes intercepted the ball in midfield and played a perfectly weighted pass over to Franklin, who held off his marker and poked past Seager for his sixth goal in as many games .

Second Half

Disney’s side continued to dominate proceedings after the restart, with Met really yet to test Margetson. 

Hughes forced Seager into a diving save with his free-kick from distance before Jacob Cook had his effort on the rebound blocked. Ben Nash’s thumping header moments later was denied by the crossbar, although the goal would not have counted as he was offside. 

However, a crucial third goal eventually arrived in the 75th minute as Franklin was fouled once again inside the area, allowing Hughes to step up and send Seager the wrong way to complete his brace. 

Steven Gerrard Academy scholar and U19 star Jack Waterhouse came on for his JD Cymru Premier debut as he replaced Dan Cowan, which was a fantastic moment to see. 

Waterhouse, along with Zeli Ismail, Max Woodcock, Jason Oswell and Dan Roberts all played key roles in helping us see the game out.

Another emphatic victory in south Wales keeps us fourth in the league table, where we are seven points clear inside the top six. The result was also the first time the Nomads have kept three consecutive clean sheets away from home since January 2023.  

What’s Next?

The Nomads aim to continue their bright form with a live Sgorio clash against second-place Penybont at the Essity Stadium on Saturday, 8 November (5:15pm KO).

Rhys Hughes’ delightful lob gave the Nomads a 1-0 victory over Bont in August’s reverse fixture, so let’s hope for another impressive display this time around too!

Match Report by Adam Angerer