Nomads improve but suffer heartbreaking late defeat to Saints

Connah's Quay Nomads showed many positive signs but suffered a last-gasp 2-1 loss to The New Saints in the JD Cymru Premier Championship Conference at the Essity Stadium on Tuesday evening. 

Both sides had their fair share of chances throughout the contest, but all the drama arrived within the final 15  minutes as Ben Wilson put Saints ahead from the penalty spot just moments before Harry Franklin headed home an instant equaliser for the Nomads. 

However, TNS restored their lead in stoppage-time through Danny Davies' close-range finish, seeing the Nomads leave empty handed. John Disney's side remain second in the JD Cymru Premier table - 10 points clear inside the automatic European Qualifications with five games remaining. 

Team News 

Disney made two changes from our defeat at Barry Town United last time out as Dan Cowan and Dan Roberts returned to replace Ben Nash and Max Woodcock, who were named on the bench. With Nash amongst the substitutes and Chris Marriott still injured, James Jones wore the captain’s armband for the first time.  

TNS manager Craig Harrison made just one change from his side's Nathaniel MG Cup final loss to Barry Town United last Saturday as Danny Davies replaced Jordan Marshall on the left-hand side. 

First Half 

The first real opportunity of the match fell to Saints forward Rory Holden in the 13th minute as his low drive towards the bottom corner forced Kit Margetson into a diving save. Isaac Jefferies also went close for the visitors when his dipping strike from outside the area flashed narrowly wide of the top corner.

Rhys Hughes had the Nomads' best chance of the first half on 25 minutes when he ran onto Franklin's lay-off and sent a first-time effort a whisker over the bar. 

A misjudgement from Marco Fregapane allowed Ryan Brobbel to run through on goal moments later, but Margetson remarkably denied the attacker with his outstretched leg. 

Saints thought they had taken the lead in the 29th minute when Holden finished beyond Margetson at the near post, but Davies was offside in the build-up and the goal was ruled out by officials. 

Second Half

It was a quiet opening period to the second half, with neither side really coming close. Franklin tried to produce a neat flick from Jacob Cook's low cross but was unable to gain a clean connection, while James Jones made an important block to deny Brobbel's effort from the edge of the area.

Disney turned to his bench for the first time in the match as Noah Edwards replaced Dan Roberts, who received a yellow card just eight minutes prior. 

The Nomads switched up a gear midway through the second and came agonisingly close to opening the scoring on numerous occasions. Hughes forced Edwards into a diving save with his curling effort from distance before Abdi Sharif wriggled free inside the area and fired straight at the TNS goalkeeper from close range.  

Edwards was nearly beaten when Cook's cross-turned-shot from the right floated over him, but the crossbar came to the visitors' rescue and somehow the scoreline still remained goalless. 

Edwards made another save on 73 minutes, this one more straightforward as West hooked the ball through to Franklin, whose poked shot was instantly blocked by the goalkeeper's body. 

Sharif almost bagged his first Nomads goal six minutes later when Hughes' powerful low cross ricocheted off the Somalian international's shin, but Saints defender Jack Bodenham thumped the ball off the line. 

TNS were awarded a penalty in the 81st minute as Dominic Corness' free-kick struck Franklin in the wall, but despite the attacker's arms being close to his body, the referee deemed it to be handball and pointed to the spot. Substitute Ben Wilson stepped up for the away side and drilled his spot-kick down the middle of the goal to break the deadlock. 

The Nomads immediately levelled the scoreline though, as Cook's pinpoint cross into the area found Franklin, who guided his header into the roof of the net for his 12th league goal of the season and his first since recently returning from a two-month injury. 

Franklin made way for fellow forward Max Woodcock as we entered five minutes of stoppage-time and tried to push for a late winner, but it was Saints who snatched all three points as Bodenham collided with Dan Cowan inside the area, which allowed Danny Redmond's diagonal to find Davies, who placed the ball into the top corner from close range.  

Despite the heartbreaking nature of the result, the Nomads showed much more encouraging signs compared to the visit to Barry at the end of February, so John Disney and his side will be hoping to strengthen their position in second-place in the coming weeks and secure a first win in Phase Two. ~

What's Next? 

The Nomads return to action on Friday, 13 March with a trip to the Go Goodwins Stadium to face Caernarfon Town in the sixth round of fixtures in the Championship Conference. Both sides shared the points in a 1-1 draw in Phase Two's reverse fixture, with Caernarfon being the only team the Nomads are yet to beat in the league this season. This match will kick-off at 7:45pm and we hope to see many of you there to cheer on the lads!

Match Report by Adam Angerer