Match Report by Ray Brown.

The Nomads’ bid to go to the top of the table came unstuck, as they lost 4-1 to Prestatyn on a wet and windy night.

With skipper Craig Jones sitting out the last game of his suspension and Gary O’Toole not fully fit, midfielder Rob Jones was given a place in the starting line up and Ricky Evans continued in the role of captain.

The Nomads started brightly and dominated proceedings for the first 15 minutes, as Prestatyn struggled to get into the game. A 6th minute free kick from Danny Dobbins was headed down by Mark McGregor, resulting in a Ricky Evans effort which was saved by the keeper. Then in the 10th minute, a speculative 30 yards effort from Rob Jones went just wide of the post.  

The first Prestatyn attack came in the 16th minute when the visiting Maltese linesman missed an offside, allowing a Prestatyn forward to run on and force John Rushton into a good save low down to his left. This incident saw the start of a short period of pressure from Prestatyn, leading to their first corner in the 19th minute. The kick was floated beyond the centre of the goal to the unmarked Paul O’Neill, who headed it back across goal where it fell to Michael Parker to blast the ball into the corner of the net. Prestatyn were 1-0 up and even their most avid of fans, would admit it was very much against the run of play. 

Nomads continued to press forward looking for an equaliser, but Prestatyn were also staring to get forward more. A Nomads attack saw a Michael Robinson header go just over the bar from a Michael Thompson free kick in the 24th minute and in the 30th minute a Thompson shot was just wide of the post. 

As the game continued, the pace of the lively Prestatyn forwards was becoming more evident and they were using both flanks to good effect. In contrast, Nomads were playing mostly down the left flank and in the middle, with Jamie Petrie seeing very little of the ball on the right.

It looked likely that the next goal would be crucial and unfortunately it fell to Prestatyn in the 39th minute. Forward Andy Parkinson found himself unmarked as the ball came into the goalmouth and with the Nomads defence caught flat-footed and expecting an offside decision, he was left with an easy chance to score.

This was a bitter blow for the Nomads who had the balance of play in the first half, but found themselves 2-0 down. The last few minutes of the first half saw the Nomads defence under more pressure, as Prestatyn confidence soared as a result of the second goal.

Half time came and the Nomads must have wondered how they were 2-0 down after having so much of the play in the first half.

During the half time interval, a strong wind brought in a heavy rainstorman and the pitch became even heavier, making it harder for Nomads to play their normal close passing game. 

Facing the wind, the Nomads started with an early free kick in the 47th minute. As the free kick was cleared by the home defence, it fell to Michael Thompson whose shot was pushed out for a corner by the keeper. The corner reached Michael Robinson, but his header went over the bar.

Prestatyn then had a good chance when John Rushton could only parry a long range shot into the path of Neil Gibson, but Nomads were relieved to see Gibson judged offside. With the wind and rain behind them, the home side were trying long range efforts and Rushton was forced into tipping a high ball over the bar in the 54th minute. Just after this, the ball went up-field and Ricky Evans ran on to a Rob Jones through ball, but he hit his shot just wide of the post. Nomads were trying to get back into the game, but Prestatyn were strong both in midfield and defence and they were threatening when on the attack. 

Nomads had another chance in the 61st minute, when the ball fell to Dean Canning after the home defence failed to clear a high ball into the penalty area, but his shot went just wide. Rhys Healey replaced Michael Thompson in the 71st minute, but Nomads found themselves 3-0 down just three minutes later. Prestatyn were awarded a free kick and Ross Stephens hit a fierce 35 yard effort which evaded everyone in the penalty area and landed in the far corner of the net. 

It looked like game over, but the Nomads kept plugging away and Dean Canning had an effort tipped over the bar, followed a couple of minutes later, by a Michael Robinson header which went straight at the keeper. Danny Dobbins was cautioned on 84th minutes and from the resulting free kick, Ross Stephens hit another fierce 25 yard shot past the Nomads wall and into the corner of the net.

Nomads were now playing for their pride and after Mark McGregor pushed himself up into attack, Jamie Petrie and Dean Canning both went close, Finally, Rhys Healey turned and scored from 8 yards with his shot taking a slight deflection off a Prestatyn defender. It was a deserved consolation for Nomads, but ended in a lop-sided 4-1 defeat.

This was a disappointing result, particularly after Nomads dominated so much of the first half, yet trailed 2-0 at the break. Prestatyn were well organised in the second half, proving difficult to break down and Ross Stephens goals finally killed the game off.

Prestatyn moved to the top of the league table, but the final score rather flattered them and it wasn’t a true reflection of the balance of play.