Friday evening saw The Nomads secure a 2-1 victory over Airbus in the local Flintshire derby thanks to goals from Harry Franklin and Callum Morris.

Form
The Nomads came into this game in fine form having not lost in the JD Cymru Premier since September which has seen Neil Gibson and his side move seven points clear in second place, still looking to keep up the chase on league leaders TNS. The Nomads have also reached their third successive Nathaniel MG Cup Final and the fourth round of the JD Welsh Cup over the past couple of weeks.

Without a league win all season, Jamie Reed’s Airbus sit rock bottom of the table with their survival task looking extremely tough. There have been signs of improvement for The Wingmakers after they made it to the fourth round of the Welsh Cup after seeing off Trefelin. Airbus also held a one goal lead against Haverfordwest up until the 75th minute where two late goals denied them the much needed points.

Team News
Neil Gibson made three changes from last weekend’s semi final victory over Taffs Well as Aron Williams, Josh Williams and Paulo Mendes all made their way back into the starting eleven in place of George Horan, Ryan Stratulis and Joe Malkin. Danny Holmes and Aeron Edwards were both named on the bench after picking up slight injuries during the past month.

Jamie Reed made just the one change from his side’s loss to Haverfordwest as Joe Palmer was sidelined due to an injury sustained last weekend, seeing last season’s top scorer Adam Davies make his way back into the side.

The First Half
Nomads almost made the perfect start just two minutes into the match as Josh Williams’ corner found Michael Wilde who leaped highest but could not keep his header down from close range to test Lewis Dutton.

Nomads took the lead in the 12th minute after a long ball upfield was sent back into the danger zone by Paulo Mendes, causing confusion for Lewis Dutton who could not hold onto the loose ball, gifting Harry Franklin an easy finish to make it 1-0.

Franklin’s goal remained the difference throughout the majority of the first half with Nomads dominating possession. Dutton was forced into a fine save from Ben Nash who struck goalwards following a cross from the right. Paulo Mendes also tried his luck from distance with a low drive which Dutton also caught safely.

Mendes was found in space again and spotted the run of Michael Wilde who positioned himself before firing a first time shot towards the near post looking to catch Dutton out but the striker’s shot was inches over the bar.

Nomads were given a slight warning as the final big chance of the half came for Airbus as a long ball from defence found Number 10 Jake Eyre whose half volley from a tight angle smashed the crossbar and back out of play for Nomads to clear.

The Second Half
Airbus were forced into an early change at the beginning of the second half after Jake Eyre went down with injury and with manager Jamie Reed taking no risks, youngster Kaiden Cooke came on in his place.

Five minutes later, Nomads almost grabbed their second of the evening after Callum Bratley intercepted a tame pass in midfield, finding Harry Franklin who sprinted into the final third land went for glory on the edge of the area but his effort as a comfortable one for Dutton.

Nomads were then awarded a penalty just past the hour mark after Michael Wilde’s header struck the arm of Adam Davies who was booked for handball. Callum Morris stepped up and made no mistake from twelve yards, slotting his penalty straight down the middle to double the advantage.

Substitute Kaiden Cooke came close to halving the deficit as he raced down the left but with nobody to pick out, Cooke decided to go alone and look to beat Firth at his near post but the goalkeeper was alert and made the save.

Both sides then made substitutions with Nomads introducing Danny Holmes in place of Aron Williams and Airbus introducing Bradley Knight to replace Adam Davies who was on a yellow card.

Michael Wilde nearly grabbed his goal with 15 minutes to go as again his aerial presence troubled the Airbus backline, Wilde was left unmarked but his powerful header thundered against the crossbar, leaving the striker frustrated.

Nomads then made a double change with Paulo Mendes and goalscorer Harry Franklin making way for the duo of Mike Hayes and Aeron Edwards, who made his first appearance since October.

The two substitutes of Danny Holmes and Aeron Edwards almost combined for Nomads’ third goal as Holmes’ cross found Edwards in space, however the midfielder could not keep his header on target, keeping the scoreline at 2-0.

As we entered stoppage time, Airbus pulled one back through Kaiden Cooke. Finn Savage’s cross towards the back post was finished off by Cooke for his first goal of the season.

The full time whistle blew meaning Nomads extend their unbeaten record to 13 games with 12 wins and 1 draw during that period. Nomads remain second in the JD Cymru Premier, seven points off TNS at the top of the table.

Next Fixture
The Nomads now focus on their next encounter which sees Aberystwyth make the trip down to Deeside in the Cymru Premier. Aberystwyth were the last side to beat Nomads so Neil Gibson will be looking for revenge against the Seasiders. The match will take place on Saturday 10th December with an early kick off time of 1:00pm.

Match report by Adam Angerer