Saturday afternoon saw The Nomads play out a goalless draw with Newtown in the JD Cymru Premier despite a much improved display.

Form
The Nomads came into this game having faced Flint in a festive double header during the past two weeks. Boxing Day’s encounter saw The Nomads come out on top after Joe Malkin and George Horan’s second half goals clinched a 2-0 win which continued an outstanding unbeaten streak . A week later, at The Essity Stadium, The Nomads were held by The Silkmen in a frustrating stalemate which saw TNS extend their lead at the top of the JD Cymru Premier table.

As for Newtown, just one loss in their last eight league games has seen them climb the table to capture a spot in the top six. The Robins haven’t been shy in front of goal over the past month, having scored a total of 18 goals since the beginning of December. Newtown’s great run of form has also seen manager Chris Hughes and defender Ryan Sears shortlisted for the monthly Cymru Premier awards.

Team News
The Nomads made two changes from last weekend’s 0-0 draw with Flint as George Horan and Ben Nash returned from suspension to replace Aron Williams and Danny Holmes. Callum Morris made his 200th league start for The Nomads with new signing Dan Roberts being named on the bench.

Newtown manager Chris Hughes made two changes from his side’s convincing 6-1 victory over Aberystwyth as Jake Walker and Shane Sutton made their way back into the starting eleven with Henry Cowans and Brett Taylor. Lifumpa Mwandwe, who returned to Newtown this week, was named amongst the substitutes.

The First Half
The hosts looked for an early advantage as just four minutes in, Nigel Aris’ dangerous ball towards the back post was taken down by their top scorer Aaron Williams, however Ryan Harrington did well to block his cross back into the danger area.

Josh Williams nearly scored his first league goal for The Nomads as his curling free kick, destined for the top corner was tipped onto the crossbar by Newtown goalkeeper Dave Jones, keeping the score level.

John Disney came to The Nomads’ rescue with an epic goal line clearance to deny winger Louis Robles. Newtown’s Number 10 won the ball back in midfield and burst into the box before cutting onto his left foot, beating Andy Firth but a sublime sliding block from Disney stopped the ball from crossing the line.

Louis Robles continued to pose an attacking threat as his inviting ball into Nick Rushton was headed towards goal by the midfielder but it was not enough to beat Firth as The Nomads goalkeeper held on.

A long ball forward to Aeron Edwards wasn’t cleared by The Robins, allowing Edwards to get forward and search for Joe Malkin with a driven pass but there was just a little too much pace on the ball for Malkin to slot home.

Josh Williams again looked dangerous from a set piece as his corner from the right hand side was swung in and found the head of Ben Nash who was denied by a fine save from Dave Jones.

The Second Half
Nomads began the second half well and almost got their reward in the 50th minute as Josh Williams’ wide free kick was punched away by Dave Jones. John Disney retrieved possession and was able to deliver back into the box but the home side cleared once more.

The pressure was mounting as The Nomads continued to dominate possession on the hour mark. Paulo Mendes, who came on to replace Joe Malkin, almost made an impact straight away as his cross reached George Horan at the back post, Newtown closed Horan down but the Captain still managed to get a shot away, however it was well saved by Dave Jones.

Both sides then made a substitution with The Nomads introducing youngster Luca Hogan, who has impressed in his appearances against Flint, came on to replace Mike Hayes. Newtown’s change saw them bring on Lifumpa Mwandwe in place of Nigel Aris.

Josh Williams was proving to be a nightmare for the Newtown defence as he brilliantly found space down the byline before cutting the ball back to his academy teammate Luca Hogan whose shot towards the far corner struck the foot of Paulo Mendes, which steered the ball straight into the path of Dave Jones.

Newtown did well to clear a dangerous cross from the right but it would only fall out to John Disney on the edge of the box whose effort took a slight deflection, causing confusion for Dave Jones who partied the attempt but the defence managed to scamper the ball away.

The final whistle blew for full time and despite an impressive performance in the second half from The Nomads, the scoreline finished 0-0 and the points were shared. Newtown goalkeeper Dave Jones came to his side’s rescue, making numerous saves and dealing with a series of set pieces.

The Nomads remain second in the Cymru Premier, four points above Bala Town in third. As for Newtown, they still sit in sixth place and will look to compete for a European position during the Championship Conference.

Next Fixture
The Nomads now turn their attention to Tuesday night a trip to Maes Tegid awaits to take on Colin Caton’s Bala Town. The match will take place on Tuesday 10th January with a scheduled 7:45pm kick off time.

Match report by Adam Angerer