Saturday afternoon saw The Nomads secure their place in next season’s UEFA Europa Conference League after a goalless draw against Penybont in our final ever game at Deeside Stadium.

Having needed just one point from their final two games, The Nomads can finally confirm their place in next season’s UEFA Europa Conference League after a tight affair ended all square with Penybont in this season’s penultimate JD Cymru Premier fixture.

Today’s result also means that The Nomads have now remained unbeaten in every single home game this season in all competitions, picking up 17 wins and 5 draws throughout the 2022/23 season which is another fantastic record achieved by Neil Gibson.

Keyon Reffell had a glorious chance to put the visitors ahead inside the opening 30 minutes but a superb Andy Firth save kept the clean sheet alive. John Disney then played a fantastic low ball which looked destined to be turned home by the attacking duo of Joe Malkin and Jack Kenny but it somehow averted the two strikers as the scoreline remained level at the interval. The second half provided spectators with a similar story of the first half, two very organised teams battling it out with both sides showing their defensive quality. The only major chance came from a Kane Owen free kick on the edge of the box which struck the inside of the left post and was eventually thumped clear. Following a tense final ten minutes, The Nomads were able to prevent Penybont from creating any sort of attacking threat and eventually see out the final few minutes to clinch the point they needed, confirming their place in next season's UEFA Europa Conference League.

Form
The Nomads came into this game having spent a number of weeks in a great position to qualify for Europe and an unbeaten Phase Two run has given Nomads the edge for second place. A 2-0 win over Newtown and a 2-1 win away at Bala left Nomads just one point off Europe pending confirmation of Penybont’s likely six point deduction for breaching a Cymru Premier substitute rule. Neil Gibson’s side made it three wins on the bounce with a hard fought 2-0 victory against Cardiff Met, however the decision on Penybont’s potential deduction was still to be announced, meaning Nomads would require just one point from their final two games to secure Europe.

As for Rhys Griffiths and his Penybont side, the possible points deduction has left Bont with it all to do and any slip ups could prove costly. A 3-2 comeback win over Cardiff Met gave the South Walians hope but their push for second place ultimately came to an end after suffering a heavy 5-2 loss to league champions TNS. Penybont can still qualify for Europe if they were to secure third place and hope that TNS can overcome Bala in the JD Welsh Cup Final at the end of April.

Team News
Neil Gibson named unchanged starting eleven to last weekend’s impressive victory over Cardiff Met with Joe Malkin and Jack Kenny leading the line whilst Danny Holmes and Joe Haley returned to the bench.

Bont made three changes to their side that lost out to TNS as Billy Borge, Ash Evans and Kai Whitmore all came in to replace Josh Yorwerth, Lewis Clutton and Ryan Reynolds.

The First Half
As the players made their final walk out to the pitch at Deeside Stadium, the opening first 10 minutes were very quiet as neither side were able to really create a clear cut chance in front of goal. Penybont looked the more dangerous of the two sides but were still finding it tricky to get in behind the Nomads backline. A ball into the box fell to Bont’s Mark Little whose tame effort towards goal was easily blocked by Ryan Harrington.

Bont nearly found the breakthrough in the 16th minute as a cross towards the back post found an unmarked Ash Evans who went for goal with an acrobatic volley but his effort was blocked instantly and Nomads were able to clear the danger.

Nomads then began to settle into the game more and were pinning their opponents back into their own half. Some brilliant passing play saw Paulo Mendes spot Josh Williams from around 25 yards out who then went for the spectacular, however his attempt flew over the crossbar.

Two minutes later, Keyon Reffell had the best chance of the game to put Bont in front as a long ball through the middle enabled Reffell to race through on goal and leave himself with only Firth to beat but The Nomads goalkeeper was equal to it and got down low to make a vital save to keep it at 0-0.

The final chance of the half almost sent Nomads ahead as Aron Williams spotted the overlap of John Disney who then fired a low ball across the six yard box aimed for Joe Malkin and Jack Kenny but even with the two strikers sliding in, the ball somehow flew all the way across the face of goal and out for a goal kick.

The Second Half
The second half began as a similar story to the first, The Nomads remained on top and were applying serious amounts of pressure. Jack Kenny chased down a long ball which forced Penybont goalkeeper Alex Pennock to rush out of his area and kick clear.

Moments after Penybont captain Kane Owen received a yellow card, Josh Williams led a Nomads counter attack and gave the ball to Joe Malkin on the right hand side who looked to pick out Ryan Harrington making a darting run into an unmarked area but the weight on Malkin’s pass proved to be too little and Bont survived once more.

In the 65th minute, Penybont came extremely close to scoring their first goal at Deeside in just over two years as Kane Owen stood over a free kick on the edge of the box and with a powerful left foot, Nomads knew that this set piece would pose a threat. Owen stepped up and sent a curling effort past the wall and towards the bottom corner put his attempt thundered against the woodwork and back out of play, allowing Nomads to clear.

The Nomads then made a double change with 20 minutes to go as both Callum Bratley and Danny Holmes were introduced in place of Ryan Harrington and Paulo Mendes.

The Bont duo of Kai Whitmore and Mael Davies found themselves in great positions in the final third but with Davies making a rapid run into the box, Whitmore decided to go alone and cut inside onto his left foot on the edge of the area but just before Whitmore could pull the trigger, Ben Nash stepped in and not for first time this season, the Nomads defender made a crucial tackle to keep the clean sheet alive.

Bont were frustrating The Nomads with two minutes plus stoppage time remaining and looked the more likely side that could find a late winner but Nomads stood their ground and were able to cancel out all Penybont attacks as the final whistle blew for the final time at Deeside Stadium, meaning The Nomads bid farewell to Deeside by securing a spot in next season’s UEFA Europa Conference League.

Yes that’s right, we’re heading to Europe once again. In Neil Gibson’s first season in charge of The Nomads, he has led his side to a Nathaniel MG Cup Final, a JD Welsh Cup Semi Final and now a second place finish in the JD Cymru Premier, achieving European Qualification for the seventh time in the club’s history, becoming only the second manager to do so along with Andy Morrison.

The Nomads will now find out their European opponents when the draw for the First Qualifying Round takes place on 20th June. The first leg will be played on 13th July as Connah’s Quay Nomads take another giant step in the right direction.

Next Fixture
The Nomads will play their final game of the season next Saturday afternoon as they travel to Park Hall to take on TNS. The match will be played on Saturday 22nd April with an earlier kick off time of 12:45pm.

Match report by Adam Angerer