The New Saints made it 18 games unbeaten as they beat gap Connah's Quay 2-1 at Park Hall.

On a night when fireworks illuminated the sky, the Saints set-off like rockets with two goals inside the first 13 minutes, but almost ended as damp squibs after the battling Nomads produced an improved second-half performance.

It all looked plain sailing when Michael Wilde's header from a Scott Ruscoe corner came off the bar for Jamie Wood to cross back for Alfie Carter to head the first goal.

Five minutes later, man-of-the-match Carter got the second following a sublime back-heel by Ruscoe and a drubbing looked on the cards for the visitors.

Carter almost grabbed a quick hat-trick on 22 minutes, but his lob went wide of the far post, while Tommy Mutton had a couple of good chances for Quay, both well dealt with by keeper Paul Harrison.

Carter and Craig Williams both went close early in the second-half before Phil Doran's cross from the left was headed down by Mutton to Kieran Quinn, who fired into the far corner from 12 yards.
TNS looked to have restored their advantage when Wilde had the ball in the net after keeper Mike Price had parried a stinging Williams free-kick, but the effort was ruled offside.

The Saints' defence successfully kept Nomads at bay for the rest of the game, with Carter denied by Price in a one-on-one, then sending a lob over the keeper and narrowly wide of the far post and seeing another effort well saved as a third goal failed to materialise.

Stats and report courtesy of welsh-premier.com