gap Connah’s Quay Nomads drew 1-1 with Bangor City in the Dafabet Welsh Premier League on Saturday afternoon.

• The game was vital in the race for Europe
• The Nomads went ahead in the first half via Les Davies
• Bangor's Rodrigo Branco equalised late on
• The result strengthens The Nomads chances of a first ever top three finish

The Nomads came into the game after a 2-1 victory over the Champions, TNS, and were looking for their fourth consecutive win in the league.  Meanwhile, Bangor came to Deeside knowing that they needed a result to stay in the race for Europe.

A lineup including Les Davies, Sean Smith and Ryan Wignall was announced for The Nomads, whilst Bangor played ex-Premier League star Gary Taylor-Fletcher and former Blackburn youth, Dean Rittenburg.

The Nomads dominated the opening of the game, having their first major chance in the seventh minute when Matty Williams hit the crossbar from a Morris pass into the Bangor area.  The home side’s early pressure paid off in the 16th minute, as Les Davies rose high in a packed area to flick a looping header into the goal.

Bangor hit back after Davies’ goal, putting The Nomads' end under pressure for a sustained period of the first half.  Brad Jackson and Gary Taylor-Fletcher caused problems for The Nomads in the final third, but John Danby seldom had a save to make during the first 45 minutes.

With the pressure on The Nomads to retain their lead and Bangor to get back in the game, both sides made changes during the interval.  Lewis Short replaced Matty Williams for Nomads, whilst Bangor replaced Nardiello and Gosset with Gary Roberts and Rodrigo Branco.

The second half restarted and both sides were locked in an uneven game that rarely settled. Nomads held their lead well, and would have gone 2-0 up if not for a off the line header which denied Jay Owen from around 20 yards.

In the 76th minute, Les Davies went on a run as The Nomads launched a counter attack, but was hacked down by Anthony Miley who was shown a straight red card for the foul, leaving Bangor to play the remainder of the game with 10 men.

As the game entered its final stages, both sides were locked in a scrappy affair. The Nomads missed another chance to double their lead, when Les Davies broke through on goal but shot wide on 79 minutes.

Bangor City found their equaliser just three minutes from time, when a ball up in the air near The Nomads' goal was controlled and passed into the six yard area by Sion Edwards, who found Rodrigo Branco to slot home at close range.

The Nomads battled through the additional three minutes of injury time but were unable to find another goal, and were left to settle for a hard earned point at full time.

The Nomads now move away from league action to focus on the JD Welsh Cup semi final next week, facing The New Saints at Bangor City’s Bangor University Stadium. The game kicks off on Saturday 1 April at 2:30pm.

Match report by Will Catterall