gap Connah’s Quay Nomads lost 1-0 to The New Saints in the Dafabet Welsh Premier League on Friday evening.

• The game stood level at half time following chances for each side
• Just eight minutes after the restart, Greg Draper got the all important goal for TNS
• In the dying embers of the game, Nathan Woolfe was shown a straight red card
• The Nomads can still seal their place in the Europa League with two points from their remaining two games

The game was Nomads’ third to last fixture of the season, and they knew they needed just a point from Park Hall to all but secure Europa League qualification for the second successive season.

It was The Nomads' third game against The New Saints in just over three weeks, having beaten them 2-1 at Deeside in the Dafabet Welsh Premier and lost out 3-0 in the JD Welsh Cup semi final six days ago.

The Nomads were forced to make a late change to their starting lineup before kick-off, as Les Davies pulled out with a back injury.  In his place was Declan Poole who made his full debut while youngster Joe Sullivan took his place on the bench.

The game began and TNS dominated possession but rarely forced John Danby into a save.  The Nomads grew into the encounter and began to attack well, seeing Declan Poole go on a good run and pass to Nathan Woolfe, whose cross was headed over by Callum Morris.

In the 18th minute, Matty Owen teed the ball up on the edge of the TNS area and curled an effort wide in one of The Nomads’ best chances.  The New Saints hit back with spells of continuous position, with George Horan and John Disney working hard to keep out the TNS forward line.

Matty Owen enjoyed a good performance as he got into good spaces for The Nomads, having a low shot from around 12 yards saved by The New Saints goalkeeper Paul Harrison.

At the interval the game stood goalless, but The Nomads could take confidence in a controlled performance against the Champions.

But eight minutes after the restart, The Nomads were undone by a goal from Greg Draper.  The TNS forward received a low pass inside the Nomads area, and under pressure managed to turn and slot the ball under John Danby.

The Nomads looked to retaliate with good pressing play, as Wignall, Woolfe and Poole used their collective pace to threaten the TNS goal. On 65 minutes Woolfe sent a shot goalwards from 25 yards which sailed just over the crossbar.

Jon Routledge nearly doubled TNS’ lead with a shot from 15 yards, but John Danby produced an excellent save to tip the effort over the crossbar.

The Nomads’ pressure continued, and on 74 minutes they were awarded a free kick around 30 yards from the TNS goal. Baynes’ kick fell to Horan who nearly equalised for Nomads with a sliding low effort, but Harrison met him and saved.

Matty Owen then brought The Nomads agonisingly close to a leveller when he sent a looping header at Paul Harrison who tipped the ball over for a Nomads corner which was subsequently cleared.

The Nomads made changes bringing Lewis Short on for Sean Smith and later Declan Poole for Matty Williams as time began to run out for Nomads.

On 87 minutes Nomads were reduced to 10 men when Nathan Woolfe was shown a straight red for a tackle on Ryan Brobbel. Forced to finish the game with a one man disadvantage, The Nomads were unable to create any major chances in the dying minutes of the game.

The result is a disappointing one as Nomads had played well throughout the game but came away with a defeat. The game does not affect Nomads’
quest for European qualification, as they need just two points from their two remaining games to secure Europe.

The Nomads move onto their penultimate game of the season and final home fixture against Bala Town for a 2:30pm kick off on Good Friday.

Match report by Will Catterall