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From Wrexham Evening Leader;-
Nomads see of champs in real thriller
A MUCH changed Connah’s Quay Nomads kept up their unbeaten start to the season with a 2-1 win at home over The New Saints in Group B of the League Cup.
Late goals from Gary O’Toole and Calvin Davies, either side of a John Toner strike, gave Nomads the victory to follow their 6-1 victory in the opening League Cup group game with Airbus UK.
Manager Nev Powell made eight changes to the line up that drew 0-0 at Havefordwest County at New Bridge Meadow on the weekend, with only goalkeeper Dimitri Brinias, defender Tommy Harrison and midfielder Craig Hutchinson keeping their place in the starting line up as Powell rotates his squad.
The New Saints had much the better of the game, but Nomads defended resolutely and frustrated their visitors, while enjoying sporadic counter-attacks.
Anthony Warriner fired over the top from 20 yards early on, while Toner had a drive wide of Brinias’ goal and Martyn Naylor had a free header cleared off the line by Phil MacDiarmid. Graham Roche cleared a Toner header off the line as both sides went in 0-0 at the break.
In the second half it was more of the same as The New Saints controlled the play with Nomads hitting them on the break, but just after the hour mark O’Toole took advantage of a mix up at the back to slot into an empty net and give Nomads the lead.
Ken McKenna brought on Mike Wilde and Scott Ruscoe in a bid to salvage something from the game, and it looked like it had done the trick as Phil Molyneux, a second half substitute was disposessed in midfield and a neat through ball saw Toner beat the offside trap, round Brinias and level the scores on 82 minutes.
But Nomads were not done there and three minutes later regained their advantage as the hard working Calvin Davies volleyed home to give them all three points.
From welsh-premier.com:-
Challenge Cup Group B
Tue 29 Aug 2006 : Cae y Castell / 19:30 |
| Connah's Quay Nomads |
2 - 1 |
The New Saints |
| Gary O'Toole |
63' |
| Calvin Davies |
85' |
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| John Toner rounds Nomads' keeper Dmitri Brinias to level the scores. |
TNS slipped to League Cup defeat on Deeside for the second time in three years, but it was defensive errors that cost TNS dear in a game where they created the better chances of what few were on offer.
A dour first-half played out in midfield saw neither side able to create in the final third, with the best opening falling to the visitors on the stroke of half-time, when Nicky Ward's shot was blocked by a defender after he had been put in by Steven Beck.
Both sides came out with more purpose after the interval with Rob Williams heading wide from a Mark Davies corner, and Gerard Doherty saving at the feet of Nomads' Stuart Cooke.
Ward spurned a good chance, shooting wide at the near post but in the 63rd minute Nomads took the lead.
Home keeper Dmitri Brinias relieved the pressure with a huge clearance into the TNS box and Gary O'Toole nipped in to score as both Doherty and Phil Baker debated who would clear the danger.
Brinias then produced a superb diving save to keep out a Scott Ruscoe piledriver as Saints pushed for an equaliser, with sub Michael Wilde thrown into the fray along with youth Ben Jones.
Wilde was wide with his first effort, before John Toner broke clear to round the keeper and fire into an empty net.
With eight minutes left, it seemed as though TNS would at least come away with a point, but the Nomads had other ideas and, when Michael Jackson could only clear with a weak header, debutante Calvin Davies made no mistake, firing low into the far corner. |
| Connah's Quay Nomads |
Teams |
The New Saints |
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| Phil Molyneux > Michael Keegan 67' |
| Tony Cann > Graham Roche 80' |
| David Banford > Calvin Davies 87' | |
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| 57' Scott Ruscoe > Steven Beck |
| 67' Michael Wilde > Nicky Ward |
| 76' Ben Jones > Martyn Naylor | |
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