Nomads travelled to Lancashire to meet Atherton Laburnum Rovers who are a club on the up again after a few years in the doldrums. On a day that was as chilly as most in mid winter the welcome and hospitality was warm. (The excellent after match Pie and Peas ensured that the Nomads secretary will seek to make this a regular fixture). The entertainment on the pitch was pretty good too. On the soft and sloping Crilly Park pitch we saw a fast and competitive match that possessed incident in plenty, seven goals, some amazing misses and a referee whose face turned into a frighteningly bright red as he ran and ran and ran. The managers will have nightmares over some of the defending, but Aden Shannon will remember the day for an excellent hat trick with the third goal being an early contender for goal of the season.

Nomads started well going down the slope but into the teeth of the strong chilly wind, Craig Davies and Michael Cronshaw had the pace to get behind the defenders and chances came early on that the home defence did well to cope with. Nomads looked likely to lead but were caught on the break in the twentieth minute when the ball was lost wide on the right. A long ball went under our defenders foot and Smalley raced clear to curl a shot over Parks and in. Nomads pushed on and were clearly the better side with some of the passing from Forde being very good. However, the equaliser came from a piece of good fortune. Chris Courtney and a defender were chasing a dropping long ball into the area when the defender deflected the ball away with the outside of his arm. Aden Shannon drove the spot kick low to the keepers right. Soon afterwards a flowing move involving several players led to Aden Shannon applying the finish with a crisp shot. Nomads were in control and Davies corner was well met by Gary Pinch who powered a header into the goal only for it to be harshly ruled out for an imagined push. Just before the interval another sloppy pass and another quick break saw the ball worked across our back-line for Howard to crash home a spectacular volley for the hosts, to send the sides in level at half time at 2-2.

Despite both sides ringing the changes and with Nomads going up the slope the flow of the game was unaltered. Long periods of Nomads possession interspersed with Atherton breaking well and pushing some good long balls behind our defence. On fifty minutes came the goal of the day. A pass found Aden Shannon wide on the left. He turned his marker and from close to the edge of the area he curled a classic shot over the keeper and in. Minutes later Shannon met a deep cross too well. The power of his header caused the ball to stick under the beaten keeper’s body. With fifteen minutes left Nomads defence showed again that you can play too much football in bringing the ball out. Possession was lost and Howard was in. Parks got down well to save and many a ref would have blown as the ball was prized free for Smalley to cross for Ardayfio to net. The big striker came desperately close to putting his side in front on 85 minutes. In an amazing sequence that would have found its way on to any of the popular football funnies DVD’s a hopeful punt caught us out and Ardayfio lobbed Parks. It looked a goal all the way but Chris Herbert hadn’t given up and when the ball came down from the bar he chased back to head the goal-bound rebound back off the woodwork. It fell for Ardayfio, who drove over!! With time running out Craig Jones and Ben Alston combined to send in a trialist forward whose shot was parried by the keeper and raked loose for Danny Forde to shoot home the winner for Nomads.