North Wales football’s greatest stories: No2 FC Nomads of Connah’s Quay – five different league titles in first seven seasons

This article is dedicated to the memory of former FC Nomads president Carl Sargeant AM, who witnessed and enjoyed the meteoric rise of the club before his untimely death in 2017. Carl’s son Jack Sargeant AM now proudly holds the same club title that his father did.

It is hard to find a club in North Wales football which has been so prolifically successful in such short a time as FC Nomads of Connah’s Quay.

Founded in 2009 after, during the previous season, stories started to circulate that Connah’s Quay may lose its team for the first time since 1890, Nomads possibly merging with local rivals Flint Town United, a group of long-time supporters and local soccer experts set out to preserve football in the Quay.

Connah’s Quay Nomads carried on as they were, bound for great things, but newly-formed FC Nomads set off on their own journey – and what a ride it has been.

FC Nomads joined the now defunct Clwyd League and were crowned 2009/10 Division Two champions with a perfect record of 20 straight wins.

Division One also proved no hurdle for the newcomers as they swept to the 2010/11 title undefeated, recording 23 victories and a draw.

The new Clwyd East League was formed for the 2011/12 campaign and founder members Nomads made it three straight titles.

In three seasons, the club had risen from tier seven of the Welsh football pyramid to level four.

Next came the challenge of Welsh National League (Wrexham Area) Division One and Nomads this time finished runners-up, missing out on a fourth title on the bounce after trailing champions Borras Park Albion by a mere two points.

The 2013-14 term saw Nomads back to their unstoppable selves as they not only topped Division One, but also registered stunning stats of 20 wins out of 20 with 140 goals amassed and only 11 conceded.

That made it two ‘perfect seasons’ out of five in which the invincibles had won every single league match.

The Deesiders now took another step up to tier three and the WNL Premier Division.

They were brought back down to earth with a fifth-place finish, but the silverware kept on coming as they lifted the 2014/15 Premier Division Cup.

The 2015-16 campaign brought yet another league crown for the Nomads – their fifth in just seven seasons – as they came top of the pile in the Premier Division.

This should have led to elevation to the tier-two Huws Gray Alliance, but despite a determined fight by the club against facilities issues blocking their rise, they were denied promotion and runners-up Ruthin Town went up in their place.

No doubt jolted by this enforced lack of progress, Nomads have finished sixth and 11th for the past two Premier campaigns.

This season they are seventh and looking likely to finish mid-table, although there is some way to go yet.

Those earlier achievements, though, five league titles in seven seasons, two of them producing 100% records and another one an unbeaten log, on top of the host of cups in the cabinet, makes the FC Nomads story quite remarkable.

FC Nomads league record 2009/10 to present

2009/10 – Clwyd League Division Two Champions: P 20 W 20 D 0 L 0 GF 100 GA 15

2010/11 – Clwyd League Division One Champions: P 24 W 23 D 1 L 0 GF 104 GA 25

2011/12 – Clwyd East League Champions: P 18 W 13 D 3 L 2 GF 66 GA 26

2012/13 – Welsh National League Division One runners-up: P 24 W 20 D 2 L 2 GF 122 GA 29

2013/14 – Welsh National League Division One Champions: P 20 W 20 D 0 L 0 GF 140 GA 11

2014/15 – Welsh National League Premier Division – fifth: P 30 W 18 D 6 L 6 GF 79 GA 42

2015/16 – Welsh National League Premier Division Champions: P 26 W 18 D 4 L 4 GF 95 GA 33

2016/17 – Welsh National League Premier Division – sixth: P 26 W 14 D 3 L 9 GF 63 GA 51

2017/18 – Welsh National League Premier Division – 11th : P 28 W 11 D 2 L 15 GF 44 GA 61

2018/19 – Welsh National League Premier Division (season incomplete): P 21 W 9 D 4 L 8 GF 38 GA 38

COMPLETE LEAGUE RECORD (up to and including March 23, 2019)

PLAYED 237

WON 166

DRAWN 25

LOST 46

GOALS FOR 851

GOALS AGAINST 331

LEAGUE TITLES

Clwyd League Division Two champions 2009/10

Clwyd League Division One champions 2010/11

Clwyd East League champions 2011/12

Welsh National League Division One champions 2013/14

Welsh National League Premier Division champions 2015/16