CYMRU PREMIER CHAMPIONSHIP CONFERENCE: Two points dropped in title race? Or another game unbeaten for Nomads?
CHAMPIONSHIP CONFERENCE – SATURDAY, JANUARY 24
Colwyn Bay 2 Connah’s Quay Nomads 2
How should a Connah’s Quay fan view this result?
Two points dropped and a blow to their title hopes after squandering a two-goal lead?
Or another game unbeaten to make it 15 league matches without defeat and 37 points from a possible last 45 which has them a clear second in the Championship Conference?
Glass half full, glass half empty?
One thing that was not empty was the Blue Turtle Arena where a crowd of 1,612 amounted to the highest attendance for a non play-off game in the Cymru Premier for over 14 years.
Welsh football was the winner on a day neither side could quite manage the W.
The Nomads were two goals up at half-time as Jacob Cook nodded in from Rhys Hughes’ corner just five minutes before Callum West controlled Noah Edwards’ cross and sent a clinical low drive into the bottom corner for his seventh league goal of the season.
However, Bay were much improved after the break and halved the deficit four minutes into the second half as Jordan Davies’ cross from the left sailed beyond everyone, including Nomads goalkeeper Kit Margetson, and nestled into the far corner.
Despite plenty of pressure, the Seagulls’ equaliser did not arrive until the 97th minute when debutant Ryan Astles – who had only come off the bench two minutes earlier – poked home George Hughes’ corner to spark wild celebrations amongst a packed Blue Turtle Arena.
Dropped points for the Nomads meant that The New Saints moved seven points clear at the top of the table with a 1-0 victory over Barry Town United at Park Hall on Saturday.
Penybont 0 Caernarfon Town 0
Nothing could separate third-place Penybont and fourth-place Caernarfon Town in a goalless draw at the DragonBet Stadium on Saturday.
Caernarfon came closest to finding the breakthrough on two occasions in the second half as new signing Rio Owen saw his volley at the back post blocked on the line by Billy Borge before Sion Bradley sent a deft lob over Luke Armstrong from close range, only to be denied by the crossbar.
It was a first league clean sheet on home turf for Penybont since September, but Rhys Griffiths’ side remain nine points adrift of second-place Connah’s Quay Nomads. Caernarfon sit four points further back.