Derby defeats are always hard to take, but this one was particularly hard to swallow for Flint fans, as their side squandered a 2-0 half time advantage to lose 3-2. It was a sign of the Nomads’ desperation at the interval, that at the start of the second period manager John Disney elected to make four changes to his team. However, his gamble was handsomely rewarded as they all paid their part in changing the course of the game, none more so than Jack Kenny, who proved a real nuisance, and bagged two goals in his side’s comeback. But Flint will be kicking themselves that the game wasn’t effectively over at the break, as they spurned a glorious opportunity to have gone 3-0 up, and that surely would have killed off any Nomads revival before it had chance to get going.
The Silkmen had set about their task with gusto in the opening 45 minutes, denying their opponents time and space on the ball, and playing some composed football as they prodded and prompted for openings. On 8 minutes, Ben Hughes cut in from the left and fired a shot that curled jut over. in the 16th minute, Flint went ahead, when, as the result of some good pressing play, they won back possession in the final third. Jake Canavan laid the ball back into the path of the incoming Jack Thorn, who shot from the edge of the box. Elliott Reeves stuck out a foot to get a meaningful deflection that sent the ball past Kit Margetson in the Nomads goal.
It got even better for the Silkmen on the half hour mark. A free kick was played in short to Ben Wynne, who shifted the ball across to the left, saw a gap open up, and hit a low shot that nestled inside the near post, for a fine opportunist strike.
It could and should have been 3-0 a couple of minutes later, when Flint put together a fine sweeping counter attack move, Wynne picked out Reeves with a tremendous pass, and the forward accelerated away down the right side, before pinging in a perfect ball to Darren Stephenson who was on his own at the far post. Somehow, he failed to make the required contact from 6 yards out to send the ball into the back of the net.
It was not until the 38th minute that Nomads had their first meaningful effort on goal, as Max Woodcock carried the ball into the box, took advantage of it deflecting back into his path from a defensive challenge, before shooting just wide of the target.
A minute later, and another close call for the Nomads goal when Stephenson delivered a ball from the by-line that deceived Margetson, run across his goal-line and was cleared in the nick of time before Josh Jones could get on the end of it.
As was to be expected, and boosted by the changes in personnel, Nomads came out a more determined side for the second half. Even so, it was Flint who had another good chance, as Reeves received the ball on the left side of the area, shot from the angle across goal, only to see his effort agonisingly strike the post.
That was to be a crucial turning point in the game, as in the next passage of play Nomads were awarded a penalty, after a fine threaded ball by Callum Bratley found Kenny, who initially got the better of Harry Owen, only to be fouled by the Flint skipper as he prepared to shoot. Rhys Hughes stepped up for the spot kick, only for Jack Flint to pull off a tremendous flying save, with the ball going out for a throw in. Having been granted a huge let off, by Flint’s heroics, the Silkmen were then guilty of switching off in the aftermath of the moment, and from the throw in Nomads attacked down the left, centred the ball, and Kenny got on the end of a deflected shot to poke the ball home.
Flint tried to respond to this setback, and Wynne fired just wide, but Nomads were visibly lifted by the goal and now looked the stronger of the two sides. Another of their substitutes, Zeli Ismael, produced a good cross onto the head of Abdi Sharif, but Flint brilliantly saved his effort, before quickly recovering to push Harry Franklin’s follow up round the post. The pressure on the Flint goal was now almost non-stop, and following a cross in from the left, Kenny just failed to connect at the far post. Then, on 73 minutes, Sharif hit a shot from the edge of the box that Flint got down well to save, at the expense of a corner. From the resulting set piece, the initial cross was partially cleared, only for the ball to be returned to the far post where the waiting Chris Marriott finished from close range to bring the scores level.
The Silkmen were now hanging on for a point, the game having turned completely on its head. With ten minutes remaining, Flint was called upon again, as Bratley let fly from the edge of the box, the keeper this time fingertipping the shot over his bar.
The winning goal came in the 89th minute, as a cross from the left sought to pick out Kenny. The forward initially missed the ball. only for it to hit the unfortunate Mikey Burke who was coming in behind him to challenge, and bounce back into Kenny’s path, and he smuggled it across the line.
It was a bitter blow for the Silkmen, who conceded three very scrappy goals to hand victory to their opponents in a game which they should have had wrapped up by half time.
Report by Nigel Sheen
Line Ups :
Connah’s Quay Nomads – K. Margetson, C. Marriott (c), D. Poole, J. Cook, (Z. Ismael 46) B. Nash, D. Cowan (H. Franklin 46), N. Edwards, R. Hughes, J. Oswell (J. Kenny 46), M. Woodcock (C. Bratley 46), A. Sharif. Unused Subs – R. Berry (GK), M. Fregapayne, J. Tang
Flint Town United – J. Flint, I. Lee, J. Canavan (M. Burke 56), S. Fofana, H. Owen (c), J. Thorn (Cm. Ferguson 83), D. Stephenson (K. Imariagbe 63), B. Hughes, E. Reeves (J. Phillips 63), B. Wynne, J. Jones. Unused Subs – D. Szczepaniak (GK), D. Davies, Cal. Ferguson)
Flint MOM – Jack Flint (an outstanding second half display with a string of saves that should have earned his side at least a point)
