After defeating us in the Welsh Cup semi-final last year, the Nomads were only minutes from winning the Welsh Cup and participating in this season's European Cup Winners Cup. They'd taken an early lead in the Cup final, before a late goal pegged them back. They finally lost on penalties.
Connah's Quay were formed in 1946, but football had been played there much earlier, with the Connah's Quay and Shotton club bringing the Welsh Cup to North-East Wales in 1929. Their next best performance in the Welsh Cup came in 1992-93, the inaugural season of the League of Wales, in which they reached the semi-final before being knocked out by Rhyl.
The Nomads joined the Welsh League (North) in the 1950's, and have remained at the forefront of progress in the Welsh pyramid system, and they were founder members of the Cymru Alliance in 1990 before signing up to the League of Wales two years later.
Last season, they were actively living out their title of Nomads, playing their football at Rhyl's Belle Vue, further down the North Wales coast, as they were 'between grounds', following the sale of their old Halfway House ground to developers and the building of the new (and impressive) Deeside Stadium, which is situated on the grounds of Kelsterton College.
The new ground was officially opened back in the Summer, with the visit of nearby Chester City, and the attendance of 750 people. Almost 400 of those turned out for the first competitive match at the ground, a 4-1 victory over Rhayader Town, with 591 there for Barry's visit last September.
We meet Connah's Quay twice in the next month and a half, as the Nomads will be visiting Jenner Park for a Welsh Cup 'revenge' match. That came about after a replay saw them defeat Newtown 1-0 through a Jamie Hughes goal in the fourth minute. Their other cup performances haven't been so impressive, but that doesn't mean that they won't provide hard opposition in both matches.
Be here and see if the Nomads can slay the Dragons!
Links to other sites on the Web
Barry Town homepage
Barry Town Matchday Magazine index
Barry Town results 1998-99
This page edited by the Yellow Dragon, 1998.
This article was first published in the Barry Town matchday magazine, v Cwmbran Town, 02.01.1999
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