The FA Vase brought about Nomads first defeat of the season, but one should not forget the quality of the opposition. Shifnall Town were from the Midland Football Alliance, two levels above the Nomads, and a victory would have always been an unexpected result. A hoarse Steve Walsh summed up the outcome. The players had not recovered from Wednesday’s Cup victory over Barrow Town, and fitness showed in the end. As the players tired the long ball was resorted to, which was meat and drink to an experienced defence. The players need to keep their mouths shut. In the first half the wood work saved both teams. Shifnall struck the post after 10 minutes and on 40 minutes Lee Connolly saw his free kick rebound off the crossbar. Shifnall had a goal disallowed for offside on 25 minutes, but took the lead 3 minutes later when a cross was put away by their No.11, Ben Jevons. Prior to these incidents, Rich Clay injured himself when overstretching. The final minutes of the half saw the Nomads on top, but their attacks came to nothing. Ryan Watley replaced the injured Rich Clay in goal for the second half and on 60 minutes had to narrow the angle to stop Shifnall extending their lead. As the half progressed the Nomads gained more of the possession, and thoughts of an equaliser were on the cards, but the final pass went astray and then the long ball came more into play. The Shifnall defence began to look like giants and only two real chances fell to the Nomads strikers, both in the later stages. First Joe Moran made room but shot wide and then Lee Connolly brought the keeper into action. Disappointingly, the Respect initiative now rules the game, and the Referee had no alternative but to book some of the players for dissent. The Nomads could now face a fine of £250 for having 6 players booked in a match. |