Connah Quay Nomads 0-1 FK Partizan
by James Nalton
at Belle Vue in Rhyl

WHEN Connah Quay Nomads secured a dramatic late win against Kilmarnock at Rugby Park last week, it was deemed a humiliation and an embarrassment for Scottish football. But the other, more positive side of this story suggests there is new life in the Welsh game.

The New Saints, last season’s Cymru Premier champions, also won in Europe last week, progressing in their first Champions League qualifier against Kosovan side Feronikeli; their reward, a meeting with Danish champions FC Copenhagen.

Nomads added further weight to the progress of Welsh clubs in the home leg of their second qualifying round tie against Serbian side FK Partizan on Thursday evening. 

The Belgrade club are some distance ahead of their part-time opponents on and off the pitch, as indicated by the fact that Nomads have to play their Uefa games in Rhyl as their own Deeside Stadium doesn’t meet the governing body’s requirements.

But Andy Morrison’s side held their own for over an hour before Aleksandar Scekic was first to a loose ball on the edge of the area to give Partizan the lead.

It was a relief for the 100 or so travelling fans, many of whom form part of Partizan’s England-based supporters club. 

The goal was an opportunist one as opposed to a dismantling of the Nomads defence, and once behind the home side showed signs they could come back into the game.

Full-back Callum Roberts made inroads down the left late on, first winning a corner and later a free-kick as Partizan looked uneasy against Nomads’ increased attacking threat.

This will give Morrison hope going into the return leg, but keeping the scoreline respectable is itself already a massive achievement for Nomads.

32-year-old winger Zoran Tosic, who has 76 caps for Serbia and was once on the books at Manchester United, was denied twice by Nomads goalkeeper Lewis Brass later in the game, which helped keep the Welsh club in the tie.

They travel to Serbia next Thursday looking to perform a similar miracle to last week’s triumph in Scotland. But progressing against a side who reached the last 32 of this competition as recently as 2018 will be one of the biggest challenges in the Deeside club’s history. 

Regardless of the outcome in Belgrade, they have already done Wales and Welsh football proud.