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Porthmadog 6 Gap Connah’s Quay 5

TEN-MAN Nomads were left numb after they suffered one of the most extraordinary defeats in Welsh Premier League history at struggling Port on Saturday.

Steve O’Shaughnessy’s side were on their way to three very comfortable points when substitute Michael Cronshaw put them 5-1 up in the 70th minute.

But, thanks to an inspired fightback from a home team that had lost their last four and some contentious refereeing decisions, they conceded five times in the final 19 minutes to lose a match which they had totally dominated.

Captain Liam Loughlin gave Nomads a fourth-minute lead when he took advantage of Jon Peris-Jones’ mistake to score from close range before he set up Craig Jones for number two 13 minutes later.

The hosts reduced the deficit through Gareth Parry shortly after, but the visitors restored their two-goal advantage on the half-hour mark when the in-form Peter Doran tapped in before having another effort disallowed.

Jones headed home his second 13 minutes after the restart before Cronshaw, four minutes after coming on, also nodded in.

Then came the turning point as Phil Doran, upset after a decision wrongly went against him, was stupidly red carded for foul and abusive language.

Rhys Roberts scored seconds later and it was game on.

Young Nomads, rather than sitting back, naively went for a sixth, but they felt they were not helped by referee Andrew Harms, who awarded a 77th-minute penalty for a debatable foul by Danny Forde that seemed to have taken place outside of the box.

Mike Foster converted the spot-kick before John Rowley reduced the deficit to one.

The offside-looking Marc Lloyd-Williams then made it 5-5 four minutes from time before the legendary striker, eight minutes into injury-time, completed a quite remarkable reversal to guarantee Port their first home win over their Deeside opponents in 12 seasons.

STAR MAN: Adam Dickinson.

PORTHMADOG: Vickers, Peris-Jones (Rowley 46), Foster, Roberts, Davies, E Jones, C Jones, Lloyd-Williams, Parry, Orlik (Ogilvy 41), Kehoe. Sub: Thomas.

BOOKED: Kehoe, R Roberts.

GOALS: Parry 21, Roberts 71, Foster 77pen, Rowley 81, Lloyd-Williams 86, 90.

NOMADS: Maxwell, Clarke, Phil Doran, B Alston, A Alston, Jones, Quinn, Forde, Loughlin, Peter Doran, Dickinson (Cronshaw 66). Subs: G Pinch, Auty, D Pinch.

BOOKED: Quinn, Maxwell.

SENT OFF: Phil Doran 71.

GOALS: Loughlin 4, Jones 17, 58, Peter Doran 30, Cronshaw 70.

ATTENDANCE: 213.

ON FRIDAY – See The Flintshire Chronicle for big-match pictures from Nomads’ unbelievable defeat.