Connah’s Quay manager Andy Morrison has hit out at the lack of protection his players are receiving after the Nomads extended their lead at the top of the JD Welsh Premier League table last night.
The Nomads moved five points clear following a 3-1 victory over Cefn Druids, but Morrison says the lack of protection his players received forced him to substitute winger Ryan Wignall at half-time.
The New Saints can reduce Connah’s Quay’s lead when they play Llandudno tonight.
Both Michael Wilde and Ryan Wignall were withdrawn during the break as Connah’s Quay staged a second-half comeback to overturn Nathan Peate’s early goal.
“If you look at it statistically, more players are booked against Cefn Druids than any other team,” he said.
“They’re incessantly at the referee, they’re continually moaning collectively to get players booked.
“Their player kicks Michael Wilde off the ball – I’m told that it’s not a violent contact, but it’s a kick and the rules are clear.”
“I remember Jon Stead getting sent off last year for Prestatyn against Bangor, it was the most petulant kick out but it’s a red card, there are no in-betweens – you kick out at somebody, you get a red card,” he added.
“The referee said it was a kick out but it wasn’t aggressive.
“I guarantee you, if Ryan Wignall kicked out, Ryan Wignall gets a red card, because there would be 10 of their players hounding the referee.
“I had to protect him the second half as he doesn’t get any protection. For me he’s probably the most gifted player in this league and he’s targeted every week and they targeted him tonight.”
After taking a seventh-minute lead, Cefn Druids spurned the chance to double their advantage inside the opening 10 minutes when John Danby denied Neil Ashton from the penalty spot.
Rob Hughes spectacularly rifled the ball in from outside of the box to put the Nomads in the driving seat after Michael Bakare had levelled.
Andy Owens added a third with a volley in the closing stage to extend Connah’s Quay’s winning run to seven-straight games in all competitions.
“It was an outstanding performance, the fact that we could’ve been 2-0 down with a penalty would’ve been a travesty,” explained Morrison.
“We’ve dominated the first half, we’ve dominated the second half, we’ve dominated the whole game.
“We could’ve have been two goals up within the first five minutes – we’d started that well, and then we got done with just a really poor defensive decision.
“We then gave a penalty away, we saved it and that’s the turning point of the game then because for the next half hour we absolutely dominated.”
Morrison, whose side will face The New Saints in a top-of-the-table clash on Saturday night, believes his opposite number Huw Griffiths gave him a tough tactical battle.
“It’s so easily to fall down against them in those sort of games.
“You go 1-0 down and Huw Griffiths is a really, really wily, excellent coach and he knows how to block games off.
“Everything I tried to create an overload or expose something, he countered it because he sees it quickly. It’s the right result and we’re really in a good space.
“The second half tonight was as pleasing a performance in possession I’ve had since I’ve been here.”
IRN-BRU CUP DRAW
Connah’s Quay meanwhile will face Queen’s Park at Hampden Park in the quarter-final of the Irn-Bru Cup it has been confirmed.
The Nomads will play the Scottish League Two side on the weekend of Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 November.
Connah’s Quay Nomads 3 Michael Bakare 53′ Rob Hughes 56′ Callum Morris 81’
Cefn Druids 1 Nathan Peate 7′
Connah’s Quay Nomads
1. John Danby, 2. John Disney, 15. Danny Holmes, 5. George Horan (20. Craig Jones 24′), 6. Danny Harrison, 7. Ryan Wignall (21. Rob Hughes 46′), 8. Callum Morris, 22. Michael Bakare, 9. Michael Wilde (10. Andrew Owens 46′), 16. James Owen, 3. Laurence Wilson Subs not used: 11. Nathan Woolfe, 12. Declan Poole, 26. Eric Green (gk), 25. Dominic Elsey-McHugh
Red Cards: None
Yellow Cards: Wilde 22′ Wignall 34′ Owen 44′ Bakare 50′ Morris 63′
Cefn Druids
1. Michael Jones, 3. Naim Arsan, 6. Nathan Peate, 7. Matty Owen, 9. Dean Rittenberg, 10. Jordan Evans (5. Moussa Samassa 83′), 11. James Davies, 15. Aaron Simpson, 16. Iwan Cartwright, 19. Fisnik Hajdari (21. Ilan Ap Gareth 63′), 32. Neil Ashton Subs not used: 13. Joel Thompson, 27. Alun Morris, 33. Virgil Moutaud
Red Cards: Ashton 75′
Yellow Cards: Ashton 3′ & 75′ Simpson 54′ Arsan 79′
Attendance: 214 Referee: Huw Jones