Connah’s Quay Nomads / Clwb Pêl-droed Cei Connah
- Town: Connah’s Quay, Flintshire / Cei Connah, Sir y Fflint
- Founded: 1946
- Ground: Deeside Stadium (1,500)
- Nicknames: The Nomads, CQN
- Colours: Red shirt with orange sleeves and trim, red shorts, red socks
- 2022-23 League: Cymru Premier
- Club Website: https://www.the-nomads.co.uk/
- Club Twitter: @the_nomads
- Club Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gapnomads
- Club Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thenomadsfc/
- Club YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/gapConnahsQuayNomadsFC
Honours
- Best League Finish: 1st in Cymru Premier (2019-20 & 2020-21)
- Best Welsh Cup Result: Winners (2017-18)
- Cymru Premier
- Champions: 2019-20 & 2020-21
- Welsh Cup
- Winners: 2017-18
- Welsh League Cup
- Winners: 1995-96, 2019-20, 2021-22
- Cymru Alliance League
- Winners: 2010-11, 2011-12
- Scottish Challenge Cup
- Runners-Up: 2018-19
Connah’s Quay Nomads / Clwb Pêl-droed Cei Connah is a Welsh football club who are based in the northeastern town of Connah’s Quay, the most populous town in the county of Flintshire / Sir y Fflint with a population of about 17,000, and situated next to the River Dee. For the 2022-23 season, Connah’s Quay Nomads compete in the Cymru Premier, the top tier of the Welsh football pyramid, where they have been since gaining promotion from the old Cymru Alliance in 2012. They currently play their home games at the council-owned Deeside Stadium, which is part of the Coleg Cambria educational campus on the northwestern outskirts of the town.
The club was founded in 1946 as Connah’s Quay Juniors by former Everton and Welsh international, and town native, T.G. Jones, who wanted a junior club for youngsters in the area, with the club eventually becoming a senior club in 1948. Historically, Connah’s Quay Nomads have been Flintshire’s strongest side throughout the decades, and various Welsh football league structures, and have spent the most time in the Welsh top flight than any other Flintshire side since its foundation in 1992.
The Nomads were founding members of both the Cymru Alliance (now the Cymru North) and League of Wales (now the Cymru Premier), having won the northern region second-tier title in two consecutive years in 2011 and 2012 after promotion was denied the first time for failing to obtain a tier 1 license. However, the club is currently enjoying the best period in their history. They became only the third Flintshire side to win the Welsh Cup in 2018 when they beat Aberystwyth Town 4-1 in the final before they became Flintshire’s first national league champions by claiming the 2019-20 Cymru Premier title. In addition, they also lifted their second Welsh League Cup in the same season, when they beat STM Sports 3-0, to make it a double-winning campaign. Connah’s Quay then successfully defended their Cymru Premier title in the following season to ensure two consecutive titles under the management of Manchester City cult hero and former captain, Andy Morrison. The Nomads won their third Welsh League Cup in the 2021-22 season, eventually beating Cardiff Met University after a lengthy and nervy penalty shootout to give Morrison’s replacement, Craig Harrison, his first trophy under his management.
Connah’s Quay is one of the few Welsh league teams to have actually won a two-legged European tie, having beaten Norwegian side Stabæk 1-0 on aggregate in the 2016-17 UEFA Europa League, and then famously the Scottish club Kilmarnock 3-2 on aggregate in the 2019-20 edition of the European competition. They are also the first non-Scottish side to reach the final of the Scottish Challenge Cup, getting there in 2019 before losing 1-4 to Ross County in the neutral venue of Inverness.
To talk about one of the strongest clubs in Welsh football who are aiming to challenge for success again this season, we spoke to the excellent Connah’s Quay Nomads Fans. They are a fan Twitter account that is unaffiliated with the club but provides updates and opinions on everything happening at the Flintshire club. To find their social media account, follow the links below:
- Twitter: @CQNFans
Q. Who would you say is Connah’s Quay Nomads’ best player, and coach/manager of all time, and the reasonings behind the choices?
For the manager, Andy Morrison is our best manager of all time because he consistently delivered us trophies and European competitions during his time at the Nomads.
[During his tenure as manager of the Nomads between November 2015 and September 2021, Morrison guided Connah’s Quay to two consecutive Cymru Premier championships in the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons, a Welsh Cup victory in 2018, and a Welsh League Cup win in 2020. In addition, he managed to qualify the club for European competition for the first time in their history, and for every season he was in charge of the club, as well as achieving historical victories in Europe over Stabæk and Kilmarnock. Plus he managed to get the Nomads to the final of the Scottish Challenge Cup – the first guest team to achieve the feat!]
In my opinion, our best-ever player is probably striker Michael Wilde.
[39-year-old striker Michael Wilde is one of the legendary strikers in Cymru Premier history after scoring over 200 league goals, and he is in his second spell with the Nomads having returned during the summer from a brief spell at Flint Town United. In his first spell at the club, he made over 150 appearances for Connah’s Quay, scoring 73 goals, including goals in both the 2018 Welsh Cup final and 2020 Welsh League Cup final, and was awarded the 2020-21 Cymru Premier Player of the Season after scoring 18 goals in 27 league appearances during Nomads’ second title-winning season. At the time of writing, he has scored 3 goals in 9 league appearances this season for Connah’s Quay.]
Q. Who could be regarded as a ‘cult hero’ for the club in both the past and present squads?
A cult hero for the club is the late Jamie Wynne who recently passed.
[Jamie Wynne was a former academy and first-team Nomads player who later became an academy coach at the club but sadly passed away in late September 2022. The Welsh League Cup match played between the Nomads and Holywell Town was dedicated to his memory with all the proceeds going to his family.]
Q. Of the current squad, who would you say is the best player at the Nomads and why?
Again, it’s probably Michael Wilde. He scores goals, and he’s one of the most experienced players in the squad, so he’s a good figure to have around the club, and overall he’s a great bloke.
Q. Who would you say is the most exciting up & coming talent at the club?
Although he’s a player that is on loan at the club [from EFL League Two side Tranmere Rovers] but 19-year-old midfielder Ryan Stratulis looks like a good player for the future. I’m glad he’s come on loan to the Deeside Stadium this season.
Q. Who would you regard as the Nomads’ biggest or historical rivals?
It has to be both Flint Town United and Airbus UK Broughton, the closest big teams to us in Deeside. On top of that, there’s also The New Saints who obviously have had a competitive rivalry with us for a few years now with us being so dominant in Welsh football.
Q. How would you describe the current performance or state of the club? How do you think this season has gone so far?
After underachieving last season [Connah’s Quay finished in ninth position in the 2021-22 season], we’ve definitely improved and are looking strong to finish in a high position. However, constant 1-0 home wins are concerning going forward in the season for a club of this level, especially against relegation favourites [and recently promoted sides] Pontypridd United and Airbus UK Broughton.
[IMAGE: Wikipedia]
Q. Looking at Connah’s Quay Nomads’ history, what would you say has been the best game, result, or performance in your opinion?
Kilmarnock 0-2 Connah’s Quay Nomads. I would argue that it is the greatest result in Welsh football history! The odds going into that game [played in the first qualifying round of the 2019-20 UEFA Europa League], and the quality that they had compared to us, was massive. So to beat a team whose nation usually has at least one club in the group stages of the European competitions every season was incredible!
The second leg between Kilmarnock and Connah’s Quay Nomads saw the Nomads win 2-0, and win the 1st qualifying round Europa League tie 3-2 on aggregate.
Q. Do you have a favourite or iconic shirt from the history of the Nomads?
[IMAGE: Queensferry Sports]
The old white and black shirt was probably my favourite, it looked really clean. However, the current shirt is a joy to wear with the orange sleeves.
Q. What are the best and worst things about being a fan of the Nomads?
The best part about being a Nomads fan is knowing that going into every season you’re likely to win a trophy. The worst part is when you get relegated from the league.
Q. Finally, what are your hopes for the future of Connah’s Quay Nomads?
Hopefully, we can qualify for a European competition group stage and we will continue to dominate Welsh football. I also hope a new ground is built for the club so we don’t have to go elsewhere for European games.
A massive thank you to Connah’s Quay Nomads Fans Twitter account for answering our questions on football on the Nomads. Remember you can find their social media account in the links near the top of the blogpage.
If you have any comments, suggestions, reactions, or even your own answers to the above questions, please write them in the comments box below. Likewise, you can either email us at the94thmin@gmail.com, or send a message at @The94thMin on Twitter.
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