The Nomads vs Stabaek Fotball (30-07-2016) by Connah's Quay Nomads FC

Official Matchday Programme £3

THE NOMADS V

STABÆK FOTBALL UEFA Europa League 2016/17 First Qualifying Round

Thursday, 30th June - 7:15pm The Nomads vs Stabæk Fotball

WHO’S WHO Honorary Patrons Lord Barry Jones, Roger Speed

Life Presidents Richard Jones, Bill Dudley

Vice Chairman John Gray

Secretary

BELLE VUE STADIUM Grange Road Rhyl Denbighshire LL18 4BY Ground Capacity 3000

Trevor Green

First Team Manager Andy Morrison

Assistant Manager Jay Catton

Club Doctor Brian Johnson

Club Consultant Chartered Physio Ashley James

Goalkeeping Coach Neil Ebbrell

Head of Logistics Mal Latter

Emergency Aid Officer

Colin McGivern (Events Medical Team)

Sports Therapist Gemma Bamford

Media Officer Nik Mesney Supporters Liaison Officer Will Catterall

MATCHDAY PARKING Players, playing staff, matchday staff and fans are allowed to park on the Belle Vue Stadium grounds where designated parking spaces are outlined. Please note that vehicles parked in non-allocated parking spaces may be subject to a fine or clamping.

EVACUATION PROCEDURE In the event of an emergency requiring the evacuation of the whole or part of the stadium, spectators are requested to leave the stadium by the identified exits. These will be identified in the evacuation announcement. Stewards will assist the evacuation.

Hospitality Roma Gray

CLUB HONOURS WPL Europa League Play-Off Winners 2016 League of Wales League Cup 1996 Welsh Intermediate Cup 1981 Welsh Amateur Cup 1953 North Wales Coast FA Cup 1994 North Wales Intermediate Cup 1981 North Wales Amateur Cup 1952, 1953, 1955 Welsh Youth Cup 1948 North Wales Coast FA Youth Cup 1986, 2009 Cookson Cup 1988 Barritt Cup 1995 Clwyd League 1980, 1981

GROUND SAFETY In the interest of safety, spectators are asked to co-operate with the Club Stewards in keeping all gangways and emergency exits clear. Spectators are reminded that they must observe all ground regulations. Persistently ignoring these regulations may lead to possible further action by the club, including, but not limited to, the withdrawal of any ticket (without reimbursement) and other benefits.

P.A. SYSTEM (Ground Safety Announcements) All ground safety announcements will be made on the public address system. Spectators are asked to listen carefully to those announcements and follow any instructions given.

EDITOR’S WELCOME Welcome to Belle Vue Stadium for an historic day in The Nomads’ club history. Today we take our first footsteps in european competition as we welcome our friends from Stabæk. I was lucky enough to meet their Managing Director and Sporting Director at UEFA Headquarters earlier in the month and I look forward to meeting them again today along with the rest of their club’s representatives. Back in November, I would have never thought we would have been in with a chance of even reaching Europe, let alone heading to Norway next week having first hosted our opponents today. Andy has done a fantastic job and it was a pleasure to spend a few days with him in Geneva recently. Today we welcome a number of new faces for their first competitive games at The Nomads and I look forward to where this season can take us. In regards to today’s programme, we have given it a slight “souvenir” feel with a nice front and back cover along with our usual great content from Will Catterall, Trevor Green and Dave Rapson along with match reports from our preseason friendlies at Llandudno and Cliftonville. I’m excited to see where today’s game takes us as well as the rest of this season, so come on The Nomads! Nik

Editor and Designer Nik Mesney Contributors Andy Morrison Jay Catton Will Catterall Trevor Green Nik Mesney Mark Rowlands Gary Dewhurst David Rapson

Clwyd League Challenge Cup 1981 President’s Cup 1981 Huws Gray Alliance League 2011, 2012 Welsh Premier League U19 2013 U19 National College Champions 2015, 2016

The Nomads vs Stabæk Fotball

© All editorial in this programme is the copyright of gap Connah’s Quay Nomads FC and shall not be reproduced without permission. Content correct at time of print. The views of the individual contributors do not necessarily reflect the views of the Club.

CONTENTS 5 WELCOME TO EUROPE

A look ahead at today’s historic clash with Stabæk

6 GOOD WORKOUT FOR NOMADS IN CLIFTONVILLE DEFEAT

Match report from The Nomads’ 1-0 defeat to Northern Irish side, Cliftonville

10 NOMADS ON TOP IN WELSH PREMIER FRIENDLY Match report from The Nomads’ 2-1 victory over MBi Llandudno

12 A VIEW FROM THE STAND

Will Catterall looks at today’s huge game

14 GREEN’S PIECE

Club Secretary Trevor Green looks at today’s game as well as the return leg next week

16 TODAY’S OPPOSITION

A look at the history and players of Stabæk

20 PHOTO GALLERY

A selection of photos from The Nomads’ pre-season friendly trip to Cliftonville

10 12

22 A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE A look back at the competition in it’s various guises

26 THE NOMADS’ ARCHIVE

Dave Rapson takes a look at previous European competition from Welsh teams

30 THE NOMADS SQUAD

Playing statistics and Pen Pics for gap Connah’s Quay Nomads

32 FIXTURES AND RESULTS

Fixtures, results and statistics for the 2016-17 season

34 FIRST TEAM MATCHDAY STAFF Pen Pics for The Nomads’ matchday staff

The Nomads vs Stabæk Fotball

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Welcome to the Europa League Today’s game marks an historic day in the history of our Club, as we embark upon European competition for the first time in our 70 year history. On a number of occassions, we had missed out in the play-offs over the past few years, but last season (a little over six weeks ago) saw Andy Morrison lead The Nomads into the Europa League with a 1-0 victory over his former side, Airbus. Today, we welcome Norwegian side, Stabæk Fotball, who have a wealth of European experience with this being their 12th taste of European football. Currently sitting 15th in the league however, our opposition have not had the ideal start to their 2016 campaign, however we know their calibre with their squad boasting international talent from the Ivory Coast, Ghana, USA and India. One week today, we will be facing the same team in the second leg of this tie with the winners to go on and face either FK Bokelj of Montenegro, or FK Vojvodina or Serbia. That game will be played at the Fredrikstadion in Fredrikstad, Norway. Ahead of tonight’s massive game, Andy Morrison said “It seems to have been a long time coming since the draw - you finish the season and then it all comes down to this game - it’s going to be difficult because they are a very very good team and very very fit and organised and they are in mid-season but we ‘ll have learnt from our last two games and we’ll be more organised than we were at Cliftonville. We will create chances from the way that we play through our set plays and our throw-ins and we’ll make it very difficuly for them but it’s also nice to be able to create your own opportunites from your football.”

The The Nomads Nomads vs vs Stabæk Stabæk Fotball Fotball

MATCH REPORT

Nathan Woolfe takes on the Cliftonville defence

Cliftonville

Hughes (32’)

The Nomads

Friendly | Saturday 25th June 2016 | Solitude | Attendance: 122

Good workout for Nomads in Cliftonville defeat

team had played overseas. Both sides were aiming to warm up for their Europa League first qualifying round ties, which take place on Thursday June 30.

The Nomads lost out to Belfast based Cliftonville on Saturday afternoon by one goal to nil. A Daniel Hughes goal in the 32nd minute was enough to secure victory for the home side at Solitude stadium.

Cliftonville were preparing to face Luxembourg’s FC Differdange 03, whilst The Nomads will to face Stabæk Fotball. In the light of this, both teams started strong line ups with The Nomads including a host of new signings such as Short, Wilde and Kearney.

Although it was a non-competitive fixture, the game was a historic one for The Nomads as it was the first time the club’s senior

The Nomads launched an attack in the first passage of the game, but this was dealt with easily by Cliftonville’s new goalkeeper Jason

The Nomads vs Stabæk Fotball

Mooney. In the ninth minute, Nathan Woolfe sent a 40 yard free kick into the home side’s area, where Ian Kearney just missed a header attempt on goal. Cliftonville began to increase their pressure on The Nomads’ goalmouth, which nearly saw the opening goal in the 24th minute when the Belfast outfit rattled John Rushton’s crossbar from a corner. In the 32nd minute, a Cliftonville cross took two defelctions before Daniel Hughes slotted the ball into the bottom left corner of the goal. This was a deserved lead for Cliftonville, who maintained their lead with a controlled performance to the half time whistle. At the start of the second half, Lewis Short continued an impressive individual performance when he sent a wicked cross into the Cliftonville box which the keeper did well to deal with. Then came one of The Nomads’ best chances, when from a throw in the ball fell to George Horan who sent it wide from a good position just seven yards from goal. The Nomads showed more attacking flare in the second half, with another shot from Woolfe going just over the crossbar. Cliftonville responded to The Nomads’ offensive play with a free kick from 25 yards that forced Rushton to dive low to his right, saving well and conceding a corner which was cleared by George Horan. Despite the friendly nature of the game, tempers flared at various instances over the game as the players disputed challenges both between each other and to the referee. As the game drew to a close, Cliftonville once again took control of the game and successfully defended their clean sheet in a friendly where The Nomads had played some good attacking football in the second half and maintained a solid defensive policy for the majority of the 90 minutes.

Match Stats The Nomads: J.Rushton, Disney (Riley), Kearney, Horan (Nash), Short, Harrison (Rushton), J.Owen, Morris, Woolfe, Ruane (Holsgrove), Wilde (Davies) Goalscorers: Cliftonville - Hughes

The Nomads vs Stabæk Fotball

MATCH REPORT

Ashley Ruane got the late winner for The Nomads

MBi Llandudno

The Nomads

Mike Williams (85’)

Wilde (53’), Ruane (89’)

Friendly | Tuesday 21st June 2016 | MBi Parc Maesdu

Nomads on top in Welsh Premier friendly Tuesday night saw The Nomads record a 2-1 victory against MBi Llandudno in an all Dafabet Welsh Premier friendly. The friendly came in the wake of the significant Europa League first qualifying round draw, in which The Nomads found out they will face Stabæek Fotball of Norway whilst Llandudno will visit Sweden’s IFK Göteburg. 8

The Nomads vs Stabæk Fotball

The Nomads started a strong line up consisting of a number of new signings including Ian Kearney, Lewis Short, Jay Owen and Michael Wilde. The game began and the home side looked to create chances early on, winning a free kick in which Jamie Reed tried to assist Lewis Buckley, but the chance came to nothing. In the thirteenth minute The Nomads won their first corner of the game, which saw

Wes Baynes send a wicked ball into the Llandudno area, however no one was able to convert the chance. The first half then settled as both teams looked to find their feet early in the pre season and with Europa League football fast approaching. The Nomads began to increase their tempo towards the end of the half, seen when Davies, Morris and Wilde launched an attack on the Llandudno goalmouth that was eventually dealt with by the home defence. At the start of the second half The Nomads introduced Ashley Ruane for Les Davies in a substitution that had a big impact on the game. Eight minutes after play restarted, Ashley Ruane sent a powerful shot towards goal from 15 yards which the keeper tipped towards the crossbar - the ball bounced back towards a waiting Michael Wilde, who rose up to head the ball in at close range. With a one nil lead, The Nomads began to play some entertaining, attacking football. Ruane looked to get on the scoresheet when he latched onto a ball into the box from Baynes, with his shot going just wide. George Horan also rose high 15 yards from the Llandudno goal, heading wide. The Nomads made their further two substations during the last 20 minutes of play, with Ian Kearney and Jay Owen making way for John Disney and Nathan Woolfe. Despite The Nomads’ overall dominance, Llandudno found their way back into the game with a Mike Williams goal in the 85th minute. From a corner, Williams found the ball near The Nomads’ far post and slotted the ball in from three yards. The Nomads did not accept this as a late decider, with Ashley Ruane netting the winner in 89th minute. Michael Wilde cut into the Llandudno area from the left, and laid the ball to a central Ruane who slotted the ball firmly into the bottom left corner of the net. This finalised a friendly victory against MBi Llandudno in which The Nomads had put on a disciplined and entertaining performance against Welsh Premier opposition.

Match Stats The Nomads: J.Rushton, Kearney (Disney), Horan, Linwood, Harrison, Baynes, J.Owen (Woolfe), Short, Morris, Wilde, Davies (Ruane) Goalscorers: MBi Llandudno - Mike Williams

The Nomads - Wilde, Ruane

The Nomads vs Stabæk Fotball

Europa League First Qualifying Round While The Nomads welcome Stabæk tonight, there are plenty of other fixtures taking place elsewhere in Europe as detailed below. FC Midtjylland (DEN) FC Infonet (EST) FK Ventspils (LVA) Linfield FC (NIR) Levadia Tallinn (EST) FK Atlantas (LTU) IFK Gotebot (SWE) Saint Patrick’s Athletic (IRL) KR Reykjavik (ISL) Shamrock Rovers (IRL) Valur Reykjavik (ISL) Aberdeen FC (SCO) JK Nomme Kalju (EST) FC Dinamo Minsk (BLR) Breidablik (ISL) NSI Runavik (FRO) AIK Solna (SWE) FC Differdange 03 (LUX) Odds BK (Nor) NZ Domzale (SVN) FK Bokelj (MNE) AEK Larnaca (CYP) FC Dila Gori (GEO) Videoton FC (HUN) SP La Fiorita (SMR) Netci PFK (AZE) Qabala FK (AZE) FC Banants (ARM) Zimbru Chisinau (MDA) FC Pyunik (ARM) Maccabi Tel-Aviv (ISR)

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vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs

FK Suduva (LTU) Heart of Midlothian (SCO) Vikingur (FRO) Cork City FC (IRL) HB Torshavn (FRO) HJK Helsinki (FIN) Llandudno Town (WAL) AS Jeunesse Esch (LUX) Glenavon FC (NIR) RoPS Rovaniemi (FIN) Brondby IF (DEN) CS Fola Esch (LUX) FK Trakai (LTU) Spartaks Jurmula (LVA) FK Jelgava (LVA) Shakhtyor Soligorsk (BLR) Bala Town (WAL) Cliftonville (NIR) IFK Mariehamn (FIN) FC Lusitans (AND) FK Vojvodina (SRB) SS Folgore (SMR) FC Shirak (ARM) FC Zaria Balti (MDA) Debreceni VSC (HUN) Balzan FC (MLT) FC Samtredia (GEO) AC Omonia (CYP) Chikhura Sachkhere (GEO) Europa FC (GIB) ND Gorica (SVN)

KS Teuta (ALB) FK Partizani (ALB) Beroe Stara Zagora (BUL) FK Kukesi (ALB) NK Siroki Brijeg (BIH) PFC Slavia Sofia (BUL) KF Shkendija (MKD)UE Santa Coloma (MKD) FC Vaduz (LIE) FK Rabotnicki (MKD) Starak Trnava (SVK) Kapaz PFK (AZE) FK Sloboda Tuzla (BIH) FK Cukaricki (SRB) VfB Admira Wacker (AUT) FK Aktobe (KAZ)

vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs

FC Kairat Almaty (KAZ) Slovan Bratislava (SVK) FK Radnik Bijeljina (BIH) FK Rudar Pljevlja (MNE) Birkirkara FC (MLT) Zaglebie Lubin (POL) MKS Cracovia Krakow (POL) Lokomotiva Zagreb (CRO) FK Sileks (MKD) Buducnost Podgorica (MNE) Hibernians FC (MLT) Dacia Chisinau (MLD) Beitar Jerusalem (ISR) Ordabasy Shymkent (KAZ) Spartak Myjava (SVK) MTK Budapest (HUN)

The winners of The Nomads and Stabæk will face the winners of FK Bokelj and FK Vojvodina. Bokelj heil from Montenegro while Vojvodina come from Serbia, so either way, the winners of our matches will face a trip to the former Yugoslavia.

The Nomads vs Stabæk Fotball

A VIEW FROM THE STAND

by Will Catterall Hello and welcome to a very special and historic view from the stand. For years we dreamt of the day we’d be able to produce a programme for a real European match, and that day has arrived. Whatever happens, enjoy the game knowing you’re experiencing club history as it happens. In the 81st minute of the play off final on May 14, a Wes Baynes shot somehow got over the line of Airbus’ goal and we were then on our way to Europe. But we haven’t been resting since then, with the past few months making up for one of the busiest summers the club has ever seen. A host of new signings have arrived at the club, namely Lewis Short, Michael Wilde, Ian Kearney, Kevin Holsgrove, Jay Owen, Matty Owen and Mike Pearson. All of these names are experienced players and signings who will make a big impact on the league next season. Today is all about Europe, but we have already been preparing for one of the most competitive Welsh Premier League campaigns ever, which will hopefully see us secure European football without the need for a play-off battle. It’s not every day you get to see a top flight Norwegian team play Europa League football in the North East of Wales. Stabæk Fotball will be formidable and punish us if we make mistakes, as we will to them. We welcome all travelling members of the club and wish them a pleasant time in Wales. If we are to overcome Stabaek over the next two weeks, we then face a trip to either Serbia or Montenegro which would see us face FK Vojvodina or FK Bokelj respectively. Last week’s trip to Belfast was a fantastic experience for the club despite a 1-0 friendly loss, which saw us put on a strong defensive performance which we may well see again tonight. Off the pitch, Cliftonville were brilliant with us and we’ve made a partnership with them which will hopefully go on for many years. We’ve also seen our new league fixtures announced, which for August sees us on the road three times and at home just once. This isn’t ideal, but it will throw us headfirst into the season and off the back of being Europe, we hope to hit the ground running. It may feel surreal watching us play today, but get behind the lads as we kick off on our European adventure. Nomads Ultras Prediction: The Nomads 1-0 Stabæk Fotball Nomads Ultras Player of the Week: Ashley Ruane A favourite in the stands, Ashley is going into his second season as a Nomads player. With fast pace and skill to match, he regularly features on our score-sheets and has looked as sharp as ever during our pre season. We hope to see more of him tonight. 12 The Nomads vs Stabæk Fotball

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Good evening Welcome to the first competitive match in European football that our club has ever participated in. We offer a very warm welcome to our friends from Norway, Stabæk Fotball. We wish everyone in their party a great time here in North Wales and we will have done everything in our power to ensure they enjoy our beautiful home. Stabæk are not having a great early season but they have won their last two games by 5-0 so it’s obvious that things are turning round for Billy McKinley and his troops. They have some fine players in their squad from Norway, India, Ghana and the Ivory Coast, and we know we are complete underdogs and that to progress we will need to play two of the best games we ever have done. We will need to find the spirit that saw us gain two wins over our league’s full professionals, TNS. But tonight is about the occassion and we are delighted you have come to share it with us. This regime under Andy Morrison doesn’t do things by halves - as soon as we knew we had qualified preparation began, the side have been in training constantly and we have played two tough matches to get up to match speed. A 2-1 win over fellow Europa League debutants MBi Llandudno bodes well for the coming season. We led through Michael Wilde’s debut goal and had the strength to win through Ashley Ruane’s late effort. MBi Llandudno, having drawn level through WPL player of the year Marc Williams. Then last Saturday, we played our first ever offshore first team match when we accepted the hospitality of Northern Ireland’s Cliftonville FC, and pretty good hospitality it was too. We put in a good-ish performance and despite being second best at times in the first half, we were dominant in the second. We had good chances but couldn’t take them, and when we did net, the celebrations were halted by a linesman’s flag. The only goal was a deflected effort after a bit of pinball in the box. Their Solitude Stadium has a 3G surface, but I’ve never seen so many rubber pellets on one. The ball was bouncing extremely high and players had trouble moving it freely. We are on another 3G in Fredrikstad next Thursday. Stabæk play on a grass pitch back at their Bærum home near Oslo, so it’s a bit confusing that they choose to travel so far to play on an unfamiliar surface - we will ask Jon and Inge-Andre why during the 14 The Nomads vs Stabæk Fotball

social moments of their visit. We wore our new away kit in Belfast and it was pretty stunning - replicas can be ordered from the club. We have signed several new players to strengthen our drive to ensure that we get treats like tonight’s year on year. In has come defender Lewis Short from Nantwich Town with Mike Pearson and Ian Kearney moving from Airbus. The midfielders are WPL Young Player of the Year nominee Matty Owen (from Newtown), Kevin Holsgrove from Stockport County and Jay Owen from Airbus. Michael Wilde brings his goal scoring prowess from TNS to us. To make room, we have seen Jay Crowther move on to Bala and Sean Miller join Altrincham. Kevin McIntyre has ended his long and distinguished career by hanging up his boots. These have been fine players for us, and we thank them for their service and urge them to come back and see us whenever the opportunity arises. The new season will begin for us at Carmarthen on Saturday 13th August. Kickoff is at 5:15pm and is live on S4C. Before then, we have an interesting pre-season. Next Thursday sees us meet Stabæk in Norway - as we said earlier, like us they can’t play in their own stadium, and we have to travel south to meet them in the coastal City of Fredrikstad. If we win, then on the following Thursday we will go to Novi Sad in Serbia or Boljan in Macedonia for the Second Qualifying round. The home leg would be on Thursday the 21st again here at Rhyl. If we are not so fortunate as to progress then we resume after a short break at Colwyn Bay on July 23rd. That’s followed by a trip to Denbigh Town on the 25th with a home match against FA Cup giant killers Salford City at the Deeside Stadium on the 30th. Saturday 6th August sees us travel to Cymru Alliance champions Caernarfon Town and then its into another arduous WPL season. Our early season was been thrown into chaos by the fixture managment from the WPL. We were given an initial list of fixtures on 22nd June and we were at home to Bangor City in game two. We were ok with this plan, then whilst we were at Geneva, the WPL changed the fixtures giving us FIVE of the first seven as away matches. The Bangor game had been reversed. The WPL knew we were in Switzerland and ruled our objection as timed out when we protested on our return to no avail. Now, however, the fixtures with Aberystwyth are also revered so that it’s three home and four away. Enjoy tonight’s game, occasions like this don’t come along too often. Trevor The Nomads vs Stabæk Fotball

TODAY’S OPPOSITION

Stabæk Fotball’s Club History Stabæk Fotball are based in Bærum and are the football club of multi-sport association Stabæk IF. Founded in 1912, the club’s name is an archaic spelling of the suburban area Atabekk, from which it once originated. Stabæk’s home stadium is Nadderud, however they will host the second leg of our Europa League clash at Fredrikstad, some 70 miles away from their home. Stabæk won their first trophy in 1998 as they emerged victorious in Norwegian Cup, beating Rosenborg BK 3-1 in the final. After having been relegated to the Adeccoligaen (Norwegian Second Division) after a poor 2004 season, they experienced a successful period under new manager Jan Jönsson, during which time they returned to the Tippeligean (Norwegian Premier League) in 2005. They went on to win their first league title by winning the 2008 Tippeligean while also reaching the final of the Norwegian Cup. They subsequently won the 2009 Norwegian Community Shield but finished a disappointing 12th and 10th place in the 2010 and 2011 seasons resepectively. Stabæk hold long-standing rivalries with Bærum SK, FK Lyn and Vålerenga, both in the league and by geographical location. The team’s home colours are blue stripes on a blue background, leading to the nickname “De Blaa” (The Blue Ones). Stabæk were the first Norwegian club to have both their male and female teams in the respective premier divisions in 2009, a feat that Lillestrøm achieved the following season. Their 2015 Tippeligaen campaign saw them finish third in the league which meant they qualified for the 2016/17 Europa League First Qualifying Round. Their last outing the Europa League saw them lose out 4-3 on aggregate to Finnish side JJK Jyväskylä in the First Qualifying Round. They have previously faced opponents including Dynamo Moscow, Valencia, Anderlecht and FC Copenhagen through one season in the UEFA Champions’ League, the now defunct Intertoto Cup as well as the two incarnations of the UEFA Cup and Europa League with their first European adventure seeing them finish third in group five of the 1997 Intertoto Cup. In November 2015, former Scottish International, Billy McKinlay was appointed as manager of the club on two year contract. McKinlay is best know for his time at Dundee United, where over a 10 year period he made 222 appearances for the Scottish side. He then went on to make 91 appearances for Blackburn Rovers and amassed another 74 appearances at Bradford City, Leicester City, Clydebank and Fulham. McKinlay took charge of Watford for two games in 2014 before joining David Moyes at Real Sociedad for little over a year before joining the Norwegian side.

16 The Nomads vs Stabæk Fotball

Stabæk Fotball’s Player Profiles

1. Sayouba Mandé 3. Morten Skjønsberg Defender Goalkeeper

10. Agon Mehmeti Striker

11. Moussa Njie Midfielder

19. Shadrach Egan Midfielder

20. Kamal Issah Midfielder

4. Nicolai Næss Defender

7. Ernest Asante Striker

8. Cole Grossman Midfielder

12. Christian Mørch 13.Eirik Haugstand 16. Andreas Olsen Goalkeeper Midfielder Defender

21. Daniel Granli Midfielder

40. Marius Ostvold 50. Marcus Mehnert 60. Edvard Race Midfielder Striker Midfielder

23. Emil Bohinen Midfielder

25. Birger Meling Defender

9. Giorgi Gorozia Midfielder

18. Jeppe Moe Defender

28. Luc Kassi Midfielder

99. Ohi Omoijuanfo Midfielder

The The Nomads Nomads vs vs Stabæk Stabæk Fotball Fotball

The Nomads vs StabĂŚk Fotball

George Horan lifts the Welsh Premier League Play Off Trophy following The Nomads’ 1-0 victory to qualify for today’s match Photo: NCM Media The Nomads vs Stabæk Fotball

PHOTO GALLERY: PRE-SE

20 The Nomads vs Stabæk Fotball

EASON AT CLIFTONVILLE

The Nomads vs Stabæk Fotball

A brief history of the UEFA Europa League Inaugurated in 1955 the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup was a European football competition that operated in the shadow of the senior European Cup. Only 11 teams entered the first ICFC with England being represented by both Birmingham City and a London XI made up of players from the capital’s senior clubs. That first competition began in December 1955 and ran through to May 1958 when Barcelona defeated a London XI 8-2 in the final. By 1970/71 the Fairs Cup could boast 64 entrants and had become such an important part of the European soccer calendar that it was taken over by UEFA and re-launched the following season as the UEFA Cup. The new tournament was open to clubs that did not qualify for the European Cup (today’s UEFA Champions League) or the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup. Once again 64 clubs entered the first round draw and the two of three English entrants, Tottenham Hotspur and Wolverhampton Wanderers, contested the two-legged final with Spurs winning 3-2. Twelve months later Liverpool hoisted the trophy after defeating Borussia Mönchengladbach in the final but the German side quickly made their mark by lifting the cup in 1975 and again four years later. Thereafter four other German sides were successful as were three from Spain, yet between 1989 and 1999 it was Italian clubs that dominated the UEFA Cup. Napoli was the first and thereafter Internazionale Milan with three wins, Juventus and Parma with two each continued the trend. During those 11 seasons only Ajax Amsterdam, Bayern Munich and Schalke 04 could break the hold that Italy had on the trophy. Just three English clubs, Liverpool three times, Tottenham Hotspur twice and Ipswich Town (in 1981) have their names engraved as UEFA Cup champions. In 1999 the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup was abolished and merged with the UEFA Cup. A group stage was added prior to the knockout phase for the 2004/05 campaign. A re-branding in 2009 resulted in the name of the competition being changed to the UEFA Europa League into which the UEFA Intertoto Cup was merged. This produced both a larger competition format with an expanded group stage and altered criteria for qualification. Since last season the UEFA Europa League winners now qualify as entrants to the following season’s UEFA Champions League. Since the 2009 re-branding Iberian clubs have enjoyed great success. Atlético Madrid were winners in 2010 and 2012, FC Porto in between and Sevilla on three successive occasions between 2014 and 2016. Only Chelsea (in 2013) has managed to break that stranglehold. Sevilla also won the UEFA Cup in 2006 (beating Middlesbrough in the final) and again the following year making it the competition’s most successful club with five titles.

22 The Nomads vs Stabæk Fotball

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The Nomads vs StabÃ¦k Fotball

The Nomads’ Archives By David Rapson

European Adventures It’s been a long time coming but this evening Connah’s Quay F.C. becomes the 24th club from the Welsh Premier League to enter European competition. Our Norwegian opponents Stabæk Fotball, to whom we extend a very warm welcome, will forever be recalled as our first Euro visitors and I’m sure their fortunes will be followed in future by Nomads’ supporters. Not until 1992 could Wales boast a national football league. Forays into European competition by Welsh clubs had previously involved Swansea City, Cardiff City, Wrexham and Newport County from the English League with brief incursions by Bangor City, Borough United and Merthyr Tydfil and all thanks to being Welsh Cup winners. Upon formation of the League of Wales (as it was originally titled) the champions gained a place in the European Champions’ Cup and that honour initially befell Cwmbran Town. On 18th August 1993 Cwmbran hosted League of Ireland side Cork City and after 27 minutes had run up a threegoal lead. An early penalty, scored by left-back Simon King, made history as the first goal struck by a Welsh club in the Champions’ Cup. If euphoria had set in then it was quickly dispelled as Cork hit back with two secondhalf goals. Nonetheless, when Cwmbran took the lead early in the second leg and held a 4-2 advantage with only a quarter of an hour remaining, they looked set to make their way safely through the preliminary stage. It was not to be as Cork City scored twice in those last few moments to progress on the ‘away goals’ ruling. All the other Welsh Premier clubs will have taken Cwmbran’s harsh lesson on board but, in truth, the European adventure has subsequently provided many more disappointments than it has moments to cherish. But that is part and parcel of the game and even the European ‘big guns’ have had their share of heartaches. As full-time professional outfits, both Barry Town and The New Saints have won three European ties. It was pean competition is nothing new. the Dragons who made history by defeating Dinaburg of Latvia Indeed, in the 1996/97 Cup. not only UEFA has the clubA featured capacity crowd of 2,500 witnessed a goalless draw at Jenner Park i in July 1996 but the handful of ardent supporters who travelled to Latvia for the return leg were confident of success. Dinaburg were making their European debut and had signed Latvian international Sergei Tarasov. It was he who scored on the hour to equalise Chris Pike’s first-half goal. Mark Ovendale in the Barry Town goal had to pull off several crucial saves to keep the Dragons in the game before substitute Craig Evans grabbed a winning goal in the 85th minute. That strike earned Barry a trip to Hungary to meet Vasutas Budapest and while the Welsh side managed an away goal they left defeated by 3-1 and having had goalkeeper Ovendale sent off. Substitute custodian Pat Mountain had to play in the second leg and that served to remind

26 The Nomads vs Stabæk Fotball

Barry Town that they had ‘a mountain to climb’. On the stroke of half-time the Dragons took the lead when Pike scored from the penalty spot and straight from the restart former Connah’s Quay striker Dave O’Gorman added a second to put Barry in the driving seat. Both sides netted thereafter and the game went to extra-time and penalty kicks before Barry won. That achievement remains unique as the only occasion to date that a Welsh Premier side has won through two rounds of European competition in a season. One memorable night in July 2005, however, both Rhyl and Carmarthen Town won through UEFA Cup ties in difficult circumstances. Carmarthen had to overturn a 0-2 deficit from their visit to the Republic of Ireland to play Longford Town and did so in style winning 5-1 in the return match. Meanwhile, Rhyl travelled to Lithuania trying to protect a 2-1 advantage from the home leg and achieved their objective despite going down 3-2. That second goal for The Lilywhites was enough to secure their passage into the next round. The other successful Welsh teams since 2006 include Llanelli (v Gefle IF in 2006/07), Bangor City (against Honka Espoo in 2010/11), Prestatyn Town (overcoming Leipajas Metalurgs in 2013/14) and Newtown against the Maltese side Valletta last year. Barry Town was also the first WPL club to win a Champions’ League tie when beating FC Shamkir 3-0 on aggregate in 2001/02. Nine years later The New Saints equalled that feat by eliminating Irish side Bohemians from the competition and then upstaged their South Walian counterparts by overcoming B36 Torshavn last summer. Furthermore, they also beat Cliftonville in the Europa League in 2011/12. Hopefully, The New Saints had a winning start to their latest campaign against Tre Penne of San Marino earlier this week. Of course, the most important matter is actually taking part in the competition. Eventually, every team will lose except one, so there is no disgrace in defeat. Aside from the victories mentioned above there have been several noteworthy performances by Welsh Premier clubs. Games when victory was snatched away in a moment of misfortune, matches lost on the ‘away goals’ ruling. I recall the time in 2007/08 when Llanelli lost 3-1 away to FK Vetra but scored five goals in the second leg only to concede three. The tie ended 6-6 but those three goals for the Lithuanians were enough to see them home. In fact, Llanelli has suffered more than most from ‘close calls’ as has Bala Town twice in recent years and there have been many excellent performances in defeat and a diminishing number of heavy losses. Perhaps it’s the ‘gallant’ performances that live longest in the memory. If it was not for European competition then neither Cwmbran Town nor Inter CableTel could boast of the days when they took on the might of Glasgow Celtic. Playing in the Montgomeryshire League in the 1980s under the title of Llansantffraid FC, The New Saints never dreamt of being the first competitive opponents for Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium or playing in front of 44,760 at Anfield and losing only to a Steven Gerrard hat-trick. Well those dreams sometimes become reality – just ask Connah’s Quay ‘striker’ Michael Wilde, for he played in that match at Anfield!

Liverpool vs The New Saints July 2005

TheNomads Nomadsvs vsStabæk StabækFotball Fotball 27 The

The Nomads vs StabĂŚk Fotball

Amser cyffrous i bêl-droed Cymru Exciting times for Welsh football Sgorio 4.45 Sadwrn Saturday Gemau Uwch Gynghrair Cymru Dafabet - yn fyw Dafabet Welsh Premier League matches - live

Euro 2016 Uchafbwyntiau gemau rhagbrofol Cymru Highlights of Wales’ qualication matches s4c.cymru/sgorio The Nomads vs Stabæk Fotball

PLAYER STATISTICS ° Indicates player no longer with club

First Team

¹ Indicates player on loan to another club

WPL

FAW Cup

Europa League

theWord Cup

Friendlies

A G

John Danby

0 0

2 John Disney

0 0

1 (1)

3 Paul Linwood

0 0

1 0

4 Ian Kearney

0 0

2 0

5 George Horan

0 0

2 0

6 Danny Harrison

0 0

2 0

8 Callum Morris

0 0

2 0

9 Ashley Ruane

0 0

1 (1)

10 Les Davies

0 0

1 (1)

11 Nick Rushton

0 0

0 (1)

12 Jack Riley

0 0

0 (1)

14 Kevin Holsgrove

0 0

0 (1)

15 Sean Smith

0 0

16 Nathan Woolfe

0 0

1 (1)

17 Chris Rimmer

0 0

18 Jay Owen

0 0

2 0

19 Matty Owen

0 0

20 Wes Baynes

0 0

1 0

21 Lewis Short

0 0

2 0

22 Michael Wilde

0 0

2 1

23 Mike Pearson

0 0

26 Ben Nash

0 0

0 (1)

28 Jon Rushton

0 0

2 0

Player 1

30 The Nomads vs Stabæk Fotball

THE NOMADSâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; SQUAD

1. John Danby Goalkeeper

2. John Disney Defender

3. Paul Linwood Defender

4. Ian Kearney Defender

5. George Horan Defender

6. Danny Harrison Midfielder