No joy in Ely

A 2-1 loss, our first league loss of the season, sounds like a narrow defeat. In reality the scoreline flattered Nomads more than a little. A horrific 1st half performance when we couldn’t pass, couldn’t stop the ball and didn’t really compete for it, was as bad as anything I can remember in the Nomads 2s. We could point to the dead, slow pitch as a reason for such ineptitude, but that would just be no more than a poor excuse. Other than 1 lovely run from the half-way line by Mel, beating a couple of challenges and firing in a dangerous, yet un-fulfilled, cross, there was little to be positive about at half-time. Except the 2-0 scoreline, which meant, if we could somehow score next, the game was still not out of our reach.
From a Nomads perspective, the 2nd half was a lot better. For a good proportion of the next 20 minutes, Nomads were on the front foot, and created some chances. Angus, Mel and Paul worked hard with the scraps of possession and the midfield got forward in support. Indeed Nomads managed to score from their 1st short-corner with a neat series of short passes leaving Mel with a tap-in. Almost as if we’d practised it.
There was one more glaringly good chance that befell Nomads soon after, as Angus put Rick in, in front of goal with the ball. Sadly he was facing the wrong way and made a compete hash of trying to work out that conundrum, and the ball dribbled wide.
Ely, with recent ex-Nomad, Wellsey, cruelly pulling the strings, did create more chances of their own as the half progressed, but they also seemed confused about the location of the goal and fired numerous shots high, wide and handsomely awry.
Felix clattered their live-wire forward, yet somehow retained his place on the pitch (and secured a DoD award), and young Ben worked energetically up and down the right hand side to earn a man of the match award. But overall it was a performance to forget for Nomads, and a disappointing result against our top-of the table rivals.