Match Reports

The season which was packed with problems

"Don't it always seem to go, that you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone". I guess that line from Counting Crows' classic tune "Big Yellow Taxi" could sum up Nomads' season. We didn't exactly pave paradise and put up a parking lot, instead it was a year of departures and defeats as things never really got going.

It all started in July 2009 with training commencing, as usual, by Fosseway Country Club. Hopes were high. Gareth Edwards was the only confirmed departure by this point, the midfielder leaving somewhat under a cloud, and he was soon joined by Paul Eastwood, who wanted a break from Sunday football. Those joining were Andy Howe, a winger from Westfield and James "Beaner" Lorimer, a defender formerly of the now defunct Bearberry Club. Tom Ross was now back full-time from Uni to add competition to the midfield. Dan Kelly also attended pre-season but decided against signing on, instead opting for Bath side Hinton Charterhouse.

Arranging friendlies proved difficult, so in the meantime the club arranged a meeting on 9th August to try and set a guideline for the new campaign. It took place at Fosseway Country Club and what took place over the next hour or so could be described as "County Club Carnage." Luke Tucker, goalkeeper for the past three seasons, had expressed a desire to play outfield, which wasn't met with wholesome approval from his team-mates. It resulted in a slanging match ending in Tucker storming out before the end, saying "fine, I'll play in goal". You could cut the tension with a knife.

A week later, the players took part in a 5 a-side tournament at Twerton Park, home of Bath City Football Club. They separated into two teams, one managed by Paul Tarrant and the other by Assistant Mark Stillman, though in the end the players were shared about. Norton Nomads A began with a defeat against eventual winners The Livi, a goal in the last minute separating the sides. They recovered to beat Dirty Stars 2-0 with Ross and Andy Coombs scoring, before drawing against another tricky side, Kingsmead, 2-2, the aforementioned duo again netted in this one, which eliminated them at the group stage. The B team fared slightly better. A Kev Lake goal saw off Sex Police before he and Tucker, proving his worth outfield, each netted a hat-trick in a 6-1 thrashing of Innox Park B. Tucker scored twice in a 3-2 defeat against Cooper Avon B, but the side progressed to the last 16. This is where the journey ended, a 3-0 loss at the hands of Chew Valley B, Maidment left to pick the ball out of his net three times in the opening two minutes.

The first friendly took place on 23rd August 2009, and proved to be a pretty farcical affair. FC St George were the hosts, the pitch consisted of goals which were small and not in line, tiny concrete penalty areas, pitch markings made out by cones (again not in line) and the halfway line was not even close to the centre of the pitch. Things can only get better. They got off to a good start - Maidment opening the scoring inside a minute with Lake doubling the lead shortly after with a goal direct from a corner kick, helped by the corner quadrant placed a good yard out of place. FC pulled one back before Lake extended Nomads' lead. The Division One side scored twice before the end to force a point, all in all a pretty good opening for Tarrant's side.

New side Wansdyke Athletic challenged Nomads to a friendly on 30th August, and it proved to be a useful run-out at the club's former home of White City. Nath Witcombe put Nomads 1-0 up at half-time before the lead was doubled through Howe. Tucker saved a penalty before Jamie Gulliford killed off the game with a third in stoppage time, a lovely finish following a great team move.

The final friendly was played on Thursday 3rd September, a battle between the ground sharers at Ston Easton. Dave Nurse opened the scoring for his side before they hit two more before the half hour, the third following a calimitous mistake from Tucker in between the sticks. Kev Page's penalty pulled one back before Witcombe added a second in the second half. Nomads really kicked on - Gulliford levelled things up and Howe, Liam Hunt and Cripps scored before the end to complete a 7-3 win. Things were going well...

Things did not go well on the opening day of the season. Nomads were scheduled to take on Cameley Mens on 6th September but the newly formed side folded without playing a game, that meant a week delay before Castle Inn, another new side, made the long trip to Ston Easton. They arrived late, but so did five of Nomads' players. With the pre-season meeting clearly outlining that lateness would not be tolerated, stand-in manager Stillman was left with no choice but to leave out several established members of the team. The visitors looked comfortable as they took a 2-0 half-time lead, a game which saw Hunt come off injured at half-time with a recurrance of an ankle injury picked up in pre-season. Little did he know then that this would be his last appearance for nine months. Ross took his place but also had to be withdrawn, again it wasn't clear at the time but this proved to be the story of his season. Castle added a third in the second half before Nomads changed formation and attacked in numbers towards the end, but couldn't recover.

In the summer, Tarrant decided to enter the club in the County Cup. This move proved to backfire when the club were handed an away tie at Harlem Athletic, who ply their trade in the Taunton & District League - possibly the furthest distance to travel for a game in this competition. The long journey proved too much for Stillman's Fiesta as it nearly span out on a roundabout due to an oil leak and was eventually abandoned in Glastonbury. This meant a later than expected arrival, much to the displeasure of an over-fussy referee. Earlier in the week, Tucker decided that he didn't want to continue playing in goal and would leave the club for pastures new at Farrington Albion, as a result he was given a defensive role with Page taking his place in goal. A much-changed line-up proved to do the trick as Lake's lob put Nomads 1-0 up in the second half, but an Adam Simmonds own goal drew Harlem level. The Taunton side clinched a win near the end to leave Nomads disappointed, Simmonds compounding a bad day by also being booked, joining Tucker and Dave Chedgy in the strict referee's notebook. Still, the game saw Howe and Lorimer make their debuts, but the club waved a sad farewell to Tucker, who'd been in inspirational figure for just over three years.

Another Cup game followed a week later, and for the first time ever every Nomads player was in attendance, the injured Ross and Hunt watching from the sidelines. Mendip Inn, newly relegated to Division One, started strongly and cruised to a 3-0 lead on a hugely sloping pitch at Oakhill. Howe pulled one back before half-time with his first goal for the club, before Gulliford opened his account for the season with a second half brace. The home side then spurned a penalty near the end to take the tie to extra-time. A first half strike proved to be enough in the end, Adam Colbourne nearly rescuing the tie in stoppage time but his effort was correctly ruled out for offside.

Four defeats in four looked on the cards when the fixture list paired Nomads with Timsbury Cricketers, who'd made a great start to the season following relegation a year earlier. That theory went out the window when Nomads stormed into a 4-0 half-time lead through goals from Howe, Lake, Gulliford and Colbourne. A Jon Archer own goal early in the second half made it five before two more from Gulliford and Lake (one pen) rounded off Nomads' record win. There was still one sour note as Kevin "Mad Dog" Martin, frustrated at being left on the bench for the third time this season, decided to leave the club after the game and join Hinton.

With all the departures and injuries it meant the squad had a rather depleted look for an away game at Foresters Arms. Things didn't start too well at Beckington - captain Cripps and opposition midfielder Carl Penman clashed heads and both ended up in hospital, Cripps replaced by the half-fit Ross. The home side took the lead but two Lake strikes put Nomads 2-1 up going into half-time. Foresters responded and ended up going 3-2 ahead, before a Gulliford volley and Simmonds close range back-heel put Nomads ahead once more. Pete Warr scrambled home a point for the hosts, who were mightily fortunate not to concede again as Nomads missed a hatful of chances and were denied a last minute penalty when Gulliford appeared to be chopped down in the box by home keeper Matt Nutley.

A crushing defeat followed. Surprise package Fox & Hounds soared to a 5-1 win at Ston Easton, they could even afford to see Jayson Stokes sent off for two bookable offences. He also smashed a penalty against the post in the rout. Lake scored Nomads' consolation in a disappointing morning.

The club were back to a threadbare squad a week later, only 11 available at kick-off. The home side, Ston Easton, took advantage in the wind and rain, coasting to a 4-1 half-time lead with Nomads' goal being scored for them by home defender Steve Harrison. The second half was a different story as Howe (2) and Lake pulled it back to 4-4. Neither side could find a winner as Nomads had to settle for their second high-scoring draw in three games. The match is also notable for what turned out to be Tom Ross's last appearance. He was injured seconds into the second half and spent a long time on the sidelines, in the end he conceded that he couldn't play twice over a weekend, so Sunday mornings had to be sacrificed.

Then came what proved to be the lowest point of the entire season, a morning everyone associated with Nomads would rather forget. 8th November 2009 saw the club travel to Dilton Marsh with perennial strugglers Dilton Rovers the opponents. Again only 11 were on show for Nomads, that included the extremely inebriated Coombs and Maidment. Lake put Nomads 1-0 up, smashing in from close range after Cripps' effort hit the bar, but Nomads were constantly on the back foot. Nick Whyte levelled things up with a penalty after Chedgy brought down Marcus Humm. Humm then made it 2-1 and victory was secured for the home side when Stillman sliced a long throw into his own net. Howe tapped in a consolation but it made no difference - Nomads had been well beaten and deservedly left Wiltshire with nothing. Things had to improve drastically.

Nomads were keen to right their wrongs immediately, and added midfielder Joe Skipper, a 16 year-old who'd recently moved to the area from London, to their ranks. However a series of postponements meant no games for over a month. When they finally did return, a much-changed line-up seemed to work in a Division Two Cup 1st Round clash with The Griffin. Nomads, holders of the Cup, went into half-time 2-0 up thanks to an own goal and Witcombe's first strike of the season. The second half saw a much poorer showing in freezing conditions and Griffin completed the great escape thanks to two Rob Jacques strikes, forcing extra-time. The first period of this went Nomads' way, Howe again on the scoresheet alongside Cripps, before Lake made it 5-2 in the second half. Jacques failed to complete his hat-trick when Page saved his penalty, though Chris Davis eventually scored from the rebound.

The postponements built up and meant that Nomads didn't play again until the New Year. This time it was a daunting task in the Kevin Lucas Memorial Cup, as Premier Division high-fliers Team Frome were the visitors to Ston Easton. Skipper made his debut and produced a promising performance. Nomads went 2-0 down but amazingly pulled it back to 2-2 through goals from Witcombe and Cripps, this once again forcing extra-time, commonplace for Nomads in Cup games. Frome stepped up a gear and restored their two-goal advantage, before they were hit with a goal from the unlikeliest of sources. In desperation, goalkeeper Page legged it forward for a corner, and he met Witcombe's delivery with a first-time powerful header much to the amazement of everyone. Unfortunately it wasn't a fairytale ending, the visitors ended up winning 6-3 as Nomads tired, though their performance was encouraging.

That performance was encouraging, the next performance was anything but. A quarter-final exit in the Division Two Cup was another low in the season, particularly after Nomads had worked so hard to win it the year before. Howe gave Nomads the lead but Ston Easton found themselves 2-1 up before the break. Gulliford headed home Witcombe's corner but a lacklustre showing allowed the home side to score three more and kill off the tie. Despite substituting substitute Stillman with Maidment to add more fire power, Nomads unsurprisingly didn't turn things around, Cripps' late consolation gave the scoreline a more respectable look but it was a sorry display. The team once again needed re-shuffling, Tarrant signing on Alex Coombs, younger brother of utility player Andy.

Scoring double figures on Valentines Day made up for recent defeats, although it was far from an ideal start. Two early goals put home side The Griffin 2-0 up on their tiny pitch at Horningsham, and they should have made it three when Cripps conceded a penalty. Jason Thwaites stepped up and smashed his effort against the bar with Page saving the rebound. He booted it upfield, Lake latched onto it and made it 1-2. By half-time he'd completed a hat-trick to put Nomads in front, early second half goals from Colbourne and Witcombe extended Nomads' advantage, before Skipper scored his first for the club to make it 6-2. Griffin pulled two back through Steve Mytton and Jacques but couldn't add to this total, Nomads going into overdrive in the final 15 minutes. Witcombe's delightful free-kick made it 7-4 before he was chopped down to win the second penalty of the game. Page came forward from his goal and confidently side-footed home his second of the season. Skipper made it 9 when put through by substitute Alex Coombs and fellow sub Gulliford completed the scoring after rounding the keeper and rolling into the empty net. 10-4 - unbelieveable Jeff. Could this finally be the turning point?

No. Three weeks passed before another outing, and the headline "Beer costs Nomads dear" says it all. With most players out celebrating Lorimer's 21st birthday, the inevitable hangovers played a part as Nomads produced a terrible first half display in the return fixture with The Griffin. Tim O'Connor stabbed home what proved to be the only goal of the game, Nomads picked up in the second half but got what they deserved - nothing. To compound their misery, keeper Page injured his hand and had to play the last 10 minutes outfield with Maidment taking his place in between the sticks.

A week later they made the long journey to Codford with Fox & Hounds the hosts. The Wiltshire side were top of the league in terms of points awarded on the field and off it - their lack of discipline resulting in many bookings and red cards. They raced into a 2-0 lead, the second arriving when Lorimer put through his own net, before Nomads pulled one back through Skipper's glancing header. Fox & Hounds made it 3-1 before they picked up a ridiculous sending off. Alan Hitchcock kicked out at Tarrant which earnt him a yellow card from referee Steve Forrester, who spotted that the winger was wearing an earring. He ordered him off to remove the jewellery and not return until his say so. Play developed down the left wing and Hitchcock sprinted back on, which meant a second yellow and leaving his side to play around an hour with 10 men. Lake reduced the arrears before Alex Coombs tapped in his first for the club, meeting Howe's left wing cross at the far post. Skipper put Nomads 4-3 up following good work again by Alex Coombs and when Lake was scythed down in the box, it looked like the lead would be unassailable as the usually reliable Page stepped forward to take the spot-kick. However, he dragged his effort wide and Fox's responded by netting four times in the final 20 minutes, sealing a 7-4 win, five of their goals scored from Jayson Stokes. Before the game Adam Colbourne informed Tarrant of his intention to leave the club, and as it turned out he wasn't the only one who made his final appearance in this depressing defeat. Jamie Gulliford announced later in the evening that he would depart at the end of the season.

With so many absentees, it was hardly a surprise when a third defeat in a row followed. Ston Easton followed up their Cup win over Nomads in February by handing out another footballing lesson in April, easily winning 5-2. Gary Harvey and Antony Ford strikes put the away side 2-0 up before Howe made it 2-1 before the interval, his fifth goal in four games against Ston Easton. Nomads faltered after the break, falling 5-1 behind before the scoring was completed in stoppage time, Witcombe rifling the ball into the top corner from 25 yards in a rare highlight.

Nomads knew that despite a horrendous campaign, they could still possibly snatch fourth if they won all their remaining games. That looked less likely with Westbury Park next on the agenda. The side formerly known as Castle Inn switched the game to Beckington Memorial Hall and their lack of depth helped Nomads immensely, they themselves only turning up with 12 players. One of the dozen was Paul Eastwood, who re-signed for the club in January and was happy to help cover for a whole host of absentees. Nomads got off to the perfect start when Lake lobbed keeper Matt Gardiner inside a minute, and Nomads held on to this lead for over an hour. Luke Salter's almost accidental header levelled it up before Nomads upped their game. Howe was astonishingly booked for supposed simulation when taken out in the penalty area, a challenge which saw him limp on for the remainder of the game but ultimately kept him out for the rest of the season. Lake again lobbed Gardiner to make it 2-1 and he created Nomads' third, a pin-point cross being met by Alex Coombs who thundered a header home. Aaron Salter pulled another goal back when Stillman allowed the ball to trickle past him on the goal-line, but victory was assured in the final 10 minutes. Lake completed his hat-trick by firing home from close range, Maidment got on the scoresheet for the first time this season after Gardiner saved his initial effort and Simmonds rounded off the win late on. 6-2 - superb stuff. It could have been more had it not been for Gardiner's heroics, his save from Lorimer's header up there with the best this season against Nomads.

Midweek games have often been Nomads' undoing, but that fear was put to bed on a wit and windy Thursday night in May. Champions Timsbury, possibly still smarting from their 9-0 thrashing earlier in the season, received the Trophy before the game and were keen to complete the campaign unbeaten at home. Nomads, donning their away shirts, defended brilliantly, stand-in centre-back Andy Coombs showing no fear despite playing with a head wound. Lake put Nomads 1-0 up on the half hour with a contender for goal of the season - an excellently executed half-volley from 30 yards which flew over Ben Hancock and into the roof of the net. Timsbury piled on the pressure in the second half but Nomads' back four, as well as Page in goal, blocked everything which was thrown at them. With Dilton having pulled out of a previous game, thus awarding Nomads the points, they knew that a final day win over Foresters Arms would propel them into 4th spot.

Alas it was not to be. Once again a lack of numbers didn't help, the Westfield contingent all pulling out either due to injury or tiredness, leaving Tarrant to scramble together a team on Saturday night. Hunt was thrown in at the deep end, making his first appearance since the opening day of the season, and Lorimer was forced to referee as designated official Paul Uphill failed to show. Lorimer, clearly far from match-fit, did a great job, but his usual team-mates didn't. A strike in either half from Gareth Davies, capitalising on some suspect defending each time, meant that Foresters Arms claimed the all-important 4th spot, Nomads having to settle for 6th out of 8 teams. Page ended the season outfield as defender Chedgy unselfishly chose to wear the gloves which the stand-in keeper had played in virtually all season.

And that's about it. A year of troubles on and off the pitch resulted in a poor league placing, as Tarrant and Stillman learnt a lot throughout the season. The spate of departures in March was a slight hindrance but it resulted in the rest of the squad really pulling together, and wins against two of the top three were highlights. Special mention to Kev Page for playing every minute if every game (almost all of them in goal), also thanks to those who played through the pain so that Nomads wouldn't be forced to field 10 men on any occasions. 15 players who finished last season have expressed a desire to sign on again. With the addition of a couple more it could be a better campaign, and, like Portsmouth FC - You'll never break our spirit!