Connah's Quay Nomads 0 Rhyl 2

THE biggest crowd of the season – 430 – turned out to see runners-up Rhyl make sure that Connah’s Quay Nomads didn’t spoil their end-of-season party with this deserved derby victory at Flint on Friday.

This was never a perfunctory canter between two teams with nothing left to play for as four bookings – two per side – indicated. Nomads’ Craig Hutchinson and Marc Limbert and Rhyl’s Paul Roberts and Connell Murtagh were all cautioned but the exchanges never rose above a moderate level.

Fifth-placed Nomads made the early running but, unlike Rhyl, failed to take their chances.

Rhyl manager John Hulse fulfilled his pre-match promise to make it business as usual by going for a win but Nomads boss Neville Powell will be intensifying his search for a finisher.

"We created plenty of chances in a strong first half performance but ended up with nothing while Rhyl came back strongly and showed why they are where they are in the table," he said after the final whistle.

It took a blinding save by Rhyl keeper Paul Whitfield to deny Adam Dickinson on 12 minutes while Phil Molyneux should have made more of his one-on-one with Whitfield when clean through eight minutes later.

Rhyl went ahead on 70 minutes when Andy Moran punished a rare slip by keeper Paul Smith and the win was secured when a shot from substitute Lee Hunt was headed into his own net by Dave Swannick with nine minutes to go.