Connah’s Quay attacker Harry Franklin suggests the team “dug deep” after withstanding a late Colwyn Bay surge to claim a vital 2-1 victory at the Essity Stadium last night.
Franklin’s 11th and 12th goals of the season courtesy of a wonderful header and cool finish gave John Disney’s team a buffer which they looked unlikely to relinquish, especially after periods of dominance in the second half.
But after forward Aaron Williams slotted home an 87th minute header from close-range and the visitors raced back towards the centre circle, you sensed jitters in the dugout and crowd with Colwyn Bay sniffing blood.
The demons of the late collapse in October versus Haverfordwest may have loomed in the memory, however Franklin insisted that the quality and resilience of the squad saw them over the line against some stern opposition.
“Playing against a team like Colwyn Bay, you have to be alert at all times. Especially the way they are attacking wise with set-pieces and balls into the box, you’ve got to be able to defend that”, Franklin said.
“We’ve got some great characters in the dressing room- people you can rely on. To come back from the disappointment in the cup with another win is great.”
The 26-year-old was unfortunate to miss out on a second hat-trick of the season after agonisingly missing the target twice, though he was quick to suggest that he isn’t too fussed after getting the three points and climbing up to second in the table.
“To be honest, I’ve already forgotten about it [the hat-trick] because we got the three points. Maybe if I missed those chances to get a third goal and we draw 2-2, I’d be disappointed”, said Franklin.
“We’ve just got to move onto the next game now.”
Despite scoring those two goals that setup the Nomads victory, Franklin was substituted for Jack Kenny and had to watch the dying moments from the sidelines.
“I was definitely more nervous watching it, much like people in the crowd”, Franklin added.
“When you’re involved yourself you don’t really think about it too much, but I had full trust in the squad.”
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