Connah’s Quay first-team coach Craig Harrison praised his team’s response after the JD Welsh Cup holders were given a scare at Cymru Alliance side Guilsfield.
The Nomads, along with eight other JD Welsh Premier League clubs, rubber stamped their place in this evening’s fourth round draw.
Bala Town also enter the draw with their third round tie yet to be played after their visit to Flint Town United lasted just five minutes before being abandoned due to floodlight failure.
Llanelli and Newtown were on the recieving end of defeats losing to lower-league opponents Llangefni and Rhyl.
Guilsfield looked on course to claim a major upset of their own when goals from Callum Bromley and Steve Blenkinsop had given the Guils a shock two-goal lead.
Callum Morris began the Nomads’ comeback heading in on 54 minutes to halve the deficit before Michael Bakare sent the game into extra-time, firing through the crowded area to level with less than 15 minutes remaining.
Welsh Cup veteran Michael Wilde put the Nomads in the driving seat on 97 minutes. Ryan Wignall capped off an influential display in 110th minute to seal Connah’s Quay passage into the fourth round.
“We changed a couple of things at half time, and said you’ve got yourselves in this situation, now we’ve got to get out of it – and the lads were fantastic,” said Harrison post-match.
“We made it hard for ourselves, in the first half we weren’t great. We gave two poor goals away, which isn’t like Connah’s Quay at all, from two set pieces which is desperately disappointing.
“They stood up as men, counted, and in the end we probably could have scored six or seven, but fair play to Guilsfield, they put us under pressure and it was a tough game.
“I think Wiggy [Ryan Wignall] changed the game, he was fantastic, and we’ve scored all four goals from building up play in the wide areas.”
Third tier Llangefni Town are the lowest ranked club entering the fourth round draw after the Anglesey side edged Llanelli. Alan Mark Owen scrambled the ball home in the first-half in what proved to be the only goal of the game.
Former Newtown player Gareth Partridge struck against his old team as Rhyl maintained their impressive run of form with a win over the WPL side. Partridge cancelled out Neil Mitchell’s opener on the hour mark before Aaron Hassall made it 2-1 four minutes later.
A 14-minute hat-trick from Ashley Ruane lifted Aberystwyth Town to a 4-3 win over Cwmamman United and on Friday night, Chris Seargeant scored all three goals as The New Saints claimed a comfortable victory over Cwmbran Celtic.
Momodou Touray was among the Barry Town United goalscorers as they rallied in extra-time, scoring three times, to secure a 4-1 win over stubborn Penybont.
Ynysddu Welfare, the lowest placed side in the third round draw, exited the competition after being dealt a 3-1 defeat at home by Cefn Druids.
Flint Town United’s tie with Bala Town United has been rescheduled for Tuesday night.
