The Two Magicians and A Bloody Nose.

Despite the frustration of a third successive draw for the team, I enjoyed Saturday’s match with Guilsfield immensely. Having seen all three previous encounters between the sides this season, I was aware there was very little between them, and so it proved.

Ever the optimist, and knowing the strength of Caernarfon’s squad, I expected the Cofis to be near the top of the Cymru Alliance this season but, in all honesty, I did not expect the same of the Guils. They finished the 2013/14 in sixth position and that’s where I would have expected to see them again this term, at best.

Ywain Gwynedd is thwarted by Guils stopper Dave Littleford.

And yet, as I write this, they are three points ahead of us in second position and being there at this stage of the season is no fluke. They’re obviously a very good side, and whilst I don’t believe they’ve got players of the quality of Darren Thomas, Nathan Craig and Jamie McDaid, they are very attacking,  exceptionally combative and have been successful in making it hard for Lee Dixon's side to get in their stride in all four matches this term.

Speaking with a long-time Cofis supporter before Saturday’s kick-off, he reminded me that, although the Guils don’t enjoy big crowds, their supporters can be particularly passionate, and not a little slow to share their feelings: “They always give us a warm welcome at the Community Centre Ground but, if their team goes a goal down, they can suddenly become pretty verbal. A bit like their team, in fact.”

The ref has a word with Danny Barton (9).

I can’t be totally sure if this is a fair reflection but the team itself certainly proved ‘up for the fight’ on Saturday and former Town striker Danny Barton in particular led from the front, as Graeme Austin’s bloody nose proved. I missed the incident but did hear Graeme ask Danny to keep his elbows to himself, which may suggest some contact! It may also explain why the referee decided to have a quick chat with Danny after the incident (right).

The encounter itself was exciting, and end-to-end stuff, with both sides creating plenty of goalscoring opportunities. Gareth Edwards went closest to grabbing a late winner for Town when he rose well at the far post to head a Nathan Craig corner over the bar but, whilst I would have loved to have seen the ball go in, I think the draw was a fair result.

My man of the match, Kevin Roberts.

Guilsfield manager Mike Parry is doing a great job with them and it will be interesting to see if they can manage to continue their good form up until the end of the season.   

Observations on Saturday:

Not for the first time in recent years, I thought Kevin Roberts (left) was exceptional. Gareth Edwards was not far behind him, with another impressive performance at the heart of the defence. After joining the club last summer and taking a few weeks to completely settle into the side, Gareth has been one of the team's most consistent performers in my opinion. A great signing by Lee.   

Steve Lewis was a handful in attack, and is getting better in every game, but the team seemed to be playing the ball longer than usual, which I believe slightly isolated Darren Thomas and Jamie McDaid. Steve has scored four goals in his first six matches for us, and I am convinced that there are many more to come, especially if Darren and Jamie see more of the ball. I'm sure it's just a matter of time

Gareth Edwards has proved an
excellent signing by  Lee.

until they gel and we see the three linking well.

Saturday’s attendance was 347, which was higher than the attendances in five of the six Welsh Premier League matches that took place during the weekend. This seems a regular occurrence in recent years and I'm sure it's not just Caernarfon Town supporters who want to see the club back in the top tier. 

I haven't heard many people talking about it, but I thought Darren Thomas took his goal really well on saturday. He still had a lot to do when the ball bounced at his feet thirty yards from goal (photo, right) but there was little doubt where the ball was destined once he struck it! Another quality finish from a quality player. 

Darren Thomas watches the ball sail into the Guils net.

Hot Topic. 

The hot topic surrounding the club these days is of course the manager’s job. The rather unexpected vacancy at the Oval was advertised last week and interested parties have been invited to contact the club. Not surprisingly, there have already been a number of those, and it will be interesting to see which lucky man will eventually end up in the managers’ seat.

Jamie McDaid takes on James Henderson.

As a Caernarfon Town supporter and committee member I am, of course, biased but in my opinion the post is amongst the top positions in Welsh football and anyone who seriously wants to prove himself at an ambitious club that has a strong, and passionate following, must surely be considering passing on their details to the club secretary.

Steve Lewis.

Most people who follow the game in this country will already be aware of the strides the club has taken in recent years and if this had escaped anyone’s attention, the coverage of the Welsh Cup tie with The New Saints in November must have proved how far we have come. Over a thousand people walked through the turnstiles to see the Cofis go head to head with the Welsh Champions on a day that I believe proved we belong in the top tier. I had genuinely expected, and hoped, to see Lee Dixon take us there in the near future but that will not be happening and so the club must look for his successor.

It’s not going to be an easy task but whoever succeeds Lee will have a great opportunity to do something special in the game.

This Saturday, Llandudno visit the Oval, and I can’t wait to see the team taking the league leaders on. If the two Cofi magicians, Darren Thomas and Jamie McDaid, can get on the ball lots, I am confident they can link well with Steve Lewis to give Llandudno more than they can handle. It’s going to be another exciting match and will be a great opportunity for the team to get back to winning ways.

Llongyfarchiadau!

Finally, congratulations to my son's favourite player, Ywain Gwynedd (left), and his wife Gwennan Mair on the birth of their son, Eban. We hope to see the little man at the Oval soon! 

Llongyfarchiadau Yws!!