Moving On As Messi Leaves.

The news that most, if not all, Caernarfon Town supporters had been fearing was finally confirmed last week when we heard that Darren Thomas had signed for Aberystwyth Town.

Darren Thomas - The Cofi Messi. 

Rumours had been rife since the end of last season that the Welsh Premier League side were keen to add the playmaker to their squad and why wouldn’t they? We all know how good Darren is, and Seasiders manager Ian Hughes also does, having worked with him at Llangefni a few years ago. On Aberystwyth’s website, Hughes said that Darren has been the best player in the Cymru Alliance League for the past three years and I wouldn’t argue with that. Some of the goals he has scored for Caernarfon these past three years have been breathtaking, none more so than the one he scored against The New Saints in front of the television cameras last season. In addition to his goalscoring prowess, Darren is also very good at bringing other players into the game and the greatest compliment I can give him is that I think he would have walked into John King’s classy side in the mid-Eighties. And I can’t name many Caernarfon players of the last thirty years who would have done that.

Unfounded Rumour.

Whilst on the subject of Darren’s goal against TNS, it was of course a contender for Sgorio’s Goal of the Season and a compilation of the shortlist was shown during the half-time break at Wales’ recent match against Belgium. Seeing the goal shown on the big screens at Cardiff City Stadium was brilliant and although the rumour that Gareth Bale saw it on the way to the dressing room and stopped to applaud are unfounded, I would not be surprised if he did! 

There's a Fire in my  Heart. 

The Super Furry Animals at Cardiff City Stadium.

Tribute to  Gareth 'Cwm' Jones. 

And what a night that was in Cardiff, when our national side took a huge step closer to reaching Euro 2016, courtesy of a gutsy display that was on a par with anything I’ve seen from Wales since I started watching football. I was lucky enough to be at the famous victory at the Arms Park over World Champions Germany in 1991, and again when Italy were put in their place at the Millennium Stadium in 2002 and, as enjoyable as they both were, the victory over Belgium was better. I know we’ve seen it all before, when the team gets so close to a major championship before imploding but this time seems different somehow. 'There’s a Fire in my Heart' sang The Super Furry Animals pitchside before the match and all the players obviously felt the same. 

What a performance, what a team. 

Gareth 'Cwm' Jones. 

Before returning to Caernarfon related issues, I have to mention something that was included in the Wales - Belgium matchday programme. I did not look at it until we returned home and was really pleased that I did, as I saw a really nice tribute to a friend of mine who lived in Caernarfon, and who sadly passed away unexpectedly a few weeks ago. Gareth  Jones, or Gareth 'Cwm' as most knew him, was a massive supporter of the national side and it was very touching to read the words about him in the supporters section of the programme. A very nice touch and a fitting tribute to a great guy. Cysga'n dawel Gareth.   

Last Opportunity?

Back to Caernarfon now and whilst disappointed Darren has left the Oval, it is understandable why he has decided to do so now. At twenty eight years of age, he may have felt this is his last opportunity to make a real go of it in the Welsh Premier League and although it would have been great to see him play in the top tier with Caernarfon, there are no guarantees that this will happen in the near future. It’s going to be interesting seeing how he does next term but one thing’s for sure, the Aberystwyth supporters are in for a treat! And who knows, we may yet see Darren playing for Caernarfon in the top division one day?

A Stronger Outfit and Possible Line-Up?

Cofis' Number One, Paul Pritchard. 

Although I will miss seeing the Cofi Messi playing at the Oval next season, I have every confidence that the manager has sufficiently strengthened the squad and that the side will mount a serious title challenge next season. Iwan has been steadily tweaking his squad in recent weeks and I honestly feel we look a stronger outfit today than we did this time last year.

Recent news that Grahame Austin, Clive Williams, Paul Pritchard and Gareth Edwards have committed to another campaign with the club means that the manager will have the mainstays of the league’s best defence in 2014/15 and so we should expect more of the same from them. Clive will be like a new signing for us after his injuries last season and if he can recapture his form of 2013/14 then he should be one of the best players in the league. Having him in his squad should give Iwan some flexibility as he can play

in numerous positions and will be invaluable if we are going for the league.

Gareth Edwards is set for a Second Season with the Cofis.

Iwan has bolstered the midfield by bringing Jay Gibbs back from Holyhead, and I also have a feeling that we may see Nathan Craig taking a more central role in the team, where he can influence the game much more than when playing at left back, whilst Kevin Roberts will again be showing his teeth, and studs, in the engine room.

It is probably in the front positions where Iwan has made the biggest changes, bringing in Jamie Breese, Toby Jones and Gareth Jones Evans, whilst also retaining the services of Jamie McDaid, which I believe has been one of his most important signings thus far. Of the three new signings up front, Gareth is the one I know the least about but from what I have heard about him, he is very quick and poses a big threat going forward and it seems he is another exciting prospect for us.

Therefore, from all the information we have to hand regarding signed players, the match day squad could potentially line-up for its first match of 2015/16 like this (inc one sub only at this time, given number of outfield players signed ):

Paul Pritchard, Clive Williams, Gareth Edwards, Grahame Austin, Joe Williams, Kevin Roberts, Nathan Craig, Jay Gibbs, Jamie McDaid, Gareth Jones-Evans, Jamie Breese, Toby Jones.

Of course, I have absolutely no idea what plans Iwan has for the side, but this looks a strong team to me and I would be pretty happy to see this line-up for the season’s opener. Solid at the back, guile and bite in the middle, and lots of pace, and goals up front! Sounds an ideal combination but I’m no expert and we’ll just have to wait and see how the manager sees things. The more old-fashioned, or realistic, of us will always be cautious and say that football matches are not won on paper but it goes without saying that the more quality players you have in the side, the more chance you have of winning matches, and I think we’ve got a fair quota of quality performers in the squad to win many more matches than we lose.

Hendre End.

A quick update on the ongoing ground improvements now, and I can tell you that the Oval is looking stunning these days! Having finally secured new yellow and green seats for the Hendre End, the  Stand looks very impressive, and it has massively improved the overall look of the ground itself. In fact, due to the hard work of Arfon, Dylan, Ken and Mike MTech and his team, the Stand looks like a new build and I’m sure that supporters will be impressed with it. These photos of the Hendre End  were taken by Arfon. There is still more to do at the ground and work will continue for the remainder of the close-season period.  

Interesting times indeed at the Oval and although we have had to say goodbye to the Cofi Messi, the squad that Iwan is putting together is looking pretty strong. I can’t wait for the pre-season friendlies to begin!

Finally, I received a very nice, if unexpected, message from Eirian of Palas Prints (10 Palace Street, Caernarfon) two weeks ago, who asked for more copies of the Oval Ways and Treble Days book. Eirian has been kind enough to sell Oval Ways at her bookshop and I was delighted that her stock had run out! Being that I self-financed the book and with all the profit being shared out between the Caernarfon Town Academy and Waunfawr Primary School, I am totally reliant on self-publicising it and therefore am indebted to Eirian for giving me somewhere to sell Oval Ways. I am sure that my numerous tweets and facebook messages about the book have seemed too much at times but around two hundred and thirty copies have been sold thus far and so it’s important that I thank everyone who has helped me raise money for two great causes, both by selling and buying the book.

I am also pleased to say that Oval Ways can now be bought online through the Palas Prints website, and here’s the link should you decide you’d like to buy a copy https://palasprint.com/siopa/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=oval+ways

Diolch

Paul.