New Arrivals, Departures and Effigies.

The 2015/16 season ended for Caernarfon Town on Saturday, 14th May and, as I reported in the last blog, the team signed off in style by clinching the Huws Gray Cymru Alliance League double with victory over Flint Town Utd in the league cup final at Conwy. 

It hardly seems possible that seven weeks have gone by since that sunny and very enjoyable afternoon at the Morfa Ground and yet here we are, just days away from the team’s first pre-season friendly in preparation for the 2016/17 campaign. 

The end of a footballing campaign usually signals a slowing down of the work that goes on at a football club but anyone thinking that this close season has been a time of rest and cigars for the Canaries would be very much mistaken. Far from it in fact and, having been part of the club’s committee for over six years I can honestly say it’s been the busiest time I can recall. I’ll add a caveat here by saying that my main job at the club is press officer and therefore I can only really go by the work that comes my way and I’ve never been so busy! 

Ever since Grahame Austin carried out the final act of last season by lifting the league cup on May 14th, there have been meetings, introductions, announcements, changes in personnel, both on the pitch and off it and of course the usual copious amounts of rumours that always do the rounds at this time of year. Some of these rumours may have had a grain of truth, but all the ones I’ve heard have been way off the mark! 

Modelled on our captain?

As always, I’m slightly behind schedule with the blog and, with the team back in action this Saturday I think it’s about time to catch up and, in so doing, provide a quick overview of what’s been going at the Oval in recent weeks. Before carrying on I must mention that the team’s recent success has seen a surge in interest in the Canaries and it seems that one local entrepreneur has even taken to introduce a range of modelling garden ornaments based around our captain, Grahame Austin. There’s one item that stood out so much in a local gardening centre that I thought it deserved to be shared with you here (left). 

The first big news of the summer was actually announced days prior to the end of the last campaign and, if truth be known, it was probably one of the most positive press releases the club has issued in a long time. Town manager Iwan Williams had made no secret of the fact that he wanted a reserve side and this had become a priority for the club. The reasons behind the importance of a reserve team is obvious so I won’t go over them here but, when he joined us last summer, we simply couldn’t re-introduce the team, for a variety of reasons. This is no longer the case, however, and I have to say that I’ve been especially impressed with the way our manager has gone about the task, beginning with the initial announcement. 

In the initial press release Iwan made it clear that the re-introduction of the reserves was being done to not only to give local young players an opportunity to represent the club but to also become a part of the first team squad: “I’m delighted that I will now not only have a squad of seventeen players to choose from but will have thirty plus, as I’ve always stressed that if you’re good enough and committed then you will get your opportunity.” From a personal point of view, I love watching local players donning the yellow shirt so his words were music to my ears and, judging from the feedback I’ve heard I’m not alone in feeling this way. 

Of course, the question of who would be coaching the team was a matter that needed clarifying and we didn’t have to wait long for the answer as Iwan confirmed that the second team will be training with the first and that his management staff will be strengthened by the arrival of former Penrhyndeudraeth manager Richard Davies, who will also be assisting with the development of the reserves. I believe that bringing Richard to the Oval is a real coup for us as he is highly thought of in local football circles after enjoying a very successful spell at Penrhyn. I’ve only met him once and he seems a really nice guy and, from what I’ve heard, he will be brilliant for us. The only downside with Richard is that he’s a big Everton supporter so we’ll have to mark his card pretty soon on that one, although I’m sure Iwan will have something to say about that, as he’s also a ‘blue’. 

The manager didn’t stop there, however, and he soon announced a trial match for the reserves, which would give all local players the opportunity to join us. There were over thirty players showing their talents at Treborth Playing fields and a number of them have signed for the club, including James Phillips, who the manager is expecting great things of. James played for the reserves under Bryn Williams in recent years and also made a handful of appearances for the first team. I was disappointed when he left because he’s an excellent footballer, with great touch and lots of pace. He’s also a really nice person so it’s great to see him back, and I’m sure he’ll flourish in our present set-up. 

Iwan with our new striker Corrig McGonigle.

In addition to James, there have been three other new additions to the first team squad in recent weeks, all of whom should make a decent impact on the side. Corrig McGonigle was the first summer signing and, although I didn’t know too much about him before he signed, I’ve heard and read plenty about our new striker since!

Corrig scored over a hundred goals last season, in the colours of Pentraeth, Bangor City Youths, Coleg Menai and Welsh Colleges and his netfinding prowess saw him win the prestigious Bob Brodie Trophy for being Anglesey’s top scorer in senior football. Just as impressive is that he won the award by establishing a new goalscoring record in the competition, with sixty four strikes. Daily Post reporter Dave Jones has stated that Corrig is a great signing for the Cofis and that will do for me! This is a link to Dave’s article on the young goalscorer from April of this year: http://www.dailypost.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/corrig-mcgonigle-record-breaking-goal-11257765

Michael Johnston was next to put pen to paper and I definitely know more about him, due mainly to his excellent track record in the Welsh Premier League with Bangor City. Michael won the WPL title and three Welsh Cups whilst with the Citizens and, as a former Tranmere Rovers player and Welsh Under 17’s, 19’s and 23 international he is obviously a class operator who will strengthen the squad. 

Paul Pritchard. 

The latest new signing is goalkeeper Carl Jones, who joins us from Holyhead Hotspur. When Paul Pritchard said he was leaving the club there really was only one replacement I wanted, and it was Carl. I’ve seen him play against us on a number of occasions in recent seasons and he has always been excellent, so I was thrilled when Iwan told me who our new number one would be. Although Carl is still only in his early twenties he already has plenty of experience behind him and I’m sure that Mike Innes will help him develop even further in the future. I’ve mentioned Carl in the blog previously as one of the league’s best goalkeepers and I firmly believe this. He is a real shot-stopper and excellent on crosses and will, I’m sure, be a great success at the Oval. 

We’ve also had departures from the Oval recently, with Paul Pritchard, Kevin Lloyd and Rob Jones all having left, and seeing players leave the club is always the worst part of supporting a team. We can all cope with defeats and setbacks because the next match is only just around the corner but, in most cases, once a player leaves a club, they don’t tend to return so we’ll probably only get to see the guys again when they play against us for other teams, if at all. 

For me, Pritch is the best keeper we’ve had at the Oval in the thirty plus years I’ve followed the club. Russ Hughes, a member of John King’s famous FA Cup team, will always be a favourite of mine but, whilst he was only with the club for a few months, Paul has played for us for six seasons in total and, during that time, he’s been outstanding. He has improved with age and has been a star during his time with us, particularly during his second stint. What a keeper! 

Kevin, Cofi through and through

Kevin Lloyd has returned to Llanrug United and, although a Cofi through and through and desperate to play for the team, he was honest enough to admit that he can’t provide the commitment Iwan needs going forward. Kev phoned me recently and asked me to share a message with everyone, and I hope he won’t mind me saying this, but he sounded close to tears when we spoke. Another who has improved with age. 

Finally, Rob Jones has also left, and whilst he doesn’t have as much history with the club as Pritch and Kev, there can’t be any doubting his commitment to the cause last season. He signed in the days following his virtuoso performance against us for Conwy last September and proved a vital cog in midfield as we won the double. A real gentleman off the field but, according to one local referee I spoke with recently, an absolute handful on it! 

Good luck to all three double winners at their new clubs.

Rob Jones. 

One of the longest, and most arduous treks we have to make as Caernarfon Town supporters is down to Caersws and, although I always enjoy my visits to the actual ground itself, I cannot say the same about the journey there. Therefore, having already volunteered to attend the league’s AGM on behalf of the club, I was less than enamoured to learn it was to be held there in early June. Thankfully, I had fellow Board member Marc Roberts to share the journey with and, against all initial expectations, I had a pretty great day! As a club I think it’s fair to say we haven’t been the best at attending such events and so the league committee would probably have been suspicious at our plan to have no less than five attendees there. The traffic on the way down the A470 was horrendous on the day which held us back by a few minutes and I had to smile when our secretary, Geraint, phoned to say that the league officials were enquiring as to our whereabouts! To be fair, they had reason to be slightly worried as, without Iwan and Nathan Craig in attendance most of the trophies to be handed out would have been left gathering dust! 

Iwan and Nathan pose with their awards at the AGM.

The meeting itself was surprisingly short and it was great to see Iws and Nathan receiving a host of awards. Nathan deservedly won the league’s player of the season and Iwan was full value for his manager of the year award, whilst there were also awards for winning the league and cup. The only negative on the day was one representative of a fellow Cymru Alliance league club flaunting the Domestic Licence certificate in front of me, which I thought was crass and uncalled for.I want to make clear that the individual was not my friend, Mark McKean from Cefn Druids, so I’m sure you can work out from which club he was from!

The fifth Caernarfon Town representative on the day was Terry, who likes to be known these

days as ‘Terry Ten Clubs’ owing to the number of clubs he’s helped out over the years. Having seen him at many grounds across North Wales over the past two seasons and the warm welcome he receives everywhere I know he is very popular amongst officials at other clubs and it seems that his popularity has now extended to the Little Chef restaurant chain, where they have seemingly started placing effigies of him in their dining area. We found one sitting by itself in the ‘Chef’ at Dolgellau (photo, left) and to be fair I think it’s a decent likeness…. 

Matters off the pitch have continued to move apace after a hectic final three weeks to the last campaign. There have been departures from the committee and, thankfully, additions and we’ve been holding regular meetings throughout the close season. It’s not for me to announce official news on my blog but I’m sure that all the changes to the make-up of the committee will be confirmed in due course and I can guarantee everyone that we’re all doing our very best to take the club forward. 

It’s no secret that Iwan asked for certain assurances before committing himself to another campaign with us and we’ve been working hard to ensure that we’re providing everything he needs to take us onto the next level. We know we’ve got the right man in charge of playing matters and we’ve got to match him off the field as well. This is obviously an ongoing matter but a lot has already been done, with more to follow.

Before signing off I feel it's important to thank the supporters and Canaries club members who have been working so hard at the Oval over the last weeks. Things have not been easy due to the recent changes at the club and I would dread to think where we'd be without those who have been helping the committee and it shows how committed everyone is to push the club forward. The same can be said for the groundsman, Wyn Owen, who looks after our pitch so well. I took a photo of the pitch three weeks ago, and it looked amazing even then. (Photo, right.) The club's motto is Un Clwb and how true it is!   

And so that is my very brief overview of what’s been going on at Caernarfon Town since our last competitive match, back in May. The football may have stopped but the Cofis haven’t and I can’t wait to see the team back on the Oval turf this weekend. The visit of Salford City to our ground this Saturday is an exciting prospect and it will be great to see the players again after a very short break. New opposition, new players and a new season. I can’t wait!

Cofi Army!