Rollercoaster: John Travolta and an Eventful Start....

Riding an early season rollercoaster was not what I had expected and probably doesn’t accurately describe the fledgling campaign thus far but, if for some reason you’re reading this and haven’t been following Caernarfon Town, or might have missed a match or two, at least the analogy will give you a general idea of what it has been like to be a Town supporter during the first four weeks of the season. 

After a particularly busy pre-season programme, it came as something of a relief when we were finally able to welcome Penrhyncoch to the Oval for the season opener. As I’ve already mentioned recently, the summer friendlies had been a mixed bag, where the team won the matches they’d been expected to, but lost against the more fancied opponents, such as The New Saints and Aberystwyth. Iwan had used some of the fixtures to take a look at a fair number of the reserves and whilst I had found it an enjoyable build-up to the season, seeing new players, and trying to guess the make-up of the first team, especially when taking into account the changes made to the squad since last year’s double triumph, I was more than ready for the real action to begin on August 13th.

Penrhynchoch were a decent side but had obviously travelled from Mid-Wales with a gameplan to put everyone behind the ball and hope to escape with a point. Caernarfon struggled in the opening half and I was very much reminded of our stalemate with Gresford last season when they parked the bus, and keeper Jonathan Hill-Dunt, in front of goal and got the draw they were looking for. It didn’t quite work out that way for the Roosters though and an impressive second half from the Cofis led to a 3-1 victory, thanks to a Cory Williams goal and Darren Thomas brace. 

Meilir Owen.

It was good to see former Town striker Meilir Owen back at the Oval, although this time instead of terrorising defences as he used to thirty years ago, this time he was running the line in his recent defection to the dark side! To be fair to Meilir, he had an excellent game and is just the type of person we need to manage matches, either in the middle or on the touchline. .

This was followed by a trip up the A55 for a Friday evening fixture with Denbigh Town and I was certainly expecting a tough match. Central Park is one of my favourite away grounds, where the pitch is excellent and we always get a warm welcome. This time was no different, and I was pleased to see that work was being carried out on their Main Stand, which will be double its’ original size once the project is completed.

Readers of a certain age will remember the football programme 'Saint & Greavesie' and Jimmy Greaves’ oft quoted saying that football is a funny old game, and rarely can this have been truer than for this thriller!

The stand at Denbigh. 

Town started impressively and led 2-0 at half-time although, truth be told, we could have been further ahead at that stage, such had been our dominance. Then, when Jamie Breese put the Cofis three ahead in the seventy third minute, I think most of us in the ground felt we’d clinched the points. Denbigh did not see it that way, though, and they produced a stunning fightback to clinch a 4-4 draw, salvaging the point with the final kick of the match. If I’m being honest I was slightly relieved that the final whistle was blown immediately after the point clincher as it seemed the hosts looked like scoring each time they attacked in the final twenty minutes.

Having been 3-0 and 4-2 up late in the match, of course it was disappointing that the team could not manage to hold on to victory but credit should also be given to Denbigh for refusing to give up, despite the uphill battle they faced for most of the match.

I have heard a few supporters bemoan the fact that the referee played seven minutes of injury time on the night, during which the hosts scored two goals and I agree that it seemed unwarranted. Having said that, I would have settled for a point before the match so it wasn’t the disaster some would have us believe, although it definitely felt like a defeat on the night! I had carried out a video interview with Iwan for his post-match comments after the Penrhyncoch match and had hoped to do likewise at Denbigh but, considering the disappointment of dropping two points, I decided against it. I know the manager would have been prepared to give his verdict but I might have had to put an 18 certificate on it to share it!  

Not our day against Prestatyn.

Our next match was another tough looking challenge as Prestatyn arrived at the Oval with two impressive victories already under their belt. Last season they had outplayed us on the way to a 4-2 victory and had looked very strong, making their subsequent implosion rather surprising. Unfortunately for us, Neil Gibson’s men seemed to have regained their swagger and proved too strong for the Cofis, running out comprehensive 4-1 winners at a stunned Oval.

I can’t really add too much about the match as, from a Caernarfon Town supporters’ point of view, it was very disappointing that Prestatyn seemed so much better than us. I don’t believe they are, and it may have been just one of those afternoons when the team just can’t get out of first gear but it worried me that the side had conceded four goals for the second successive match as they had enjoyed such an excellent defensive record on the way to the title last year.     

So, four points from the opening three matches mirrored last season’s start to the campaign and, as it didn’t end up too badly at all in May, it was hardly a time for panic. It was also easy to forget that the team was getting used to a new goalkeeper, Mike Jones, and were doing so without a mainstay of the defence, the captain Grahame Austin. Added to this was Danny Brookwell’s absence and also Nathan Craig’s for the past two matches, all of which will not have helped in the grand scheme of things.

Job done after a battling victory over Porthmadog.

The players had the perfect opportunity to bounce back to winning ways just three days after the Prestatyn defeat when they took on our neighbours Porthmadog at The Traeth. As we all know, this fixture has become a staple part of the local football scene in recent years with large crowds usually turning up to witness the Gwynedd derby. This match was no exception and nearly six hundred spectators paid for the privilege of watching the sides go head to head. Of course, Port have a number of former Cofis in their squad these days, which always adds a little spice to the proceedings, and it was good to see Cai Jones, Gareth Jones Parry, Jamie McDaid and Ywain Gwynedd taking part, although for this once I hoped they wouldn’t be at their best!

Nathan Craig marked his return to the side with an exquisite goal in the opening minute, somehow caressing the ball into the top corner of the net from twenty five yards out to give us the perfect start. Jamie Breese added a second and this proved enough for the points as, despite the hosts pulling a goal back before the break, they failed to truly threaten an equaliser for the remainder of the evening. It was an impressive victory for Town, ad very much required when considering the previous result. It was an interesting team selection from Iwan, as he moved Tom Quinn to defence  from midfield, and brought Kevin Roberts and Corrig McGonigle into the side. The selection worked a treat as Town attacked with verve and looked solid throughout, and they thoroughly deserved the victory.

Kevin Lloyd. 

Following such a convincing performance, the next match could not come quickly enough and I hoped the players would be able to repeat their midweek performance when they took on Gresford at the Oval on the Saturday. As previously mentioned, the team from Clappers Lane proved a hard nut to crack last season and I was expecting more of the same from them, especially when I saw that Hill-Dunt was still between the sticks for them. This time around, however, he had much less of an impact on the match, as the Canaries proved lethal in front of goal, finding a way past him five times before the end of the afternoon. A brace from McGonigle and a Jamie Breese hat-trick were not the only highlights of the match however, as there was also the return of Cofi favourite Kevin Lloyd to the squad.

I think it’s fair to say that supporters were sad to hear that Kevin had decided to leave the club during the summer and I, for one, had hoped he would have stayed on. At the time, Kev gave his reasons for leaving as added work commitments and so it was great to hear that he and Iwan had agreed his return to his hometown club. Kevin is one of us, a true Caernarfon Town supporter, and so we know what it means for him to put on the shirt, and he proves it every time he plays. I really hope he decides to stay on with us now for the long term because he’s a cracking player, and always fully committed to the cause.

Midweek saw us take a break from league action as we welcomed Welsh Premier League side Rhyl to the Oval in the Nathaniel MG Cup, formerly known as the Word Cup. I had been looking forward to this tie as it would be a good test for the side against decent opposition from the top tier and I was quietly confident the players could progress to the next round.

I thought the Cofis started well and probably shaded the first half, although Rhyl did seem a useful outfit and certainly not as bad as their recent heavy defeat to TNS would suggest.

I didn’t feel that the 1-2 half-time scoreline was a fair reflection of the action up to that point but having scored on the stroke of the break, I felt the team were in with a real chance of winning after the restart, but it didn’t pan out this way and the Lillywhites ran out 5-1 winners.

To be fair to Caernarfon, Iwan obviously told the players to go for it in the second half and I thought they put Rhyl under a fair bit of pressure in the opening minutes after the break. However, they couldn’t find a quick equaliser and the visitors made the most of the spaces available to them as Caernarfon attacked, and punished the Cofis with three more strikes.

It was a peculiar evening because the ground felt a bit flat even before kick-off and the scoreline seemed to flatter the visitors, although they certainly deserved to win. It was very reminiscent of the Prestatyn defeat in that the players just couldn’t seem to click into any pattern of play and when that happens, you need a little luck to pull you through, and this was also in short supply on the night.

I don’t want to dwell too much on defeats so will just say that, judging by the faces of the players as they left they ground, they were as disappointed as everyone else at the result.

I carried out a short video interview with Iwan on Friday evening and he spoke at length of how frustrated he had been at Wednesday’s performance and how he expected the players to knuckle down and show what the club meant to them by putting in a much improved performance in the next match, which would be at Flint on Saturday. 
Something I forgot to mention about my visit to the ground last year was the car park available next to the clubhouse, which must be amongst the most picturesque in Welsh football, situated as it is next to Flint Castle (photo).

Flint Castle.

I had heard rumours over the Summer months that the Silkmen were gunning for the title this season and to be perfectly honest I would not expect anything less from them. Unlike us, they achieved the FAW Domestic Licence in April and therefore, very much like us, seem determined to return to the top flight at the earliest opportunity.

The sides had enjoyed an identical start to the league campaign before the encounter but that is where the similarity ended as Caernarfon outclassed the hosts and were full value for the 6-1 victory. I had expected a reaction from the players from the midweek defeat but had not expected us to outplay a team that many people have been tipping to challenge for the title this year. Of course, it’s still early days and they may well do just that, but on yesterday’s evidence, the Cofis are a much stronger outfit. Nathan Craig scored four goals, including two free-kicks that gave Ben Jones no chance in the hosts’ goal. The first of these included a bit of banter between Nathan and the goalkeeper and suffice to say, Jones fell for it, and got caught out by the free-kick!

The Cofis were in imperious form against Flint.  

It was a much improved performance from Town and the return of Darren Thomas certainly made a difference as the Cofi Messi danced his way around players for the whole match, looking to strike at goal or create opportunities for his team-mates. It was, without doubt, the best performance of the season so far by the team and I feel sure that they can now carry on this form and go on a long run of good results.

This time, I did carry out a post-match interview with Iwan and managed to complete it after an aborted first effort, due to schoolboy banter from one of the players! I’ve posted the aborted recording on the Oval Ways Instagram account if you’re interested!

Nathan Craig during the match at Flint. 

Before moving on, I must commend the excellent pre-match music selection that was offered at Cae y Castell, as disco tunes from the seventies streamed through the speakers, which included The Bee Gees classic Night Fever. Nathan Craig must have heard the song whilst warming up because he did a fair impression of a swaggering John Travolta as he led the Silkmen, and especially their goalkeeper, a merry dance for ninety minutes!

So, that’s a quick run-down of the first seven matches of the season, and the reason why I used the rollercoaster analogy at the beginning of the blog. We’ve had ups and downs, highs and lows and not much in between thus far on the pitch, and when you add the departure of Jay Gibbs, the return of Rob Jones and the introduction of our third new goalkeeper, Paul Whitfield, it has been a pretty eventful start to the campaign!

I wonder what I’ll be writing about in the next blog?

Come on the Town!

All photographs used in this blog are copyright of Paul Evans.