Old MacDonald, Sully and Quinn.

When I last put pen to paper, or fingers to keyboard, the Cofis were flying, having won nine of the previous eleven matches, losing just the once, and to Welsh Premier League opposition at that.

And then we lost at home to Llanfair United and all the talk outside of the club was of how the team had lost its way, and were a spent force. After one lacklustre performance and defeat. Keyboard warriors were out in force, the usual suspects were sniping away and suddenly it seemed that the wheels had come off the champions’ wagon.  Sounds ridiculous doesn’t it, and yet here we are, facing another year in the doldrums if you believe everything you read on social media.

I don’t believe it, and I’m sure that most people who know the players and management team will feel the same. There’s no denying that the team was not at its best against Llanfair and, judging from what I saw after the match, no one knew it more that the players themselves. The truth is, after going a goal up early on the team did not take advantage of their superiority in the opening twenty minutes and the visitors made them pay with an excellent performance thereafter. It would be easy to blame the defeat on a few things during the match that may have had an effect on the result, Chris Williams’ early exit after injury being one, missed opportunities and Danny Brookwell’s sending off another two, but these things happen from time to time and on the day I felt Llanfair deserved the victory.

I’ve been carrying out post-match interviews with the manager this season and, to be perfectly honest, I had thought of heading straight home after the final whistle as I’m sure that answering my questions was the last thing Iwan would have wanted after the defeat. However, I braved the possible consequences and am glad that I did because I think it epitomises our manager and his standards. If you’ve seen the video (available on the club’s twitter and facebook feeds) and, having looked through my ever present book of idioms I believe the one that best reflects his approach to my questions is that he “pulled no punches’. 

Grahame Austin.

I decided against an interview with any of the players who had played and took the opportunity instead to ask Grahame Austin for an update on his injury. The club captain has been out of action all season due to a back problem and it was good to hear Aussie saying that he still hasn’t given up hope of playing again this season. Incidentally, we had to pause the interview at one stage because, just as we were about to start, the Llanfair United players appeared from the dressing rooms, loud, proud and all clad in fancy dress! It was the last things I wanted to see after such a disappointing result but, to be fair, some of the outfits were pretty good (there was a bear and a Indian chief if I recall correctly) and really, it just about summed up the day.

The next match could not come quickly enough and seven days later the team travelled over the Britannia Bridge for a Welsh Cup tie with Llangefni, and what an encounter it turned out to be!

The sides had played at Cae Bob Parry in a pre-season friendly that the Canaries had won quite comfortably, although by just a solitary goal but this clash was a very different affair as we were treated to eight goals, a penalty shoot-out and some fine chanting by the home crowd!

When Jamie Breese put us ahead in the second minute I hoped it would signal a stress-free afternoon but the hosts had other ideas and it ended up being one of the best matches I’ve seen for a number of years. I think it’s fair to say that Caernarfon bossed possession for long periods of the match and certainly played the better football but, by failing to add a second goal they allowed Llangefni to keep themselves in the match and, once the hosts levelled before the break, the match  was very much one of those blood and thunder cup ties that the older generation would have us believe only happened in the good old days. Each time Caernarfon got back in front, Cefni would find a way to peg us back and it came as no surprise when they forced a penalty shoot-out in the last minute of extra time.

Tom Quinn celebrates his goal against Llangefni
(he's somewhere at the bottom of this pile-up!). 

I’m not a supporter of penalties deciding cup ties and would much prefer replays but thankfully on this occasion Town’s spot-kick takers had the edge on their opponents and managed to put the club into the hat for the third round. I was pleased that both Tom Quinn and Danny Sullivan scored their penalties (Tom had scored during the match also) because they’ve had a difficult start to their time at Caernarfon and I hope that the influence they had on the match will give them the confidence to push on now because they’re both excellent players, and nice guys too.  

Many people have mentioned how much character and determination Cefni showed to get back on level terms on four occasions during the match and I agree, but it's interesting that not many have said the same thing about Caernarfon, who also had to roll up their sleeves and react positively having been pegged back so many times. Both sides deserve lots of credit for their efforts.  

A quick mention also to Cory Williams, who I thought was excellent and easily the man of the match.  His goal from twenty five yards was very much worth the price of admission alone and I know there’s more of the same to come from him. Cory has been in and out of the side this season but had his best match for the club in Llangefni and I firmly believe he has the tools to make a massive impact on the team this season. Cory has great quality, on and off the pitch.         

It had been a heartpounder of a tie and was proof enough that the country’s premier cup competition still means a lot to the clubs and true football supporters. In fact, I would go so far as to say that the FAW should consider giving the cup more backing and maybe consider pushing the competition as much as they do the Welsh Premier League. Likewise those in charge of television coverage of Welsh football. Would supporters and casual followers of the game in Wales prefer watching a cup tie between sides they don’t normally see or witness yet another encounter involving The New Saints, Bangor or Rhyl? I understand that they need to push the WPL but at the moment it seems that everything is taking a backseat to the top tier, and I can’t imagine that it does too much good for the grass roots game.

Was the segregation barrier really required?

Anyway, back to our afternoon in Llangefni and just a few things I must mention before moving on. Firstly, upon entering the ground I was surprised to see that there was segregation in place. Seeing the barriers behind the goals was a reminder of ugly days of the past when such things were the norm at football matches (who could ever forget the awful red cage we had at the Oval for away supporters in the eighties?). I found it quite insulting to everyone attending the tie and was puzzled that the Caernarfon Town Board had not been informed beforehand. I believe the local police had asked for the segregation and if this is so, then both clubs should have been informed so as to tell the supporters. I’m not blaming Llangefni at all, but the police should have told us.

I don’t think the segregation was warranted and what made it even more questionable is that supporters of both teams were allowed into the supporters club before, during and after the match for a beer. And, having frequented the bar, I can confirm that there was no segregation barrier in sight!

The PYS Supporters Stand.

I mentioned earlier that the home supporters were in fine voice and I think they’ve already won the best, and most amusing, chant of the season for their excellent rendition of Old MacDonald which rang around the ground as two of the local constabularies’ finest walked towards the PYS Supporters Stand. All good fun and yet another throwback to the old days, although a much funnier one than the barriers!

Something else that made an impression on me was the music played at the ground, which consisted of Neil Diamond, Neil Diamond and more Neil Diamond. In fact, at times it seemed as if we were at one of the Solitary Man’s concerts, his voice filling the rather cold air with classics such as Red, Red Wine and I’m a Believer, both of which fitted my mood as Sully’s winning penalty hit the onion bag to send us through to the next round!

There's only one Messi!

Our reward for winning in Llangefni is a tough but very exciting home draw with Carmarthen Town. The last time we faced top tier opposition in the Welsh Cup was the televised tie against The New Saints in November 2014. On that day, we gave the Welsh champions a real run for their money, the wall collapsed and Darren Thomas proved that there’s only one Messi, and he works at the Oval! 

The tie is certainly something to look forward to but before then the side has two tough fixtures to play, beginning with a trip to Halkyn Road to take on Holywell Town. There’s really no need for me to say much more about this much-anticipated match, as past fixtures between the sides, over a number of years, have proved there is a strong possibility it will be a real cracker!

Come on the Town!