The Enforcer, the Smiler and a Closed Stand.

All things considered, the 2016/17 season is heading towards an exciting conclusion for Caernarfon Town. The Cymru Alliance League title has deservedly gone to Prestatyn but Iwan Williams and his players can still provide the Cofi Army with a memorable end to this campaign. As I write, we’re close to securing runners-up spot in the league, there are two semi-finals on the horizon and, whisper it quietly, the possibility of a first Welsh Cup triumph for the Canaries.

During the three weeks since the last blog the Canaries have play four matches, all away from home, with an impressive return of three victories and a draw. Of course, the highlight since the last blog was the outstanding 7-0 triumph over Llanfair United in the quarter finals of the Welsh Cup but the three other matches were no less impressive, for a host of reasons. I’ll be discussing the first of those, at  Conwy, and the Welsh Cup tie this time around, and hope to cover the matches at Guilsfield and Llanfair (again) in another blog in the next few days.  

Jamie Breese was on the scoresheet at a wet and windy Morfa.

Having won at Caersws, Caernarfon travelled to Conwy for a re-arranged midweek encounter under the floodlights and, despite a sluggish start, the Cofis managed to bounce back from a half-time deficit to gain a 3-2 victory. I always enjoy my trips to the Morfa Stadium and imagine it’s something to do with the fact that, more often than not, it’s been a lucky ground for the yellow and greens. We’ve won cups there, high intensity clashes with the hosts in the League of Wales and, more recently, a Welsh Cup tie there earlier this season. There are two things you can always be sure of when playing at Conwy, a warm welcome from everyone at the club and a bitterly cold breeze wherever you stand to watch the action. In fact, I could also probably add that they always seem to have a new manager at the helm whenever we play them! It puzzles me that Conwy have changed their manager quite so regularly in recent years as they have a great set-up and a decent catchment area and yet, for some reason, no one seems to last long in charge of the first team. I heard a rumour a few weeks ago that a former manager of ours was approached to take on the hot seat and, if the tangerines board are looking for someone to turn things around there, I’m sure he’d have been a decent option for them!

Such was the heavy rain that had fallen throughout the day I half expected the match to be called off but was pleasantly surprised to see the floodlights on as I arrived and, upon hearing that the pitch was playable, decided to make my way, with everyone else, towards one of only two sheltered areas that are available to the supporters, the main stand itself and a covered standing area alongside one half of one side of the pitch. 

Town attack the 'Closed Stand' End at Conwy.

It was disappointing to see that the impressive stand behind the far goal was once again off limits to everyone, for what I can only assume were for safety reasons. This was my fourth successive visit to the Morfa and the stand has been cordoned off and, considering the lack of shelter against the elements around the pitch, the matter does need to be addressed. Half a dozen Cofi Army members braved the wrath of one of the security guards by sitting there and they successfully managed to watch the first half from their dry vantage point behind the goal.

Beginning of the End? 

The match itself was a real battle and it took the appearance of Darren Thomas as a second half substitute to tilt the balance in the Cofis favour. The heavy pitch and incessant downpour didn’t stop Messi turning on the style and he popped up late on to score a deserved winner. When I caught up with Iwan after the final whistle for our post-match interview he could barely walk after injuring himself early on in the game. I think he’s received some banter about taking himself off after twenty minutes and has hinted at hanging up his boots but, such is the need to ensure his small group of Welsh Cup eligible players are kept fit, I have a feeling we may still see him in action before the end of the campaign! He posted a message on the Oval Ways Instagram account next to a photo of himself taken at the match declaring it was ‘the beginning of the end’, but we’ll have to see. The lure of the yellow shirt may prove just too strong for him yet!

Jay Gibbs.

One final point I have to make about the match was the yellow card shown to Jay Gibbs. I’m still not sure why referee Andy Harms decided to caution Jay but sometimes I feel that certain players need only be named on the team sheet to ensure themselves a card and I believe Jay is one of them. This is something I’ve felt throughout the past two seasons and whilst I’m sure no official, or player, goes onto the pitch intent on making pre-ordained decisions, I certainly believe Jay is being harshly treated by match officials.

Three days after our soaking wet trip to Conwy we headed to Powys for the Welsh Cup quarter final and what a special day it turned out to be! Bearing in mind the teams that were still left in the competition I don’t think it’s being too disrespectful to Llanfair United when I say the Canaries were given a pretty decent draw in the last eight and certainly if someone had offered me an away match with a side struggling at the bottom of our league at that stage then I’d have been more than happy with it!

The team arrives at Llanfair's ground.

We all know that the road down there is not the most enjoyable to travel on but once we arrived it seemed that the village had been transformed into Llanfair-Caernarfon for the day! I made the trip down with my mate Bobby and the first people we saw upon arrival were members of the Cofi Army stepping off their bus and heading towards the vicinity of the Red Lion. We saw many more Town supporters on the way up Broad Street and again when we decided to test the culinary skills being offered at Catrics Fish Bar. I’m pleased to say that Captain Birdseye passed his test with flying colours and so we headed back to the ground praying that the light rain would stop and hold off for the match. Of course we should have known better and, as soon as we got there, the heavens opened and remained thus for most of the afternoon. Despite this a good crowd had turned up and I’d surmise that around three quarters of those in attendance were Caernarfon supporters. Luckily, our hosts had added two small sheltered stands at the ground since our visit last year and therefore most of the travelling party were rescued from the downpour. With fans on both sides of the pitch, it made for a great atmosphere.

The teams get ready for their quarter-final clash. 

Although I felt the Canaries were favourites to get through, Llanfair had defeated us 4-2 at the Oval this term and, as Carmarthen and Rhyl had found out against us in earlier rounds, league positions and a perceived sense of superiority does not guarantee success so it was imperative that Caernarfon did not take their opponents lightly. As suspected, Iwan and his staff are too professional for that, right from the off, it was obvious that the Cofis meant business, going ahead in the fourth minute and surging into a three goal lead inside twenty minutes. Llanfair seemed shell-shocked and could not manage to recover from the early onslaught, with Town going on to complete an impressive 7-0 victory.

Not your orthodox centre half. 

Kevin Lloyd. 

When taking into account the conditions, which included an extremely heavy pitch, Caernarfon played very well and some of the goals, especially those by Kevin Lloyd and Clive Williams, were superb. Kev’s movement for his goal was outstanding, beginning the move in midfield before perfectly timing his run to meet Danny Sullivan’s cross in the six yard box and one of the highlights of the afternoon was seeing him run towards his friends in the crowd to celebrate. Clive’s contribution to the score was an absolute stunner as he latched onto a Darren Thomas ball in the box to finish first time into the top far corner of the net. Not a finish you’d usually associate with a centre half but everyone who sees him playing regularly will know that Clive is not really an orthodox centre half! 

Kevin Roberts may not have scored on the day but he was voted man of the match by the supporters and fully deserved it. With the pitch as muddy as it was Caernarfon needed an enforcer in midfield and, as always, Kevin excelled at the task. I’ve watched a lot of football at all sorts of levels and I can’t remember seeing anyone win as many tackles in ninety minutes as Kevin did in this encounter. He was like a one-man wrecking ball on the day and proved again how correct he was to reverse his decision to retire from the game last summer. Gareth Edwards also deserves a special mention for his contribution, the big defender having become a father for the first time just a day before the match and enjoying little sleep for the best part of forty eight hours in the lead up to the tie. He opened the scoring in the fourth minute and completed his brace to put us three ahead so all in all, I would say it must have been a perfect weekend for Gaz! 

It was undoubtedly one of the club’s most important victories in recent years and it’s a special achievement to reach the semi-finals of the nation’s most important cup competition. Unlike the English FA Cup, which can seem a hindrance to some of England’s cash loving clubs and their owners who see the Premier League as the be all and end all of their very existence, the Welsh Cup has retained its importance and prominence in our game and it’s a massive boost to everyone involved with the club to reach the final four. As has been well-documented, this is the first time we’ve reached this stage for twenty nine years and it was great to see the manager who last took us this far, Phil Wilson, sending a message on facebook to congratulate the side: “Well done to the team, I was player manager the last time when we took Cardiff City close over two legs. I think you have a much better chance this time to reach the final. Good luck!” 

The Enforcer and the Smiler!

We've been drawn to play Bala in the semis, and will take on the Welsh Premier League side at Rhyl's Belle Vue on April 1st. We'll be the underdogs again, but buses are being arranged, train seats are being booked and the players will have the Cofi Army to spur them on. I can't wait to see what happens!

Speaking with Iwan after the quarter-final it was plain to see that he was as excited as all of the supporters at the victory and from what I’ve heard I believe that he and the players enjoyed themselves with the fans on the way home, which is exactly how it should be! We know he has a special bond with the Cofi Army and a few days later the manager would have further good news to share with everyone who follows the club. I’ll be covering this and the two matches that followed the Cup win in the next blog.