Six of the Best!

After last week’s sidestep of posting an exclusive interview with Caernarfon Town legend Ray Woods I’m back on normal blog duty this time around and, such has been my recent lack of activity on here that there’s a decent amount of football to write about!

First of all, however, I need to say how nice it is to know that Andrew Howard, head of competitions at the FAW, reads this blog. In my last regular blog I mentioned how unfair it is that Welsh Premier League clubs receive £28,000 to help fund their Academies whilst clubs outside the top tier receive no financial support from the governing body, even those with full Academy status, such as Caernarfon Town. Mr Howard was kind enough to refer me to an old UEFA article that makes clear  the ‘current principle for youth grants’ as he puts it and, having read the said piece, the only point worth making is that the policy clearly states ‘in principle, the money should be shared equally between all top division clubs concerned in each league or association.’ Obviously, the word here is ‘principle’ and there is no reference to the funds being given ‘exclusively’ to our ‘Top Twelve’ clubs,  although I see that when a member of the Cofi Army mentions this on twitter, the exchange of tweets seems to have come to an abrupt end. It’s good that one of the FAW’s luminaries is so ready to comment on issues raised by grass-roots supporters such as I but if he isn’t prepared to enter into a meaningful discussion about such matters that so obviously confound the governing body’s remit to improve the game at all levels (and not just the top tier) then I’d rather he didn’t bother. To be honest, it just raises more questions. 

Chris Williams and Jamie Breese celebrate with Messi.

Anyway, back to the football that’s been played! The Cofis had just earned a point at Rhyl when I last signed off a normal blog entry and, although the point had seemed more like a defeat than anything else when considering the circumstances that led to the draw (have a look back through this link if you need a reminder of what I’m talking about http://ovalways.blogspot.co.uk/2017/09/ ) there was a sense that the frustration of that afternoon would spur the team on to greater things. Iwan had hinted at this in the post-match interview we did at the Corbett Sports Stadium and victories in all six matches since then suggest that he was right!

The players had the perfect opportunity to bounce back from what they probably perceived as a wasted opportunity at Rhyl when Flint Town United came to the Oval seven days later. There have been rumours every summer since we got promoted into the Cymru Alliance League that the Cae y Castell outfit would be spending big money to return to the Welsh Premier League and whether that’s true or not I haven’t got a clue but what I do know is that they always have a good side and so it promised to be an ideal challenge for the Cofis to prove their credentials. The encounter proved just as tough as everyone had predicted and it took a very good performance from Caernarfon, and Darren Thomas in particular, to secure the points. The Cofi Messi netted both goals as he produced a virtuoso display against the Silkmen and such has been his form thus far this season that I believe he’s in the form of his life, certainly in a yellow and green kit. Sports Journalist Dave Jones recently tweeted that he thinks Darren is the best player he’s seen in this league and this in itself says a hell of a lot about his talents and if our number continues this form for the remainder of the season we have some very special moments to look forward to! 

Nathan Craig with the match ball after his hat-trick.

We were back at the Oval four days later for a rare midweek match and Llandudno Junction were the unlucky visitors this time, as they faced high winds, torrential rain and a wrecking ball called Nathan Craig! Junction have struggled this season after an unexpected late promotion from the Welsh Alliance and it is to their credit that they refused the temptation to put eleven men behind the ball from the start, manager Iain Bennett obviously giving his charges the freedom to play football and look for the victory. This probably played into Caernarfon’s hands a bit and once Darren Thomas scored after a fourth minute error from the visitors’ stopper, Gwydion Owen, it soon became evident that Junction had a long evening in front of them. This point was made absolutely clear two minutes later when Nathan stepped up to thunder his free kick around the defensive wall and past Owen. When Clive Williams added a third on twenty five minutes the game was up for the visitors and the one-sided contest ended with a not too flattering scoreline of 8-1 for the Cofis, which included two penalties for Nathan to complete a dead-ball hat-trick, a second goal for Thomas and strikes from Jamie Breese and Gareth Evans. Although the weather had been pretty atrocious, it was hoped that the football on display pleased the club’s special guest at the match, Mike Plotnikoff, CEO and Co-Founder and Director of our main club sponsors, Lite Access Technologies. It was Mike’s first visit to the ground and we managed to get him to the dressing  room to meet all the player before kick-off, which I think he enjoyed! Hopefully it won’t be the last time we see him at the Oval, especially of he manages to inspire the players to such a great performance! 

CEO of 'Lite Access', Mike Plotnikoff (right)

Another home match awaited us seven days later and a good Ruthin side gave the Cofis a stern test, although the 3-0 scoreline was still a fair reflection of the action. Chris Williams’ side had made a decent start to their campaign and in Llyr Morris had the league’s leading scorer in their line-up. They had recently defeated Rhyl on their own ground and obviously have something going for them,  so it was no surprise to read Iwan’s notes in the match programme where he made it clear that the players would have to be at their best to achieve success on the night. Nathan Craig binned any early nerves, however, when he put us ahead courtesy of another of his trademark strikes as he netted expertly from a free-kick. Ruthin looked dangerous on the break and, despite failing to score, I can  see how Morris has made his mark this season, looking very sharp and full of running throughout the ninety minutes. Caernarfon were too good for the visitors however and a goal before half-time from Jamie Breese was followed by a second half strike from Nathan, who this time scored from the penalty spot. 

Jamie celebrates one of his four goals against FC Queens Park

It’s safe to say that the side was playing some great football by now and things got better against FC Queens Park. The highlight of the 7-0 victory, and there were many to choose from, was seeing Jamie Breese bagging four goals and, after a frustrating time in front of the onion bag at the beginning of the campaign, he seemed much more like his old self against a defence that had no answer to his pace and movement. Everyone who has seen Caernarfon Town play under Iwan Williams will know that Breesey has been a major factor in our successes over the past two years and, having finished as the side’s top scorer in both of his seasons with us it’s safe to say that he’s up there as one of the best strikers in the Welsh Pyramid season. Jamie had not been as prolific as usual earlier on this season and Iwan took him out of the firing line for a week or two, although it’s important to point out that the striker still made plenty of impact off the bench whenever he was named amongst the replacements. The break seems to have worked because our number nine has returned to the starting line up with a vengeance and has found the net nine times in the last five matches. Jamie is a really nice guy, quite quiet and, just to paraphrase our manager Iwan, he is as committed as they come. Despite living in mid-Wales, Jamie has been travelling to each training session and his hard work and effort has paid off as he has played his way back into form and looks as deadly as ever in front of goal. Welcome back Breesey! Messi, Nathan and Danny Brookwell also got on the scoresheet against Queens Park and, just to put a nice sheen on the victory, the three points put us top of the Cymru Alliance League for the first time this year!

Jamie Breese with the match ball after his man of the match performance against FC Queens Park.

The side has recently had a break from the rigours of league action with two cup matches, the first being a trip to the New Stadium where Holyhead Hotspur awaited us in the second round of the Nathaniel MG Cup. The Harbourmen are a good side and defeated us at the Oval in August, going on to enjoy an early stint at the top of the table although they have slipped down to fifth recently, though they have two matches in hand on us and second-placed Airbus. The first thing I noticed when I arrived at the ground is that the usually strong wind we always seem to attract on our visits there was hardly in evidence and, in my opinion, this would help us more than the hosts. Campbell Harrison’s side play a more direct style of football than the Cofis and I have seen them use this to great effect against us in the past, last season being a prime example when they beat us 3-1 in the league. This time, however, I felt Caernarfon looked stronger than Hotspur and Nathan Craig’s superb twenty seventh opener gave us a lead that we never looked like giving up, in my opinion. As always, Holyhead threw everything and the kitchen sink at us later on but, for all their efforts, they forced just one save out of Alex Ramsay, whilst two late goals by Breese and Messi gave us a deserved victory. To cap off a fine evening for Town, assistant manager Sean Eardley treated the Cofi Army to a ‘Klinsmann Dive’ celebration, which went down with not only us, but a Hotspur official who could not help from smiling as he saw it! The players have been rewarded for their impressive  victory with a trip to Welsh champions The New Saints in the third round and, whilst we would all have loved a home draw against them, I know that Iwan and the players will be looking forward immensely to the challenge. 

Jay Gibbs was on the score sheet against Lex Glyndwr.

On Saturday, the Cofis began their quest for another run in the Welsh Cup and, despite going down to an early goal against Lex Glyndwr, the side turned on the style after a slow start to win the tie by five goals to one. Goals by Nathan Craig, Clive Williams, Jay Gibbs and a brace from Jamie Breese proved more than enough to see us advance to the second round, although it must be said that Ricky Evans’ side were a tough outfit and gave as good as they got in a closely fought first half. If you’d like to see them, videos of the goals scored by Nathan and Clive have been posted on the club’s official youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqqqH3BdIKk

The draw for the second round of the Welsh Cup has been made today and we’ve been lucky enough to have been handed another home draw, with Berriew due to make the trip from mid-Wales to the Oval on Saturday, November 4^th. If I’m right, the last time the sides met was in this same competition back in September 2012, a match we won by four goals to three. It was a memorable day, not just as a result of the victory and an impressive Paul Roberts hat-trick but more so because Paul’s first goal was celebrated by a streaker running onto the pitch with just a cardboard box on his head! I’m not sure if those present have fully recovered from that bizarre scene that unfolded before our eyes but hopefully we won’t be treated to a repeat performance at the Oval next month!

Come on Town!