Critics, Invisible Stories and Wrapping up the Season

Wrapping up the end of Caernarfon Town’s 2018/9 season is a tricky exercise. On the one hand, the Cofis lost out on a Europa League spot whilst, on the other, we finished our Welsh Premier League campaign in an impressive fourth position.  

The last blog entry seems an age away and indeed it was, as I finished it with a review of our defeat at Barry Town. Plenty of things have happened since then, mostly of a positive nature, so I’ll have a go at ticking all the boxes and rounding off what has been an amazing season for the yellow and greens.

The squad had the perfect opportunity to bounce back from the aforementioned Jenner Park reverse when we welcomed Connahs Quay Nomads to the Oval six days later. Andy Morrison’s side were still fighting for the title at the time and were desperate for victory to keep on the tails of The New Saints. They had knocked us out of the Welsh Cup in March, courtesy of a typically professional, and ugly,  performance and I’d hazard a guess that everyone at the Oval was looking forward to trying to get one over on them.

Andy Owens missed an absolute sitter for the visitors in the second minute but, apart from this, the Nomads were strangely subdued on the night. Once Gareth Evans put us ahead with a seventeenth minute stunner I thought Caernarfon controlled the match well and, whenever there was a threat at goal, Alex Ramsay dealt with it as impressively as he has done throughout the year.

Celebrating Gaz Evans' goal against the Nomads

The victory further consolidated our position in the league, and effectively ruled our opponents out of the title race. I’m no supporter of their direct style of play but have to commend the Nomads for at least giving TNS a run for their money this season. However, the style of play Scott Ruscoe’s side has perfected is much easier on the eye than the one adapted by the Nomads and they are undoubtedly worthy champions, but it’s been good to see them being challenged for once.

One thing worth mentioning here is the attendance for the encounter, which was the lowest of the season at the Oval. Five hundred and two spectators walked through the turnstiles on the night which is pretty good and, of course, most other clubs in the league can only dream of those figures. However, this was the fifth time the teams had played during the campaign and I wonder if this over familiarity with our opponents was a reason why the attendance was comparatively low? It did not help that the action was being streamed live on facebook and also Liverpool were on Sky but I still have a feeling that playing the same team for the fifth time in nine months is a bit too much for the more casual football follower. I’ve often said that, in order to combat this type of monotony, the FAW should increase the WPL to sixteen teams, but it seems the powers that be are intent on keeping the status quo, which is a shame. It will be interesting to see if attendances get affected next season, as we continue to face teams up to five or six times during the campaign.

Having already beaten us three times, Newtown have been our bogey side this season but Sean and the players had one last opportunity to get the better of them, at the Oval on March 12^th. The Robins are a decent side but I still can’t quite understand how they’ve managed to claim nine points off us this year. To be fair, they were excellent in winning 3-0 at the Oval in October but I feel they rode their luck in both matches at Latham Park, where we probably deserved at least four points from our visits there.   

Messi and Cai celebrate against Newtown

The Cofis missed a number of goalscoring opportunities in the aforementioned fixtures but made no such mistake this time around as they put four past Dave Jones to secure a resounding 4-1 victory. Caernarfon were excellent throughout but it was Darren Thomas who ran, and stole, the show. Some people will say that the Cofi Messi may have had a slow start to the campaign but, since the turn of the year, he has been the stand-out performer in the team, if not the league, and gave a virtuoso display against the Robins. A goal and two assists saw him clinch another Tyn Lon Volvo Man of the Match nomination and I’ll finish this little piece on Darren by saying that, in my opinion, his omission from the recent Wales ‘C’ squad was an absolute travesty. Of course, the team did well against their English counterparts, but I don’t there was any attacking playmaker in the line up who is better than Darren, and hopefully next season he’ll get the recognition he deserves.

There was an exciting development going on behind the scenes during the lead up to the Newtown match, as the club got ready to announce the addition of Alan Bickerstaff onto the management team. Alan saw the side’s demolition of Newtown first-hand from his seat in the main stand and, speaking with him later, I believe he was impressed by what he saw.

A few people have been quick to judge and criticise the club for bringing Allan into the club although, I hasten to add, all such comments I’ve read have come from people who are outside the loyal fanbase who support us on a weekly basis. In some ways, the criticism was to be expected as there will always be ‘experts’ only too ready to give their opinions from behind their keyboard and phones, having made no, or little, attempt to look at the bigger picture.

Eards and Allan

The most disappointing thing is that these critics seem to have ignored the obvious, that the Board would have heavily involved San Eardley in any decision that involves the management team. Comments on Social Media stating that Eards has been disrespected by the Board are as far off the mark as possible and the truth is that no-one respects him more than those who have worked with him since he arrived during the Summer of 2017. I appreciate that football is all about opinions and everyone can express their own but the people who really matter in this, Eards, the staff and the supporters, have been brilliant and can see the big picture.

Anyway, following the Newtown romp, a second trip of the season to The New Saints followed and, whilst the Cofis couldn’t emulate their victory at Park Hall back in November, they certainly gave the champions a run for their money. To cut a long story short, the hosts got off to a good start, and an early lead, but the Cofi Messi equalised with a cracker and very nearly put us ahead later on with a fine run and shot that cannoned off the woodwork, before TNS scored two late goals to achieve a  flattering 3-1 verdict.

The incomparable Messi

In many ways the match had been very similar to our first visit in November. We had shown plenty of respect to the hosts but played without fear, and at times I thought we played the better football. TNS are a full time outfit and they can be ruthless in matches but there really was very little to choose between the sides and, despite the result, I doubt there would have been any despondent Caernarfon supporters after such an impressive display.  

There was a good atmosphere at the ground, with plenty of banter between the Cofi Army and a handful of home supporters although the guy who was shouting through his megaphone for most of the match was beyond annoying and I cannot imagine that anyone would have enjoyed hearing his ramblings for ninety minutes!

Before moving on, a quick word about TNS and the problem they are creating for the WPL. This was their eighth successive title triumph, an incredible achievement, and they can quite rightly claim to be the best team ever to have played in the top tier. After all, their record speaks for itself. However, watching them receive the WPL trophy, where there were more people on the balcony receiving the title than looking on from the pitch and stands, I could not help but think that it may not have been a positive image for the league. That’s not meant as a criticism of TNS or anyone associated with them but, in my opinion, whilst they remain the all-conquering force in the Welsh game, with their loyal, but small following, the FAW will find it hard to truly increase the league’s appeal. With a bit of luck, Caernarfon may be in a position to join and overtake the chasing pack in the near future!

Our final league match of the season saw us travelling to that hotbed of Scouse football, Bala, and a first meeting with their manager since he boldly implied that not many of our players would get into his side. You will probably have already seen the Sgorio interview during which he says this, immediately after we beat his charges at the Oval in March, so you’ll be aware that there was a bit of added spice to this match.

Unfortunately, the match did not start well for the Cofis and Henry Jones put the hosts ahead in the fourth minute. The remainder of the match saw two battles taking place on the pitch; the first was between Alex Ramsay and Bala striker David Hayes, in which the Cofi Number One certainly came out on top, denying the striker on numerous occasions throughout the evening. The second battle saw our former keeper, Keighan Jones, thwart a host of Town players, including Leo Smith, Darren Thomas, Naoh Edwards and Jamie Breese. Despite dominating the latter stages of the match, we couldn’t manage to equalise and, whilst disappointed with the defeat, the evening ended well when news broke that Barry Town’s Kayne McLaggon had scored from the penalty spot in the ninety sixth minute against Newtown, which meant Caernarfon finished the season in fourth position!  I won’t go into all the

details but this meant that the Cofis were top seeds for the Europa League play-offs and therefore guaranteed a home tie in the semi-final and final if they managed to get there.

There were a number of highlights during the evening, including seeing the Cofi Army turn up in their Mexican gear, watching Sean Eardley join them before kick-off for a rendition of ‘Tequila’ and, of course, the celebrations at the final whistle when we knew that the team had finished the season fourth in the league. A quick mention also for Pat Frost, kitman for England’s national side, who just happens to be a keen Caernarfon Town supporter. Pat very kindly paid for the two supporters’ buses to the match and, having spoken to him on the phone at the time, I can safely say that he really is as nice as his fantastic gesture suggests. For more info on Pat, please follow this link to the club’s press release regarding his generosity:   https://caernarfontownfc.co.uk/news/england-kit-man's-fantastic-gesture-to-caernarfon-town-supporters

Town faced Cardiff Met at the Oval in the Europa League Play-off Semi-Final and I agreed with those who called it the club’s biggest fixture in thirty years. We were just two matches away from a first ever European tie and, just as importantly, a reported prize of £220,000 for taking part in one of Europe’s elite competitions. I mention the prize money because it could make a massive difference to a club such as Caernarfon, who do not have a rich benefactor and rely and local sponsors and match day income to survive.

We had done the double over the students during the first phase of the season but I don’t think this would have clouded anyone’s judgement as to the task that awaited us in this one-off fixture. Christian Edwards’ side had been on a super run of form of late and would have been full of confidence arriving at the Oval.

There was an excellent atmosphere at the ground as kick-off approached and, with all but a handful of the 1280 crowd backing Eardley’s men, the Cofis responded well with a very bright start. Darren Thomas carried on his mesmerising form of the past four months and twice went close to opening the scoring before eventually putting the ball into the onion bag with a superb header over Dave Fuller’s outstretched hands. As we all know, the surrounding wall behind the goal collapsed as the players and crowd celebrated the goal although, thankfully, no one was seriously injured. It was an unfortunate incident that looked disturbing from all angles but it was great credit to the Caernarfon supporters and players of both sides that they helped out by securing everyone’s safety and ensuring the match could proceed.

Messi puts us ahead against Met

The resulting eight minute delay in the match seemed to knock the Cofis out of their impressive rhythm and Met deservedly equalised before the break. Caernarfon re-emerged for the second period fully recharged and were unlucky not to have gone ahead through fine efforts by Thomas, Nathan Craig and Danny Brookwell. Thomas then hit the woodwork whilst Leo Smith was frustrated to see his effort hooked off the goal-line .

Another near miss in the Play-off semi-final

With Town committing numbers forward they always seemed open to a quick break and the visitors took full advantage of one such occasion when Adam Roscrow put the Archers ahead after a powerful run upfield. Caernarfon struck the woodwork for a second time soon after, when Leo Smith’s header bounced back off the bar.

Kyle McKarthy put the visitors 3-1 up in the eighty first minute after another break from defence and, despite a late Nathan Craig penalty, the Cofis could not manage to force an equaliser, and extra time.

It was a disappointing end to the season but I don’t think anyone could have any complaints about the team’s efforts on the night. I think it was an excellent performance by the players and the Archers certainly had to be at their best to beat us.

I have to admit to being disappointed with the media’s coverage of the match, which seemed to centre solely around the wall collapsing. I understand that it was a news item but, as the club’s press officer, I was extremely disappointed, though not surprised, to receive seven messages or phone calls from the national press, all of which seemed to be pre-occupied with a story that was simply not there. I won’t go into too much detail here, but I find it a real shame that some of them could not have concentrated more on the fantastic response on the night from the supporters and players.  

It was also very disappointing to see Bala Town’s safeguarding officer taking to Twitter to question how the Cofis had got the Domestic Licence if a wall at the ground had collapsed during a match? He will know full well that the WPL has stringent safety standards that must be passed as part of the Licence criteria and so we had obviously passed them again this year. Disappointing, but maybe not so surprising…..

Anyway, back to the football, and to a wonderful season for Caernarfon Town Football Club. Some people had us down as favourites for an immediate return to the Cymru Alliance League, some thought we’d just about manage to survive, whilst throughout the season, we’ve had one or two managers piping up and having a dig at us. But, at the end of the day, the record books will speak for themselves: Fourth in the league, best supported side in the Welsh Pyramid and victories over ten of the other eleven sides in the top tier. All of this without a rich benefactor, and with three quarters of the squad made up of local players. I’ve always said that the Cofis don’t take a back seat on the pitch and should be aiming to ruffle a few feathers in the WPL so it’s been brilliant to see us do just that over the course of the season.

Huge thanks to Sean, Fish, Mike, Rhys, Allan and all the players and supporters for more than ruffling those feathers and for giving me so many positives to write about. 

What a club!

UN CLWB. 

Resting Players, Sour Grapes and Dressing Rooms

I feel I’ve been pretty busy with the blog since the turn of the year and certainly I’ve made a concentrated effort to increase the frequency of blogs, following my more haphazard approach in 2018. And yet, whilst looking back at the last three and a half months I’ve just realised that my recent efforts have included Welsh versions of the blog, an interview with Nathan Craig and a celebration of Sean Eardley’s first fifty matches as manager of the Cofis.

In short, my last ‘regular’ blog was at the end of February, immediately following the side’s harsh defeat at Newtown. Since then, we’ve played six matches, which have included two heavy defeats and some rather impressive victories. Oh, and we’ve also been accused of resting players against the Welsh Champions and come across some sour grapes from an experienced manager, all of which I’ll cover in this effort. So, with end of the season fast approaching, this is the first of a two part review that will see us catching up on the action over the past two months.

Following the aforementioned 2-3 reverse at Latham Park, the Cofis next faced The New Saints at the Oval for a rare Monday evening kick off.

Not for the first time, TNS proved a tough nut to crack

Scott Ruscoe’s side had been on a good run of form leading up to the match but, having defeated them on their own ground earlier in the campaign, I think most of us felt quietly confident of again giving the champions a run for their money. An excellent crowd of just over a thousand spectators paid their hard-earned at the turnstiles and all was set up for another of those memorable occasions under the floodlights. Unfortunately, things did not quite pan out that way as an early goal for the visitors seemed to flatten the atmosphere and, despite a spirited display, they could not manage to recover the deficit, eventually succumbing to a 0-3 verdict.

The team played well and the player’s efforts and commitment, as always, was unquestionable. Due to suspensions and injuries, Eards had to juggle things around a bit, but the performance once again proved that we have a much stronger squad these days than in previous seasons, when having six members of the squad unavailable could have resulted in an even tougher evening than it was. 

We were all back at the Oval four days later for one of the biggest matches of the season, a Welsh Cup quarter-final tie with Connahs Quay Nomads. The sides had already met on three previous occasions this campaign, and honours were even with one drawn match and a victory for each side. A home tie is all any team can hope for at this stage of a competition and so it was a bonus to be hosting the match but, as everyone knows, Andy Morrison’s side are a tough outfit and seem to love a tear-up on away grounds.

With Alex Ramsay, Joe Williams and Jamie Breese all available for selection this time, the team had a more familiar look to it but things didn’t click for us on the night and the Nomads went through, courtesy of a 2-1 result.

Gareth Edwards celebrates his goal against the Nomads

I didn’t think Caernarfon were at their best and, although this may have been due to the quality of the opponents, who showed their usual penchance for a scrap, Sean’s frustration in the post-match interview was plain to see. It seemed to me that we may have missed a real opportunity as I thought we were quite reserved, in the sense of going forward and attacking the Nomads defence but, to be fair to Morrison’s side, they made things extremely difficult. Having said all this, we had  a goal disallowed minutes after Gareth Edwards had put us back on level terms and I don't think anyone knows even now what was behind the referee's decision. Had the goal stood, it may well have been a different story but that's something we'll never know. From a personal point of view, I don’t enjoy watching the Nomads, and don’t particularly enjoy their brand of football. However, they play to their strengths, which usually sees them overpower teams and so they deserve respect for that.

It was my misfortune to be on dressing room duties for the evening because, to put it bluntly, the visitors left their room in a real state after the match. It was unacceptable and, whilst it’s not the first time I’ve seen the room left like that, it was the first time that I felt the need to post a photo about it on social media. It caused a fair level of interest amongst local football followers, most of whom agreed with my view but, as usual, there were also a few apologists who seemed at pains to point out that it wasn’t a big deal. It’s all about opinions of course but I certainly don’t regret sharing the photos. In fact, to justify it, Connahs Quay apologised via their twitter account and agreed that it had been poor from them.

Three of our unavailable players join the Mayor, her husband 

and club President John Watkins before the TNS match

Before moving on, I think it’s worth mentioning Andy Morrison’s odd remarks in the post-match interview when he said that Caernarfon had rested players for the TNS match, thus inferring that we had prioritised the Welsh Cup tie over the league fixture with the champions. I’m not sure where he got this information from but his theory was completely wrong. Alex Ramsay, Jamie Breese, Joe Williams and Leo Smith were all unavailable for the TNS match whilst Noah Edwards and Danny Brookwell were returning from injury and therefore started on the bench. So if he was referring to these six players, (and who else could he have meant?) then he really should have done a bit of research before saying what he did.

A third successive home fixture saw us take on Bala under the floodlights and, having lost four on the bounce, there was a feeling that we needed to turn the tide and get a victory. There were one or two comments on social media referring to yellow and green bubbles having been burst but the reality was that the second phase of the campaign was always going to be a real challenge. There are no easy matches in the top tier but now we were playing against the other five sides who made up the top six with us so each fixture was going to be a real test. 

The club had the pleasure of inviting our supporters from Antur Waunfawr as part of the Level Playing Field initiative and, judging from the photos we took, every one of the club's guests had a great time. Here's a link to the initiative, if you'd like to learn more about what they do:  www.levelplayingfield.org.uk

After a bright start against the Lakesiders Noah Edwards struck an early goal past Ashley Morris with a super finish that gave the stopper no chance. Caernarfon bossed the first half and could, and should, have extended their lead before the break. However, the visitors turned the tables in the second period and dominated possession but, through a combination of resolute defending and a top class performance from Alex Ramsay, they could not breach Town’s backline and we deservedly took the points, much to the annoyance of their manager, Colin Caton.

Eards applauds the Cofi Army at the end of the Bala match

No-one likes to lose a football match and, whilst it’s sometimes hard to keep emotions in check,  there is an expectancy for managers to at least try and be gracious after a loss. In fact, I believe that coaches who work towards the ‘A’ Licence are given workshops on how to deal with the media, and to act as professionally as possible. If so, they have failed with Mr Caton because his post-match interview with Sgorio is probably the most disappointing I have seen from a manager towards an opposing side.

I’m sure that most of you will have seen his interview on Sgorio’s social media outlets and be aware of what I am referring to but for those who haven’t seen it, let’s just say that the Bala managers’ comments were very disrespectful to our players and staff and, to me at least, smacked of sour grapes. It was really poor from him and I would have expected better from someone who has been in the game for so long. If he really does think his players are better than Caernarfon’s he might want to ask himself why we’ve got seven out of nine points off them this season. On a more positive note, at least the dressing room was spotless, so it was a pretty decent night all told!

An away trip to Barry Town was next up which, for me, meant a first visit to Jenner Park. I had missed our match there just before Christmas but, with Wales playing on the Sunday, my family and I decided to make a weekend of it this time around. The ground was much better than I had thought it would be from having seen it on the tv. The main stand is one of the best in the league and, having arrived pretty early, I managed to get a real look at the whole set up there, from the dressing rooms to the bar, and the pitch itself. All in all, it’s a superb venue and, unlike one or two recent managers we had come up against recently, Gavin Chesterfield was as gracious as ever, both before and after the action.

Jenner Park

The match could not have got off to a worse start for the Cofis as the hosts went ahead inside the first minute but, for the next forty minutes or so, I thought we were the better side. Darren Thomas was excellent and teamed up well with Noah Edwards, with the two of them creating plenty of problems in the final third of the pitch but, despite the players’ best efforts, we ended up on the end of a 0-4 defeat. It was a disappointing result and I’m sure it would have been very frustrating for the players. Three of the four goals were the result of us losing possession but, to be fair to Barry, they were clinical on the break and their frontmen were very impressive.

Eards mentioned pot-match that it had been an odd afternoon as, despite the scoreline, the team had played pretty well for long periods and so it was hard to be too disappointed. All of which I agree with and certainly, the Cofi supporters who had made the trip gave the players a great ovation at the final whistle.

The Barry match is probably not the best way to finish off this first part but, rest assured, things improve drastically in the second part, as the Cofis bounced back in style……………    

Ooohhh Nathan Craig.....An Exclusive interview.

Nathan Craig needs no introduction to anyone reading this blog. Quite simply, he is Caernarfon Town Football Club’s talisman.

A former ball boy at the Oval who became a Welsh Under 21 international and played professionally for Everton and Torquay, Nathan is in his second spell with the club and, since re-joining us in the Summer of 2014 he has been a shining light both on and off the field. 

He is both club captain and Head of the Caernarfon Town Football in the Community Programme and, over the past five years, he has become an integral part of what the Cofis are trying to achieve as a real community club.

I published an exclusive interview with Nathan back in June 2015 where he spoke at length about his first full season with his home-town club and his experiences in the professional game, which you can read by following this link:

http://ovalways.blogspot.com/2015/06/nathan-craig-on-torquay-mcdaid-and.html

Much has happened in the intervening years and, as Nathan has been involved directly in most of it, I thought it was about time to catch up with him for a look back at what has been an enjoyable and successful, but also sometimes difficult, period in the club’s history….

Nathan with Caernarfon Town's main sponsor, 

Margaret, owner of Gofal Bro Cyf

You first played for Caernarfon in October 2011. How did the move come about and what do you remember of your debut and of that time with us?

Nathan: “I got in touch with Arfon Jones the Chairman at the time as I had just been released by Everton and wanted to play week in week out to keep my match fitness up. Luckily he agreed and it was a fantastic feeling to put the Caernarfon Town shirt on for the first time.”

You then had a stint in the football league with Torquay and returned to the Oval in 2014? 

Lee Dixon was the manager at that time and the team was by now in the Cymru Alliance League. Did it feel that the team had improved much by then?

Nathan: “Yes, there were a lot of new faces and a lot of work had been done around the Oval too, which was very pleasing to see. We also had a few of my former teammates from my Everton days such as Danny Murphy and Moses Barnett.”

What do you recall of the 2014/15 season, when the team finished second in the league?

Nathan: “The League back then was exactly how it is now, unpredictable, with everyone beating everyone, which shows how great a competition the Cymru Alliance was, and still is.”

The Football in the Community project was set up in 2014 and you have led it for the past five years. Can you tell us about the importance of this, and explain your role in the project?

Nathan: “I love every minute of it. I see it as I get the opportunity to share the experience I’ve gained over the years through football and give it back to the community. I’m trying to engage with as many children as I can so then I know they’ve all had the chance to experience what we have to offer which is fun football in a safe environment. What’s great about being in and around all the Schools in the area is that we see many of them at the Oval who come from the local primary and secondary schools to support our first team and also it’s fantastic to see the children wearing Caernarfon Town merchandise.” 

What type of opportunities do you offer, and what's your typical day in the role?

Nathan: “We offer Breakfast Clubs and Lunch Clubs at Ysgol Syr Hugh Owen School and after-school clubs where we cover Ysgol y Gelli, Santes Helen, Maesincla, Rhostryfan, Bro Llifon and Bontnewydd. We also hold popular half term camps.”

Which age groups do you work with?

Nathan: “The age the kids can start with us at the half term camps is 4 years old, which is schoolyear 0.”

Have you seen through your FITC work that the interest in the club has increased, especially with the team having become become so successful in recent years? 

Nathan: “Yes massively, and that’s all that the local children talk about during the week and especially this season as our games are on Sgorio. They often talk about our previous games and ask when the next home game is as they want to attend and support us which is fantastic.”

Who was your favourite player growing up?

Nathan: “My favourite player growing up was David Beckham, as I am an United fan and Beckham used to play in the same position as mine and, of course, used to take set pieces which I always used to try and copy.”

Who is your favourite current player?

“My favourite player now is De Bryune at Manhester City. His vision and passing range is unbelievable and I’ve been to watch him play this season with a School trip and seeing him live was a great experience.”

Who is the best player you have played with, and why?

Nathan: “I’ve played with a lot of current top-flight players but the best I’ve played with is Joe Allen when I used to play for Wales Under 21’s. His composure on the ball was brilliant and he always made the youngsters feel welcome and comfortable when we made the step up to the 21’s.”

Who is the best you've played against, and why?

Nathan: “The best player I’ve played against would have to be Raheem Sterling. I remember when Liverpool signed him from QPR when he was fifteen and he played his first game for the Youth Team a few days later against us at Everton. He was playing two years up (age group) and had so much talent, and I couldn’t believe how quick he was for a fifteen year old.”

As previously mentioned, you rejoined the club for the 2014/15 season, and the team did well to finish runners-up to Llandudno. How much of a shock was it to see Lee leave the club at the end of the season?

Nathan: “It was a big shock at the time as obviously we had done well as a team on the field that year to finish second behind a very strong Llandudno team. Perhaps Lee thought he had taken us as far as he thought he could.”

The club then appointed Iwan Williams as Lee's successor. What did you know of Iwan, and what changes did he make?

Nathan: “I played against Iwan during our last game of the season against Caersws so I knew about him, and that there were strong rumours circulating that he would be our next manager. I thought Iwan was a very professional manager and he brought this ‘one club’ ethos back in to the club and community which was very important at the time.” 

The 2015/16 season was a special one, with the team winning the Cymru Alliance League. What were your highlights during that season?

Nathan: “As you said it was a very special season and for me personally the highlight was receiving the Player of the Year for the League at the end of the campaign.”

How disappointing was it to hear that the club had failed the Domestic Licence criteria and therefore would not be promoted?

Nathan: “It was very disappointing and really hard to take at the time as we as players had done everything we could to get us up but for some reason off the pitch the club failed to meet the criteria.”

Did failing the criteria make you consider leaving the Oval?

Nathan: “I’m sure that a lot of players were thinking of leaving when the news came out and personally I had a few offers from other clubs in different leagues. However, as a group we decided to stick together and give it one last go and try and get the club back to where it belongs.”

How did it feel to be made club captain for the 2016/17 season, and was this something you had thought might happen, or was it unexpected?

Nathan: “It was unexpected but it’s a privilege to put the yellow and green shirt on never mind being a captain. For me, being a local boy, I feel immensely proud and happy to lead the team out.”

We finished the 2016/17 season as runners-up but won the league cup. How did it feel to lead the players out in the final and to get to collect the cup as captain?

Nathan: “Leading the team out is a proud moment every single game, but to lead us out in the Cup Final and getting to lift the Cup at the end in front of all the fantastic Cofi Army was an unforgettable experience.”

What did you know of Sean Eardley when he joined the club as assistant manager in the summer of 2017 and what effect did his appointment have on the squad and club, in your opinion?

Nathan: “To be honest I didn’t know too much about Sean, only the fact that he had the same role as me at Llandudno in the Community and also that I’ve played in the same team as his brother Neal, for Wales Under 21’s.”

The 2017/18 season began well and we were top when Iwan left in late October. Was his decision a shock?

Nathan: “Yes, obviously, as you don’t usually hear about managers leaving when things are going well, especially as well as they were going for us, as we were top of the League when he left. But that’s football and these things happen, it was then down to as players and as a club to keep going with the momentum we had to get the club back to where it belongs.”

How important did you feel it was for the club to make an early announcement regarding Iwan’s successor, and how did you and the squad feel when Eards took on the job?

Nathan: “It was massively important as we just had to keep doing what we were doing which was winning games and staying top of the league. Yes this sort of change could have made us crumble but we showed the great character we had to stick together and kept the run going with Eards in charge. I thought it was a fantastic appointment as he was already involved with us, so for us players there was no change.”

How did the transition between managers go? Were there any big changes or was everything more or less the same?

Nathan: “Everything was more or less the same, and I think that was key to the success we had. There wasn’t too much that got changed as we all knew everything was going well on the field. It’s credit to Eards as well as there are a lot of managers who get a job at a club and immediately go and sign five or six players but that sometimes can disrupt things. So, he obviously believed in us as players and a group and what a perfect way to pay him back by getting the Club promoted.”

Having missed out on promotion two years earlier, did you and the team feel the pressure of going for the title last year?

Nathan: “No, not really. We didn’t feel the pressure as we all believed we had the ability to get the club back to where it belonged.”

How much of a relief was it that the club passed the Domestic Licence criteria last season?

Nathan: “A massive relief to be honest, especially after the disappointment of failing it when we last won the league. Getting us the licence was all down to the hard-working backroom staff, board members and volunteers of our great football club.”

How did it feel to finally clinch promotion to the Welsh Premier League?

Nathan: “It was a lot of weight off my shoulders as the reason I signed for Caernarfon in the first place was to get the club back to where it belonged,  competing against the best in the country.”

What have been the main differences this season? 

Nathan: “This season in the Welsh Prem the pitches are better plus it’s a lot more tactical as we get footage of every games so every teams do their homework."

Has it surprised you to see how well the side has adapted to the Welsh Premier League?

Nathan: “No, not at all. I have always believed in us and we just give one hundred percent every time we wear the shirt as it means so much. All we can do is give our best but the talent we have got is fantastic and we know on our day we can beat anyone.”

Who do you think is the side’s unsung hero, and why?   

Nathan: “In my opinion, and obviously everyone’s opinion is different, it has to be Ryan Williams. He got released by Wrexham and had a long time out due to injury last season but this season he’s been phenomenal. To play in so many different positions and do a great job wherever he plays, our unsung hero has to be Ry. I see him as a younger Clive Williams as he was, and is the same, a very good, versatile footballer.” 

Do you have any superstitions on match days?

Nathan: “No, I’ve never had any superstitions which is a bit unusual as most footballers tend to have some.”

What is your ultimate target as a Caernarfon Town player?

Nathan: “My target when I first joined was to get the club back into the WPL and when we did that last summer the target then changed short term into staying up first season and long term to compete in Europe!”

Nathan receiving his WPL Player of the Month Award

for November from Sean Eardley.

If you had to choose between winning the Welsh Premier League and the Welsh Cup, with Caernarfon, which one would it be, and why?

Nathan: “By winning either one you guarantee a European tie, which would be fantastic. But I think to be crowned Welsh Premier League winners would be the one as you’d then be champions of Wales.”

Which is the best goal you’ve scored for Caernarfon, and why?

Nathan: “The one against Barry Town home in the Welsh Cup last season as it was from a fair distance and at a very important time in the game.”

Which is your favourite match for Caernarfon and why?

Nathan: “Both times we defeated Bangor away.”

Nathan with Darren Thomas.

Who is the best Caernarfon Town player you have played with?

Nathan: “There’s a few that stand out but I have to say Darren 'bach'. On his day, with a ball at his feet, there is no one better, he’s unplayable.”

Grass pitches or 3G?

Nathan: “Grass pitches 100%.”

Malcolm Allen or Owain Tudur Jones?

Nathan: “Malcolm Allen!”

Defence or midfield?

Nathan: “Sitting Midfield.”

I know it’s early days, but do you have any ambitions to go into management when you’ve finished playing?

Nathan: “Yes, managing my own son in the next two or three years!! To be honest I haven’t thought about it as I still enjoy playing my Football.” 

If you could choose only one word to describe what the Cofi Army means to you, what would it be?

Nathan: “Everything.”

A huge thank you to Nathan for taking the time to answer all the questions I put to him, and for being as honest with his answers as we’ve all come to expect.

I’ve obviously concentrated on his football related experiences at the Oval in the interview but want to finish by saying that he has been a massive help to me as the club’s media officer and is always someone I can rely on for assistance whenever needed. I have lost count of the number of times Nathan has made himself available for media work and gone out of his way to do so, and this has certainly helped raise the club’s profile in recent years.

Diolch yn fawr iawn Nath!