Ain’t Nobody Like Sean Eardley. Celebrating the first fifty.

Our recent Welsh Cup quarter final tie was Sean Eardley’s fiftieth match as manager of Caernarfon Town and, in a sideward step to the usual blog, I thought it would be nice to celebrate the landmark with a look back at some of the moments that I think have defined his first half century in the hot seat.

Wing-Breakers. Airbus 3 – 3 Cofis. Nov 11, 2017. 

Sean’s first match in charge was a difficult trip to Cymru Alliance title rivals, Airbus, and things could hardly have got off to a worse start! We were three goals down inside half an hour and so the new manager’s first half-time team talk was not going to be a straightforward affair. Whatever he said in the dressing-room during the break must have worked, however, because the Cofis emerged for the second half a completely different side and roared back for a 3-3 draw, with the Wingmakers clinging on for a point at the end. As an aside, the result had an added bonus for Town in that it seemed to dent Airbus’ confidence and derailed their push for the league title. 

Double Substitution Dents Denbigh. Denbigh Town 3 – 3 Cofis. Jan 6, 2018. 

Watching the second half fightback at Airbus. 

When looking back at the 2017/18 season, this draw at Central Park always stands out to me as one of the key points of the campaign. The team had not been at its best during a disjointed first half and, having conceded two goals in as many minutes soon after the break, Eards responded immediately by sending on Kevin Lloyd and Jay Gibbs. The changes had a galvanising effect on the side and, despite a late sending off for Rhys Roberts, Town clinched a point with a Nathan Craig penalty in the fourth minute of injury time. 

During the vital victory at Flint. Jan 2018. 

Upsetting the Silkmen. Flint Town United 1 – 2 Cofis. Jan 20, 2018.

Having drawn their three previous league matches, and with Holywell and Airbus trying to close the gap at the top, there was a feeling amongst supporters that we needed a victory against a Flint side that was improving rapidly under new manager Niall McGuinness. A number of matches in the surrounding area had been postponed due to waterlogged pitches and so there was an increased attendance, and a great atmosphere at the ground. A tough-looking challenge got even tougher when Jay Gibbs was sent off on the half hour mark. However, Eards shuffled his team around and the Cofis rallied to pull off an excellent 2-1 victory. The importance of the three points was obvious, and the manager even treated the Cofi Army to one of his ‘Eards dives’, despite the mud!

Clinching Promotion. 

Sean took on the managers’ role with a promise to do all he could to guide us back into the Premier League. As we all know, he was successful in doing this and whilst I am aware that all of us with an affinity to the club fully appreciated what he did, I sometimes feel he may not have got the recognition he deserved from outside the Oval. Iwan Williams was a hard act to follow and would have been for even the most experienced manager, never mind someone who was stepping up for the first time. When Eards joined us as assistant manager in the Summer of 2017 he made an immediate impact on everyone but I would guess he was still finding his feet at the club when Iwan resigned. Therefore, to take on the role and responsibility of not only taking over from a very successful and popular manager, but also to get us back to the promised land, was a serious challenge. The Cymru Alliance League is a tough old competition and when you’re managing the biggest club in it, everyone is gunning for you. The manager took it on, without any fuss and fanfare, got the boys playing and got the job done. What an achievement for a rookie manager!

Sean and his squad, ready for our return to the Welsh Premier League.

Signings.

I have always felt that a crucial barometer of any manager is the success rate of the players he brings into his squad, and I feel this is another area where Sean has done well in. His first signings were Kevin Lloyd, Shaun Cavanagh and Jamie Crowther and all three contributed hugely to last season’s title triumph. Jamie, of course, is still with us and has become a firm favourite with the supporters, whilst Kev and Shaun have moved on having completed the job the manager had asked of them last term. Last summer, new additions to the squad were Ross Stephens, Ben Maher, Sion Bradley, Cai Jones, Noah Edwards and Nic Bould whilst Leo Smith has recently joined us on loan until the end of the season.   

Ben and Ross decided to leave to get more match time, whilst Cai, Sion and Noah have made a big impact on the team this year. Nic has done well when called upon as Rambo’s understudy and Leo is obviously a quality player and addition to the squad. To my mind, that’s a very good success rate for the gaffer and it will be interesting to see how he manages to continue this over the coming summer.

Opening Day Smiles. 

Back with a Bang. Cofis 1 – 0 Cefn Druids. Aug 12, 2018. 

Sean had the pleasure of managing the team in our first match back in the Welsh Premier League and played a blinder. With three mainstays of the side, Clive Williams, Jamie Breese and Danny Brookwell all carrying injuries, the manager handed starting berths to four new signings and the side delivered with a well-deserved one nil victory, courtesy of a Cai Jones goal. It was a big day for the club and the town and, in front of the Sgorio cameras, the Cofis got it right to begin the campaign with a bang.

Winning the Arm Wrestle. Connahs Quay Nomads 0 – 1 Cofis. Sept 11, 2018.  

We travelled to the Deeside Stadium on the back of two defeats and, if I’m honest, I probably would have more than settled for a point against a team who many pundits had tipped to make a real challenge for the WPL title this season. If anyone has seen the Nomads play under Andy Morrison, you will know what I mean when I say they are bullies. It’s not a criticism, rather an observation of how they play. They’re a big, physical side who love an arm wrestle and usually come out on top when teams take them on in that way. I thought the Cofis played Sean’s game plan perfectly on this satisfying evening and fully deserved the 1-0 victory, this time courtesy of a Jamie Breese netfinder. Not many teams win at the Nomads but we did.

Rare Victory over the Champions. The New Saints 0 – 1 Cofis. Nov 9, 2018. 

The professional club that has won the Welsh Premier League for what seems like the last quarter of a century are formidable opposition, but in a way that is very much different to the Nomads. Scott Ruscoe’s side love to play the passing game and often pass teams to defeat, especially on their own ground. Having always given them a run for their money and, having deserved more than a 0-3 defeat to them at the Oval earlier in the campaign, Eards got the team going again for this one. After a very tough first half, I felt we outplayed the champions after the break and Nathan Craig’s late winner was no more than we deserved. It goes to show that a good manager, management team and squad can give full-time professionals more than a match when preparations are perfect.  

Top Six with Front Two. Cofis 3 – 1 Carmarthen. Jan 5, 2019. 

This victory clinched the side’s place in the top six for Phase Two of the season and in this penultimate fixture I thought Eards showed great judgement by playing two strikers instead of the tried and tested lone frontman. We all knew what was at stake for this one – survival and a crack at a European tie via the end of season plays offs, and Sean’s aggressive line-up was just the job as the Cofis impressed in a 3-1 victory.

Running the Gauntlet. Bangor City 1 – 2 Cofis. Jan 26, 2019. 

We all know how this Welsh Cup tie ended, and what it meant to the club’s supporters. An amazing 1300-strong Cofi Army turned up for this one and I was as delighted as everyone else at the result. However, in addition to defeating our old rivals, there were two other highlights to look back on fondly. The first was when Sean and his assistant, Richard Davies, ran the gauntlet of abuse by home supporters when they walked towards the Cofi Army before kick-off to thank them for the support. The second was when he told me to take a shot of him with a photo of one of the club’s greatest supporters, Bob Bryant, who had recently passed away, to pass on to his daughter, Bethan. That was pure class.    

Post-Match Interviews. 

Sean and Bryn Williams during their memorable interview

Those of you who follow the club’s you tube channel will already be aware that Sean can be relied on for strong interviews. Win or lose, he’s always ready to talk and gives an informed analysis of the side’s performance. I have heard it from good sources that the Sgorio crew enjoy interviewing him and I think that’s clear to see in their coverage. And who could ever forget the interview he finished off in Welsh with Bryn Williams, who set him up slightly, but all in good humour, and with a great response from Eards. I was nearby when the interview took place and it was one of my highlights of the season thus far.

So, there we have it, some of Sean’s top moments with Caernarfon Town from where I’ve been looking from. Of course, there are many other memorable occasions to look back on, most of which I’ve mentioned in the blog over the past sixteen months and one or two I couldn’t share, such as the time he ran out of the shower after the final match of last season to photo-bomb the players with the league trophy (and that’s as far as I can go!). There have also been numerous occasions behind the scenes where he has gone above and beyond his remit to help the club and its stakeholders, all of which he does without any fuss and fanfare. 

If ever a manager has proved himself up to the job of waking up a sleeping giant in Welsh football, and engaging himself with the whole community to do so, then it’s Sean. It’s been a long road back to the top for Caernarfon Town Football Club and it needed someone special to push us on to the next level. The first fifty matches of Sean Eardley’s reign have proved that he is the perfect fit for the Cofis and I can’t wait to see how far he can take us in the coming years!

Ain’t Nobody Like Sean Eardley.