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.   

   

Y Fersiwn Gymraeg: Ryan Williams, Safbwynt Gwahanol a 'Sconegate'.

Fel Cymro balch rwy'n teimlo'n aml y dylwn i ysgrifennu llawer mwy yn fy iaith frodorol. Mae'n iaith gyntaf i mi, yr un rwy'n ei defnyddio drwy'r dydd, bob dydd, ac eto rwy'n ysgrifennu rhan mwyaf o bethau yn Saesneg. Does dim esgus mewn gwirionedd, heblaw am ddweud, doeddwn i wirioneddol ddim yn cymryd fawr o sylw o fy ngwersi Cymraeg yn yr ysgol gan fy mod yn siared yr iaith yn rhugl, yr un fath â phawb arall oni'n adnabod.

Gyda hyn mewn golwg, rwy'n rhoi cynnig, am y tro cyntaf, ar fersiwn Gymraeg o gofnod blog a, cyn belled a fod o'n ddarllenadwy, mi fydda i'n gwneud fy ngorau i cario ymlaen gyda fersiwn Cymraeg a Saesneg o flogiau'r dyfodol. Peidiwch â bod yn rhy feirniadol gyda fy ymgais gyntaf.....

Ar ôl cyhoeddi cofnod blog dim ond pedwar diwrnod yn ôl, ydw i yn sefyllfa anghyffredin iawn o fod yn ôl y tu ôl i'm desg ac o flaen y gliniadur, ac yn rhoi cynnig arall ar rannu sylwadau gyda themau i ymwneud a'r Cofis, a rhoi diweddariad cyflym i unrhyw rai sydd â diddordeb.

Gorffennais y cofnod olaf drwy nodi nad oedd y tîm wedi gwneud yn rhy ddrwg hyd yn hyn am dîm pêl-hir oedd yn saff o fynd lawr i'r ail gynghrair ar ôl tymor yn yr Uwch Cynghrair ac, er gwaethaf y golled siomedig a gafwyd i'r Drenewydd, nid oes dim wedi newid.

Mewn gwirionedd, nid yw perfformiad y tîm yn erbyn y 'Robins' ond yn atgyfnerthu'r hyn yr wyf i, a'r rhan fwyaf o gefnogwyr y clwb, wedi bod yn ei ddweud drwy'r tymor: Rydym mewn safle gwych yn y Gynghrair ond, yn seiliedig ar ein perfformiadau, mae'n bosibl y dylem fod yn herio Cei Connah, Y Barri a'r Seintiau Newydd am y teitl.

Nic Bould

Ella bod hwn yn ddatganiad braidd yn feiddgar o ystyried ein bod dim ond ychydig dros hanner ffordd drwy ein tymor cyntaf yn ôl yn uwch gynghrair Cymru, ond byddwn yn herio unrhyw un sy'n amau fy marn ar hyn i wrthbrofi nad ydym yn haeddu dipyn mwy o bwyntiau ar y Bwrdd nag sydd gennym ar hyn o bryd.

Y gem ym Mharc Latham yw'r enghraifft ddiweddaraf lle oedd perfformiad y tîm yn haeddu mwy na'r canlyniad. I ddweud y gwir, roedd yn fy atgoffa o'n gêm yn yr un stadiwm ym mis Awst pan gollodd y Cofis er i ni reoli cyfnodau hir o'r gêm a chreu'r rhan fwyaf o'r cyfleoedd i sgorio. Ar ôl dweud hyn, mae'r Drenewydd yn dîm da ac mae ganddynt y profiad i fynd drwy gyfnodau anodd mewn gemau ac ennill ar y diwedd, yn enwedig ar gae eu hunain.

Roedd y gêm ei hun yn gracar ac, ar ôl yr ugain munud gyntaf roedd yn anodd i fi gredu bod Dre ddim ar ar y blaen. Roedd y gwesteiwyr ar y rhaffau yn gynnar ac rwy'n siŵr bod y chwaraewyr yn teimlo'n rhwystredig bod nhw heb wneud y fwyaf o hyn.

Aeth y Drenewydd ar y blaen ar ôl hanner awr, a dyma oedd y sgôr hanner amser, ond oni dal i deimlo bod gan Gaernarfon ddigon i ddod yn ôl am fuddugoliaeth. Roedd pethau'n edrych yn dda i ni ar ôl dwy gol sydyn gan Sion Bradley a 'dyn y gêm', Darren Thomas, ond sgoriwyd y Drenewydd yn syth ar ôl gol Messi ac, yn rhwystredig iawn, aethant yn eu blaenau i sicrhau'r pwyntiau drwy ymdrech wych gan Alex Fletcher.

Messi oedd 'Chwaraewr y Gêm' yn erbyn y Drenewydd.

Cafodd Darren Thomas ei enwi'n ddyn y gêm ar y diwrnod ac yr wyf yn sicr yn cytuno ond mae'n rhaid ei fod wedi bod yn alwad agos rhwng Messi, Sion Bradley a Ryan Williams, ond y gwir ydi oedd y tîm i gyd yn ardderchog.

Er gwaethaf y golled, yr oedd llawer o bethau positif o hyd i'w cael, ar ac oddi ar y cae. Roedd gweld Nic Bould yn cael ei gem lawn gyntaf yn Uwch Gynghrair Cymru, a chwarae'n dda, yn sicr yn un ohonyn nhw. Arwyddodd Nic i'r  clwb yn ystod yr haf a, gydag Alex Ramsay wedi'i sefydlu'n gadarn fel ein gôl-geidwad, mae ei gyfleoedd i ddisgleirio wedi bod yn brin hyd yn hyn.

Fodd bynnag, dydd Sadwrn oedd ei drydydd cychwyn ar gyfer y tîm cyntaf, ac o be ydw i wedi gweld, mae'n o'n hedrych yn 'prospect' da i ni at y gorffennol.  Gwelais ef yn chwarae i'r tîm o dan 19 oed yr wythnos diwethaf ac fe wnaeth yn dda yn y gem yna hefyd felly, tra bod i efallai wedi bod yn poeni yn y gorffennol ar yr adegau cafodd Rambo ei anafu, nid yw hyn gymaint o boen i mi rŵan. Gyda llaw, chwaraeodd y tîm o dan 19 yn dda iawn yn erbyn Llandudno ac mae'n ddigon bosib bod un neu ddau ohonynt wedi gwneud argraff dda o flaen tîm rheoli'r tîm cyntaf, gydag Eards Richard a Mike yn bresennol. 

Ryan Williams

Positif mawr arall i'r Cofis ar y diwrnod oedd perfformiad gwych Ryan Williams. Ryan yw dyn tawel y tîm yn fawr iawn ac, fel swyddog cyfryngau'r clwb, mae'n debyg fy mod i mor euog â neb bod o ddim bob amser yn cael y clod y mae o'n haeddu.

Roedd cyffro mawr ymhlith y cefnogwyr pan wnaethom gyhoeddi ei fod wedi ymuno â ni o Wrecsam yn ystod haf 2017 ond, yn anffodus, oedd ei dymor cyntaf yn yr Oval yn rhwystredig iawn oherwydd anaf.

Yda ni gyd yn hapus bod Ryan wedi mwy na gwneud i fynnu am hyn tymor yma. Rwyf wedi clywed bod Ryan ar fin torri i mewn i dîm cyntaf Wrecsam pan nath anaf  ei ddal yn ôl ac rwy'n sicr yn gallu gweld pam y byddai mor agos i'r tîm cyntaf yno. Mae'n beldroediwr go iawn ac oherwydd hyn, gall addasu i nifer o safleuon o amgylch y cae.

Er ei fod yn faeswr, mae Ryan wedi chwarae yn y cefn am y rhan fwyaf o dymor yma, ac wedi bod yn rhagorol, boed hynny yn ôl ar y dde neu yn galon y llinell gefn. Mae ei ansawdd gyda'r bêl yn amlwg a gallwch weld y canolwr ynddo pan mae'n chwarae allan o'r cefn. Mae Ryan hefyd yn hogyn iawn ac yn llysgennad gwych i'r clwb. Felly, ymddiheuriadau iddo am beidio bob amser â rhoi'r penawdau cyfryngau mae'n eu haeddu, ond gobeithio y bydda i'n gallu rhoi digon o sylw iddo yn y blynyddoedd i ddod.

Messi a Brads yn dathlu yn y Drenewydd.

 Un o'r themau ydw i'n ail-gylchu yn ddiweddar yn y blog yw bod pêl-droed dyddiau yma yn wahanol iawn i'r gêm roeddwn i'n ei hadnabod fel hogyn ifanc. Un ' datblygiad' hynod o hyll yn ddiweddar yw bod cefnogwyr rhai clybiau yn teimlo, yn ôl pob golwg, bod pob collhed yn ddiwedd y byd ac yn rheswm i cwestiynnu'r rheolwr a chwaraewyr. Diolch byth, mae cefnogwyr Tref Caernarfon yn wahanol a, cyn belled â bod pawb yn rhoi eu holl beth i'r achos, bydd y Cofis yn cefnogi'r rheolwr a'i dîm. Fydd hyn byth yn broblem gyda Eards a'i garfan gan eu bod bob amser yn gadael popeth ar y cae. Yn union fel y gwnaethant yn y Drenewydd.

Cyn symud ymlaen o gêm dydd Sadwrn, roedd yn gret o syniad gan y gwesteiwyr i gynnig baps sglodion am ddim i bawb yn y cae, er i mi golli allan oherwydd camgymeriad costus ar fy rhan. Ydw i ddim am fynd i ormod o fanylder ond es i i'r 'canteen' ar gyfer fy mwyd yn hytrach na Chlwb y cefnogwyr, ac er bod y wraig garedig yno wedi tynnu sylw at fy camgymeriad, roeddwn yn teimlo'n rhy anghyfforddus i ganslo fy archeb, felly gorfod talu nes i! I fod yn deg, roedd yn werth y £1.50c ac yn enwedig wrth bod y canteen yn atgoffa fi o 'gaffi Sid' yn Only Fools and Horses!

Yr oedd digwyddiad arall yn ymwneud â bwyd ar y diwrnod sydd yn haeddu ei grybwyll er bod rhaid i fi fod yn bwyllog gyda'r manylion am resymau a ddaw'n amlwg. Os fyswn i'n egluro'r manylion yn llawn, byddai'r geiriau Llywydd, sgon menyn, cyn is-gadeirydd a phoced yn cael lle amlwg ac felly, am fod ofn cywilydd ar unrhyw un byddai i yn gadael y stori i'ch dychymyg!

Bydd y tîm yn wynebu'r pencampwyr, y Seintiau Newydd, ar ddydd Llun, 25ain Chwefror ac ella bod hyn am fod yn achlysur unigryw oherwydd ydw i ddim yn siŵr os ydi’r Cofis erioed wedi chwarae gêm Uwch Gynghrair ar nos Lun o'r blaen. In sicr fydd o’n brawf diddorol i ni ac i'r Gynghrair. Trefnwyd y dyddiad i hwyluso cais sgorio i ddarlledu'r gêm ar eu platfform byw ar Facebook, a defra I ddim disgwyl amdani!

Gan ystyried bod YSN yn glwb proffesiynol, mae am fod yn dasg anodd i'r Cofis ond mae'r hogiau wedi bod yn gystadleuol yn ein gemau diweddar gyda nhw ac, wrth gwrs, wedi curo nhw tymor yma ar eu tir eu hunain. Mae'r chwaraewyr wedi profi bod nhw digon da i gystadlu ar y lefel yma ac mae un peth yn sicr, bydd Eards a'i dim yn barod am yr her, yn enwedig o flaen dorf fawr arall yn yr Oval.

Ryan Williams, a Different Perspective and Sconegate.

Having published a blog entry just four days ago I find myself in the very rare position of being back behind my desk and in front of the laptop, having another go at putting some Cofi themed thoughts together and providing a quick update for any interested parties.

I finished the last entry by stating that the team had not done too badly thus far for a relegation doomed long ball team and, despite Saturday’s disappointing defeat to Newtown, nothing has changed. In fact, the team’s performance against the Robins simply reinforced what I, and the majority of Town supporters have been saying all season: We’re in a great position in the league but, based on our performances, we should possibly be challenging for the title.

This may seem a rather bold statement considering we are just over half way through our first season back in the Welsh Premier League, but I would challenge anyone who doubts my sentiments to disprove that we don’t deserve a fair few more points on the board than we have now.  

A rare start for Nic in goal.

The match at Latham Park is the latest example of where the team’s performance deserved more than defeat. In fact, I found it very reminiscent of our fixture at the same ground back in August when the Cofis lost despite controlling long periods of the game and creating the majority of goalscoring opportunities. Having said this, Newtown are a good side and have the experience to get through sticky periods in matches and clinch victories, especially on their own patch.

The match itself was a real thriller and after a barnstorming first twenty minutes I found it hard to believe that Town were not ahead. Caernarfon had the hosts on the ropes early on and I’m sure the players were frustrated at not quite being able to make their superiority count.

Newtown went ahead on the half hour mark, a lead they kept up to half-time, but despite this I still felt Caernarfon had enough to get back into the match and possibly gain victory. Things looked good for us after a quickfire double from Bradley and man of the match Darren Thomas but the Robins equalised immediately after Messi’s netfinder and, frustratingly, went on to secure the points courtesy of a very good winning goal by Alex Fletcher. Darren Thomas was named our man of the match on the day which I certainly agree with but it must have been a close call between Messi, Sion Bradley and Ryan Williams, all of whom were excellent.

Nic Bould.

Despite the defeat, there were still many positives to be had, on and off the field. Seeing Nic Bould being given his Welsh Premier League debut, and playing well, was certainly one of them. Nic signed for the club during the Summer and, with Alex Ramsay firmly established as our number one, his opportunities to shine have been rare thus far.

However, Saturday was his third start for the first team and, from what I have seen, he looks to be a real prospect for us. I saw him play for the Under 19’s last week and he did well then too so, whilst I may have been worried in the past whenever Rambo was injured, this was not so much the case this week, and won’t for as long as Nic is our number two. Incidentally, the Under 19’s gave a strong Llandudno side a real run for their money and a few of the side may well have done themselves a favour in front of the first team management team, with Eards, Richard and Mike all in attendance.  

Another massive plus for the Cofis at Latham Park was the continuing outstanding form of Ryan Williams. Ryan is very much the quiet man of the team and, as the club’s media officer, I suppose I am as guilty as anyone that he does not always get the credit he deserves.

When we announced that he had joined us from Wrexham in the summer of 2017 there was a real buzz amongst supporters. Unfortunately, his first season with us was a disjointed affair due to injury but he has more than made up for it this time around. I have heard that Ryan was on the verge of breaking into the Robins’ first team when injury held him back and I can certainly see why he would be. He is a proper footballer and, as such, can adapt to a number of positions around the pitch.

Ryan Williams. 

Despite being a midfielder, Ryan has played in the back for most of this campaign, and has been outstanding, whether it’s at full back or at the heart of the backline. His quality with the ball is obvious and you can see the midfielder in him when he plays out from the back, especially from the centre half position. Ryan is also a great guy, and a great ambassador for the club so, apologies to him for not always giving him the media headlines he deserves, but hopefully I’ll be able to give him his share of the limelight in the years to come.

A re-occurring theme recently in this blog is that modern day football is very different from the game  I knew as a youngster. One particularly ugly recent ‘development’ is that supporters of some clubs seemingly feel that every defeat is the end of the World and cause to question the manager and his players. Thankfully, Caernarfon Town supporters are a different kind and have a very different perspective.  In so long as everyone is giving their all to the cause, the Cofis will back the manager and his team. With Eards and his charges, this will never be a problem as they always leave everything on the pitch. Just as they did at Newtown. 

Darren Thomas against Newtown.

Before moving on from Saturday’s match, it was an excellent gesture by the hosts to offer free chip baps to everyone at the ground, although I missed out due to a schoolboy error on my part. I won’t go into too much detail but I headed for the canteen for my freebie instead of the supporters club and, although the kind lady who served me pointed out my error, I was too embarrassed to cancel my order thus ending up paying. To be fair, it was worth the £1.50p and especially so since the canteen reminded me of Sid’s Café from Only Fools and Horses! 

Scone-Gate. There was another food-related incident at the ground that warrants mentioning although, again, details must be vague for reasons that will become obvious. If I was to fully explain the details, the words President, Buttered Scone, Former Vice Chairman and Pocket would feature prominently and so, for fear of embarrassing anyone Ii will leave the story to your imagination. 

The team’s next fixture may well be a first for the club, as we will be facing champions The New Saints on Monday, 25^th February. I’m not sure if the Cofis have ever played a league match on a Monday evening before but it should certainly be an interesting trial for us and the league. The date was arranged to facilitate Sgorio’s request to broadcast the match on their facebook live platform, and I can’t wait for it!

Taking into account that TNS is a professional outfit, it seems a daunting task for the Cofis but we have proved competitive in all our recent matches with them and, of course, defeated

Brads.

them earlier this season on their own ground. The players have already proved they’re good enough to compete well at this level and one thing’s for sure, Eards and his charges will be well up for the challenge, especially in front of what could be another big crowd at the Oval.

Before that, however, former World Boxing Champion Tony Bellew will be visiting the supporters’ club for a special event, which promises to be a memorable evening for everyone who has a ticket. Despite the fact he’s an Everton supporter, he seems a really good guy and I’m looking forward to hearing his stories from inside and outside the ring. I believe there are still a few tickets available  from the club’s commercial manager, Phil Jones, who can be contacted on Twitter @PhilOval.

That’s it for now, except to say that I am working on an exclusive interview for the blog with Nathan Craig, about his time with us up to now, and hopefully we’ll be able to publish this in the next week or two. In the meantime, get your tickets for Bellew if you haven’t already done so! 

The Serial Whistleblower, False Teeth and George Clooney

There was a time, for a very long time, when Saturday owned football. Weekend matches were the exclusive property of Saturday afternoon and it seemed that the only team that strayed from this tradition, anywhere in the World (as far as I knew back then!)  was Tranmere Rovers, who only ever played at Prenton Park on Friday evenings.

When the BBC and ITV bought the rights to broadcast live matches in the eighties, this resulted in some top flight fixtures being moved to Sundays, and occasionally Fridays. Then, along came Sky and, at the behest of this mass media monstrosity, Saturday has become ‘any other day’ for supporters of the beautiful game.

The last quarter of a century has seen most traditions connected with the game disappear faster than dodgy businessmen to sunny European countries and it is now television that rules football, not Saturday. Kick off times are everywhere, seven days of the week and, of course, for most of us it’s great to have so much action to watch.

If you’ve reached this point, you may well be asking what has all this got to do with Caernarfon Town Football Club?

The answer is not much, directly, but it does seem to me that the traditional Saturday afternoon at the match is a very rare occurrence these days, even for semi-professional clubs such as ours. Before carrying on, I should add that I fully understand the need to reschedule fixtures at Welsh Premier League level to accommodate Sgorio who do such a fine job of covering the game in Wales (my opinion of the date and time of our recent Welsh Cup tie is another matter).   

I also support Friday evening matches at the Oval. Business, attendance and atmosphere-wise, it’s a no-brainer, and it’s always an occasion to savour when the Cofis stride onto the pitch under the lights. It’s something I’ve wanted the club to do for a number of years and, thankfully, this season we have the opportunity to host most of our home fixtures on Fridays, which is working out well for everyone (except opposing teams!).

However, from time to time I do like to touch base with the old traditions, and our recent match with Barry Town meant we could do just that, as the sides squared off for a rare Saturday afternoon encounter.

Aware that the first team squad were having their medicals in the morning I got to the ground early in the hope of a few photos and interviews for the club’s youtube channel. I soon changed my plans, however, when I realised that it did not seem wholly appropriate for a middle-aged man, camera in hand, to be seen anywhere near the players as they undertook their tests, under the watchful eye of former Town goalkeeper, Remi Dolagala, also known as the Cofi George Clooney.  

A figure always seen early doors on match days at the Oval is Terry ‘Ten Clubs’, who proceeded to tell me, in no small detail, about his recent escapades around town. These included tales of his latest female admirers working in a charity café and his plans to buy a Caernarfon Town bobble hat for a well-known local football presenter, who shall remain nameless for now.  

Leo Smith on his Caernarfon debut

Rather more interesting was meeting a charming couple from Derby, who were making their first trip to the Oval. Roger and Brenda are autograph hunters, a hobby that sees them travel the length and breadth of Britain. It was interesting, but not surprising, to hear them say they had been to a number of Welsh Premier League grounds in recent years and been disappointed with the low attendances. With this in mind, I’m sure they would have been pleasantly surprised with the crowd of seven hundred and fifty two that turned up to see us take on the then league leaders.

Sean Eardley handed Leo Smith his debut in the yellow shirt and the recent loan signing from Wrexham did not disappoint, producing an assured display in midfield. In fact, his performance mirrored the teams’, as the Cofis made a steady start in an edgy first half but stepped up a level after the break to dominate proceedings.

Wonder goals from Sion Bradley and Nathan Craig were worth the price of admission alone, and the two-nil scoreline was a fair reflection of the match. Barry defeated us twice in the first phase and on both occasions I had felt we deserved more. They won at the Oval courtesy of a very late winning goal, whilst we had spurned a number of opportunities in a 1-2 defeat at Jenner Park, and so it was good to turn them over this time around.

Sion Bradley

In the last blog I mentioned how good Darren Thomas had been playing since early December and he carried on his form against Barry, setting up both goals with well-weighted passes, not to mention his excellent run with the ball leading up to Sion Bradley’s opener. Both he and Nathan were included in Sgorio’s five a side team of the week and rightly so. There were a few names in contention for the Player of the Match and it was Gareth Edwards who got the vote and again. The big man is having a superb season at the heart of our defence and if ever there is a case for someone getting better with age, Gaz is it. 

Although I had had second thoughts on covering the players’ medicals, I did manage to find myself present when Sean got the squad together for the pre-match talk in the Board room and was impressed with how much he knew about our opponents, with little pieces of information passed onto the players about certain individual players.

I enjoyed being a fly on the wall at the session and can only say that it was as far away as you can get from a memory I have of my one and only manager in local football. He had been so hung over whilst watching us play in Holyhead that, whilst trying to issue instructions about five minutes into the action,  his false teeth flew out of his mouth and onto the pitch. But, as Eards would say, it’s all about levels, isn’t it?!

Finally, how refreshing was it to see Barry manager Gavin Chesterfield in his post-match interview giving Caernarfon the credit they deserved for the victory? It’s not often you’ll hear managers doing this and, if they do, they’ll nearly always accompany such comments with a hard-luck story about missed chances or the referee’s performance. Gavin didn’t go down this road and showed the class that one or two others in his position would do well to try to emulate.

Sitting in on the post match team talk

A trip up the A55 to the Deeside Stadium was next on the schedule and, on a wet and windy evening, the Cofis ended up on the end of a rather harsh 2-6 defeat to Connahs Quay Nomads. The scoreline seems odd for a match between sides occupying two of the top four positions in Welsh domestic football at the time but, in all honesty, the on-field action was a much fairer reflection of the sides’ merits than the result itself.

Town had defeated Andy Morrisons’ side at the same ground earlier in the campaign and, taking into account our fine recent form, I felt we were in with a chance of another decent result against the new league leaders. There were a number of Cofi absentees on the night but it’s a sign of the strength of our squad that Sean could still field a really strong starting eleven and bench.

Messi was unplayable against Barry

My initial optimism for an entertaining match evaporated as soon as I realised who the referee was. I mentioned in the last blog how poor the officiating had been during our New Year’s Day draw at Llandudno and it was a real blow to see the same official in the middle again so soon after that debacle of a performance. The rumblings of discontent amongst the Town supporters I spoke with said it all really and, sure enough, the serial whistleblower lived up to expectations, especially in a stop start first half.

As for the match itself, I thought the team played well and when Cai scored to make it 2-3, I felt we were on top and about to claim at least a point. Of course, this proved not to be the case and, in my opinion, Nomads striker Michael Bakare was the difference between the sides on the night. He was a real threat throughout and scored a stunner for the hosts’ sixth goal.

Cai was on the scoresheet against Connahs Quay

The final scoreline was a cruel one, as Caernarfon were very much in contention until the final ten minutes. I don’t feel anyone could fault the players’ commitment and desire, a point proved when the Cofi Army clapped the team off at the final whistle. And talking of the Caernarfon supporters, they were incredible on the night. There must have been around two hundred Cofis in the stand and the noise they generated was every bit as loud as that heard at our recent Welsh Cup tie. A Caernarfon supporter recently tweeted that, in twenty years of following the side he has never known such a positive feeling around the club and that sums it up for me too.

As always, Nathan and Eards were up for post-match interviews and I’ll make no excuses for repeating what I’ve already said on social media about Sean’s post-match comments. Listening to managers bemoaning bad luck and poor decisions whilst failing to credit their opponents has become a sad new facet of modern day football and those who do it need to look at Sean’s interviews. Win, lose or draw, he always has a good word to say about the opposing side and it’s a real pity that more managers can’t follow suit.

We have another two matches against the Nomads to look forward to before the end of the campaign and I can’t wait to see what Eards and his management team have up their sleeves to avenge this defeat. One thing’s for sure, the Oval will be bouncing for both fixtures!

A final thought for now: We’re fifth in the league, have a Welsh Cup quarter-final to look forward to and boast the best average home attendance in the Welsh domestic football. Not too bad for a relegation doomed long ball team is it?

The Dark Side, The Long Ball and the Jedi Knight

“The target for the season is tenth, but we think we can challenge for a top six spot.”

That was Sean Eardley’s answer last August when I asked him how he felt the team would cope in the Welsh Premier League. Football is full of big egos and hoodwinkers, we’ve all seen plenty of them at the Oval over the years, but Eards is as far away from that as you could get, so his words gave me hope that my own assessment of the team was not too far off.

Readers of the blog will know how highly I rate the Caernarfon squad and management. I’ve spoken often enough of my hopes of ruffling a few feathers, and egos, once we got back into the league and so I always felt we could challenge for a top half berth. Believing it is one thing, but of course proving it is another so it’s been an exciting ride seeing us do exactly that.

I last posted a blog on New Year’s Eve when the Cofis still had three matches to try and secure a top six spot. We were in a strong position at the time, but had tough-looking fixtures with Llandudno, Carmarthen and Bala on the horizon and there was still plenty of football to play, and potential banana skins to avoid, before the end of the league’s first phase.

Our first challenge was to visit the Giant Hospitality Stadium, where our former manager, Iwan Williams, and his charges would be desperately trying to gain three much needed points in their fight against relegation. The teams had played out a thrilling 3-3 draw at the Oval just three days prior to this encounter and, despite their position in the league, I think we all knew that the Seasiders would again be a handful in the return fixture.

An impressive crowd of six hundred and seventy five turned up at the ground but, despite the best efforts of the players, they could not quite replicate the thrills and spills of the six-goal thriller three days earlier. It was not through lack of intent from the sides as they were both looking to play on the front foot. However, it can be impossible to do this when the referee blows his whistle every time there is a challenge or tackle for the ball. Rob Jenkins was the man in the middle and, to put it bluntly, he spoiled the match for everyone in the ground, players and spectators alike.

It has become an epidemic in modern day football that the referee will award a free kick as soon as players from opposing teams get within touching distance of the ball at the same time, or when someone falls to the ground. Such incessant breaks in the game will always spoil the flow of the action and, with everyone in the ground becoming increasingly frustrated, it can become a very tedious ninety minutes for everyone.

Sion Bradley was excellent against Llandudno

And so it was on New Year’s Day. From the moment Jenkins booked Rhys Roberts for an innocuous challenge early on the tone for the remainder of the match had been set, and he proceded to brandish five yellow cards and award what seemed like three thousand free-kicks. Seeing that the match was drawn, I assume no-one will anything resembling sour grapes in my words, but rather a genuine opinion of a match official who was either completely out of his depth or who let the big occasion get the better of him. Social media opinion seemed to match mine so it’s fair to say that Mr Jenkins had an afternoon to forget. Incidentally, I was surprised to see that the official was in charge of the recent Nathaniel MG Cup final, and therefore can only assume that the assessor at our match with Llandudno did not give a full account of how poor he was on the day. If he didn’t, then why have assessors at any matches?

Anyway, it was a hard-fought affair and the 1-1 draw was a fair reflection of the action. I thought Sion Bradley and Darren Thomas were excellent on the day, with the latter in particular, looking sharp and dangerous in and around the hosts’ penalty area. It’s been an unusual season for Darren in that he’s not always been included in our starting eleven, and had to wait until mid-December to score his first goal of the campaign. There have been patches of brilliance from him throughout the season but the ball had never seemed to bounce his way until that Aberystwyth match, when he found the net with a familiar cheeky sidestep. Since then, he has been excellent and, in my opinion, back to his best in the fixtures against Llandudno, Carmarthen and Bala.

Our main rivals for the remaining top six spot were Aberystwyth and it must have been a boost for Sean and his squad when Nev Powell’s side suffered a 1-6 defeat to Connahs Quay the day prior to our encounter with Carmarthen. The result meant that victory over the Old Gold at the Oval would cement our place in the top six, thus guaranteeing our position in the Welsh Premier League for another season and, as an added bonus, giving us an opportunity to qualify for European football at the end of the campaign.

The league table may have suggested the Cofis were strong favourites to get the job done but I’m sure those of us who saw how Neil Smothers’ side turned us over at Richmond Park in November would have been aware of the tough task ahead. They’re a very decent side and, in my opinion, have one of the best midfielders in the league in Greg Walters.

During the week, a Town supporter tweeted that the fixture was one of our most important for years and I could not have agreed more. Taking into account all that was on the line the fixture was more than on a par with everything else over the last quarter of the century.

Having grown up in the seventies and eighties, I’m a a football traditionalist and always like to see teams set up in the 4-4-2 formation. I understand this may seem to be a dated way to look at things, but I’ve seen many great sides over the years win the biggest trophies this way, so it’s hard for me to move away from it now. With this in mind, I was delighted to see the eleven Eards had picked to start against Carmarthen, with Cai Jones and Jamie Breese given a rare start together. The attacking formation was a sign of intent from the manager and, despite going an early goal down, the team roared back to win by three goals to one.

The Cofi Messi is back in full swing.... 

The players really performed on the day and, again, it was Darren Thomas who stood out for me.  His performance in the second half is the best I’ve seen him in a Town shirt and, to use a Star Wars analogy, he was akin to a Jedi Knight weaving through the visitors’ midfield and defence every time he got the ball. The Cofi Messi capped off his fine display with a super goal, winning a tackle thirty yards out before running past two defenders across the box and thundering the ball into the far corner of the net. I’ve said this many times at hundreds of matches and won’t apologise for repeating it: Darren is good enough for the football league and it’s a real shame he never got the opportunity to make it professionally as a youngster.

As a Caernarfon supporter, of course, it’s worked out well for us, because we’ve been lucky enough to have seen the best of Darren in the yellow shirt over the past five years and also I don’t think any other set of supporters, anywhere, could have appreciated and thought more of him than the Cofi Army.  

Alex Ramsay was in inspired form against Bala

The final match of Phase One saw us making the trip to Bala on a bitterly cold Saturday evening. To be honest, Bala would not be many people’s preferred location for a Saturday night out but, in all fairness, it proved to be a pretty good evening for the many Cofis who made the effort.

Things did not look promising early on as the hosts started strongly and, having gone down to an early goal, we could thank Alex Ramsay for keeping us in the match as our number one pulled off a string of quality saves to keep us within touching distance at half-time. Having said this, both Darren Thomas and Jamie Breese went close to scoring for us too, so it was by no means one-way traffic for the Lakesiders.

The second half was a totally different affair as the Cofis dominated it from start to finish and, once Messi headed in the equaliser, there really was only going to be one winner. Danny Brookwell put us ahead with a screamer and Nathan finished things off from the penalty spot in the last minute to give Caernarfon a deserved 3-1 victory.

It was an excellent performance and result and I thought the second half was the best we’ve played this season. Bala are big hitters in the league and have been for many years. It is generally said that they have a decent budget, which means that they’ve got a very talented squad, so to recover from a goal down and win in such fine fashion was very impressive from the players. As an added bonus on the night, the two-goal winning margin meant that the Cofis leapfrogged Bala into fifth place at the half way stage, which is no mean feat for a side tipped for relegation by the uninformed!

Cai is making his mark

The Tyn Lon Volvo Man of the Match was Cai Jones, who is proving on a weekly basis that he deserves to play with the big boys at the top table. Come to think of it, that statement says it all about the team too, doesn’t it!

One final thought on our visit to Bala: The Cofi Army must have outnumbered the home support by a five to one ration, which is not too unusual really, but I found it interesting that the few locals I spoke with at the ground were all envious of not only the following the club enjoys, but also the number of local players in our team. In my opinion, both these things go hand in hand and, if clubs decide to import whole squads, then they do risk alienating their local fanbase. Caernarfon Town supporters who remember the sad days of journeymen from up the coast enjoying fortnightly jollies to the Oval will know what I mean.

We ended January with the much-anticipated Welsh Cup tie against our oldest rivals at Nantporth. Once the fourth round draw had been made I think we all knew this was the pick of the ties and that there would be massive interest in what is the biggest of domestic Welsh derbies.

There’s no point in going over old ground, but, in short, the contrast between the clubs in the past  year could not have been greater. Whilst Bangor were demoted to the Cymru Alliance after failing the Domestic Licence, Caernarfon have made a big splash in the top tier and I think are now seen as the area’s dominant force.

For the first time I can remember the Cofis were favourites to win and progress to the next round but, of course, local derbies rarely turn out as straightforward as that and so it was with a mixture of excitement and nerves that I had looked forward to the fixture. The hosts had being playing well in recent weeks and so would be full of confidence, which was obvious from the get-go as they looked very sharp during the opening twenty five minutes.

When Jamie Breese put us ahead in the twenty eighth minute I thought we might go on to a handsome victory but the Citizens did well to get back on level terms, with a goal directly from a corner on the stroke of half-time.

Gaz Edwards celebrates his winner with the two Colins

I’m not sure they deserved to be on level terms going into the break but that’s how it was and so it was still game on at that point. However, the Cofis overpowered them in the second half and, whilst the wet conditions made it difficult to play, Caernarfon coped much better with the wind and rain and, as soon as Gareth Edwards put us 2-1 ahead, we looked comfortable and controlled the remainder of the match. With just a goal separating the sides, the hosts were still in the tie until the final whistle but, really, they did not pose much of a threat and never seemed like equalising.

Jamie Crowther

Jamie Crowther was named man of the match and he fully deserved it. He was superb all night and, in addition to his impressive display in front of the defence, he also provided a pinpoint cross from midfield for Gaz to score the winner from. Jay sometimes get criticised for playing the ball too long on occasions, but I don’t think he receives the recognition he deserves for the qualities he brings into our midfield. Big, strong and experienced, I believe he supplements our ball players perfectly.

I’ve ran out of superlatives where the Cofi Army is concerned but, for the record, they were unbelievable! In all of my four decades of supporting Caernarfon I have never known such an away following for the club and it was a proud feeling to be amongst them at the old enemy’s ground.

The victory was as sweet as they come and, to use my second Star Wars analogy of this piece, it was very satisfying to take on the Dark Side and come out on top! Putting an even greater shine on the victory was seeing the post-match interview with the Ayes manager, who somehow managed to keep a straight face when declaring that his charges had been the better side and deserved to win. He proceeded to call the Cofis a long-ball side and, really, that’s when I stopped listening. Oh, and it was also rather satisfying at the final whistle to see the look on the face of a small-time hack who showed his true colours at the match. Priceless!

In addition to the goals and the result, the highlight of the evening occurred before kick-off, when Eards and his assistant, Richard, walked onto the pitch to applaud the Cofi Army. Of course, the Caernarfon supporters were already in good high spirits but seeing the duo paying tribute before the action began really pumped up the volume. Recently, I heard someone calling Eards the Cofi Klopp and I know exactly what they mean!

The players and supporters headed to the Crown in Caernarfon later on and, for the first time in fifteen years I found myself in a pub on a Saturday night. There was a great atmosphere there although it was slightly surreal to carry out a post-match interview with Nathan Craig outside the Crown at half-past eleven at night!

The club received yet more good news this week when Eards secured the loan signing of Leo Smith from Wrexham. Leo is, of course, the son of former Town manager Steve Smith and, from what I saw of him when he played against us for Llandudno over the festive season, he is exactly the type of player the Cofis like. Talented, local and with plenty of heart.           

Next up is a return to Welsh Premier League action as we welcome table toppers Barry Town to the Oval. It’s going to be a tough, but exciting second phase of the season and I’m quietly confident it can be as successful as the first one……..