And The New Manager Is....

The new Cofis manager, Iwan Williams. 

It was the Boomtown Rats who sang I Don’t Like Mondays and, ever since it reached the top of the UK singles charts in July 1979, the song’s title has somehow become synonymous with the general feeling most people have about the first day of the normal working week. I know that I’ve used the title, and heard it said, many times over the years. But I did not use it last Monday! 

The reason is quite simple as, in addition to enjoying the Bank Holiday I was also lucky enough to be involved in announcing the identity of Caernarfon Town’s new manager.

As already mentioned in previous blogs, I am fortunate enough to be on the club’s committee and have therefore taken part in the search for Lee Dixon’s successor in the hot seat. Monday was the culmination of a two month selection process that has been both enjoyable and, if truth be known, not a little stressful, but only in the sense that it was so important to get the right man.

Once Lee had shared his plans to step down from his role at the end of the campaign, it was imperative that a plan of action was implemented and we decided to invite interested parties to contact us directly. The timing of Dicko's announcement gave us two months until the end of the season and we felt that, if possible, we should get his successor in as soon as the last match of the campaign had been played. This of course would give the new manager as much time as possible to start building towards the 2015/16 season.  

In my opinion, Caernarfon Town is one of the two biggest clubs in the area, with our neighbours in Nantporth being the other. It goes without saying, therefore, that there was plenty of interest in the job and, as with the case with every vacancy, there were one or two candidates who stood out. When all the interviews had been completed, held over the course of four weeks, just one man was left standing, and we were finally in a position to announce that Iwan Williams would be succeeding Lee in the manager’s chair.

Photographer Richard Birch showing how it's done!

Raising the Bar.

Arfon confirmed last week that he was staying on as Chairman and had also hinted the club hoped to announce the identity of the new manager as soon as possible. Therefore, when his name flashed up on my phone on Monday I had a feeling that my Bank Holiday was about to get busier! Iwan was with his Caersws team-mates in the afternoon, as they had a match with Penycae, and Arfon thought it would be good if we could arrange to meet him at the Oval on his way home after the match. The chairman was keen to announce the news on Monday if at all possible as he felt the supporters would be expecting it and he did not want to let them down. Thankfully, Iwan was available to meet with us and so we had a photo-shoot at the Oval that evening.

I was there in my role as Town's Press Officer and was delighted to be taking a few photos for the website and taking down comments from the manager, and was also pleased that we had been able to get hold of Richard Birch to take shots for the Caernarfon and Denbigh. I have Dave Jones to thank for this, as I had been unable to contact Richard, and managed to pass on the message to Dave, who did the rest! Those of you who have read my Oval Ways book will already know how highly I rate both Richard and Dave and they came up trumps once again for the Canaries!

We probably spent an hour at the ground with Iwan, and it was good fun. Richard made sure we got some great photos and the chairman made sure he featured in most of them! In all seriousness, when they posed in front of the main stand I could not help but think of where we could be in twelve months under their guidance.

On a personal note, I was really pleased with the photos I got, and hope you will enjoy seeing some of them here. One was even used by the North Wales Chronicle, which I was pretty chuffed about.

All that was left for me to do after getting the photos and comments was to head home, and release the news on the club's facebook page, twitter account and official website: http://www.clubwebsite.co.uk/caernarfontown/News/view/883662

Having seen the positive response from supporters on social media it seems that Iwan has been an extremely popular appointment with the supporters and this is, of course, always a good start. 

I had not met the new manager prior to his interview for the post but he had impressed me immensely with his ideas, and plans, and also with the obvious research he had done. On Monday he again spoke really well about his plans for the club and I have no doubt that Caernarfon Town FC has made the correct decision. Iwan has already mentioned his policy of making sure we’re ‘one club’ and this is something I’m sure we’ll get to hear more about in the near future. But, from what I’ve already heard from the manager, it’s going to be exciting, and progressive! 

I’m biased, obviously, but I’m convinced we’re in for great times at the Oval.   

The Boomtown Rats may not have liked Mondays, but for me, at least, last Monday was a blast! 

Forty Five Degrees and a Roman Nose!

There can be only be one place to start and it is of course with the very sad news that one of the club’s keenest supporters, Ron Hughes (photo right), passed away suddenly last week. I assume that most, if not all of those who read this blog are Caernarfon Town supporters and a large majority frequent the Oval regularly. This being the case, there will be no need for me to explain who Ron was as he has been a part of the club for many years and certainly for much longer than the three decades I have followed the team. Although the term ‘part of the furniture’ seems to be overused these days, in Ron’s case it is certainly appropriate. For as long as I remember he has always been at Caernarfon’s matches, both home and away, and could always be found behind the goal the team was attacking. He was jovial and always ready for some friendly banter and my overriding memory of him will be his jocular exchanges with his friend Paul Wills. On some days, their banter would be worth the price of admission alone!

Proof of Ron’s popularity amongst the players, supporters, committee and management team at the Oval and beyond can be seen on the club’s facebook page, where the club’s message of condolences to his family has been viewed by over eleven thousand people. A just tribute to a true supporter and kindly soul who will be sadly missed by everyone involved with Caernarfon Town. 

Forty five degrees in Caersws.

I made the long journey to Caersws with my youngest son, Iwan. He rarely travels to away matches but wanted to see the team ‘on the road’, so, armed with ipad, PSVita, and a picnic box for the young man, and travel sickness pills for me (not really), we made our way down the rollercoaster like A487 and A470. The road was relatively quiet but of course hampered every few miles or so by ‘yet another’ Ifor Williams truck. Someone should start printing stickers with that logo on to sell to the farmers who can sometimes cause queues of Fields of Dreams proportions!

When we arrived at the Recreation Ground, it became obvious early on that conditions were not the best. The pitch being understandably heavy after recent rainfall, and there was an exceptionally strong wind. The corner flag in a particularly exposed area of the ground stood at forty five degrees (photo, left) rather than the usual ninety although I was reliably  informed by our chairman that there was nothing out of the ordinary about it, as this is a stance he regularly uses on Saturday nights.

Gareth Edwards has been an excellent addition to the team.

The afternoon did not start too well as there had been a mix up with the kick-off time and I don’t think Lee was too happy that the team was forced to rush it’s warm-up as a result. Thankfully, he, Mike Innes and Matthew Bishop managed to get the players adequately warmed up for the match, and they responded in style, winning 2-0 after one of their best performances of the season. As had been the case in Holyhead days earlier, we had just eleven fit players available for selection and again they proved more than up to the job, dominating possession and fully deserving of the victory. Jamie McDaid and Steve Lewis grabbed the headlines with their goals but it was Gareth Edwards who was voted the supporters’ man of the match after an excellent display at the heart of defence. A few supporters questioned Gareth’s arrival at the beginning of the season but he has been an absolute giant in defence, and not just in height! He captained Cefn Druids to the Cymru Alliance League title in 2013/14 and was someone I expected great things of. Gareth has more than lived up to his fine reputation and has been an excellent addition to the team.

Lee nominates one of the referees' assistants for an award.

This was not the first time I’ve been to Caersws and I have to say they’re a very welcoming club, although there were a few vocal locals who gave the referee a torrid time. For ninety minutes! To be fair to the man in the middle, a Mr Tom Roberts according to the match day programme, he did not have the best of matches but then it’s an impossible job isn’t it? Every decision is greeted with howls of derision and venom by 50% of the spectators, whilst the other 50% clap and applaud his decision-making. Until the next one goes against their team and then it’s a matter of roles reversed! I hesitate to criticise match officials but if ever there was an award for ‘Dodgiest Decision of the Season’ one of the referees’ assistants at this match would have been in with a shout for flagging Steve Lewis offside whilst standing in his own half! There’s no need for me to elaborate is there? 

Anyway, apart from the big noises in the stand, and someone who kept shouting the words ‘Every Time Ref’ from the vicinity of the home dugout whenever a Town player went near an opponent, it was the perfect away day supporting the Cofis. And Iwan enjoyed himself too, so it was a good day all round! 

Oh, and a quick shout out to whoever put the match day programme together, it was an excellent read, and the best I’ve seen this season. Well done!

An Eventful Week.

When considering that the Cymru Alliance League title was out of the Canaries’ reach after Llandudno’s victory over Penycae on the same day that we beat Caersws, the final week of the campaign proved to be a very eventful one for Caernarfon Town Football Club.

Thursday saw the opening of the newly refurbished Board Room at the Oval and no less a figure than Sir David Brailsford was present to carry out the honours. I’m sure that no-one will need reminding of who David is but suffice to say that he is one of the World’s most respected cycling coaches, and has been responsible for spearheading the track cycling revolution in Britain, being performance director at British Cycling before becoming general manager at Team Sky. To have someone of his ilk at the Oval on the day was a great honour for the club and I hope it is an indication of how far the club has developed in recent years. In addition to this, he has also indicated that he would like to help Caernarfon Town Football Club develop even further, and who knows what can happen in the future with his guidance? It’s such an exciting prospect that I’m trying not to think too hard about it, in case things don’t go as planned, but I am nevertheless quietly confident it will all work out!

There was even more good news for the
club on Thursday when Arfon announced he would be staying on as chairman. Having stated earlier in the season that he would be stepping down at the end of the campaign, I think it’s fair to say that every supporter had been upset at the prospect of seeing him step down and therefore I am equally sure that everyone will be as pleased as I am at his decision to continue the wonderful work he has already done at the club. Having had the good fortune of sitting on the committee throughout the past five years I can say without doubt that he has been the driving force behind the club’s renaissance and I know he is as driven as ever to ensure that the Cofis get back into the Welsh Premier League and that the club can finally become the true community club we are all striving to achieve. These are no small targets for us but I am 100% sure we can achieve both with Arfon leading the way. We already know that he is probably the most photographed man in Caernarfon and so I don’t really want to increase his ego, but if ever a chairman deserves success, Arfon does. Incidentally, although I’m no Richard Birch (Gwynedd’s Best photographer, and friend of Caernarfon Town) I do enjoy taking photographs during matches and as the club’s Press Officer I like taking shots whenever anything newsworthy happens. Thursday offered plenty of this and, whilst I did not want to appear pushy by asking Sir David Brailsford for a few exclusive photos for the club, I knew Arfon would have no qualms about posing for a few photos! Most people feel awkward in front of the camera, but our chairman certainly doesn’t and he was not too shy in front of my lens and told me “I don’t care if my nose looks big, Paul, as it’s Roman!” You can judge for yourself from the photograph below!  

It was also nice to see Lee Dixon at Thursday’s opening, and our now former manager (how odd does that sound?) was responsible in applying for the lottery funding to complete the refurbishment. I had a quick chat with Lee and, although I was unsuccessful in trying to get him to follow Arfon’s lead and carry on as manager, I was really pleased to hear him say that he intends to help us in applying for grants to help develop the ground. He also told me that the club will continue to be a part of him and, coming from someone with links to Bangor, that means a lot! Dicko may be from the wrong side of the Felinheli by-pass but he is most certainly a Cofi now!

'The Bill The Coal Stand'.

No Flashing Lights. 

Another long trip awaited the team on the last day of the season, as they travelled to Rhayader for the final time under Lee Dixon’s leadership. With my son having already made plans of his own I have to say I didn’t much fancy making the trip on my own, and was lucky enough to be given a lift with by fellow committee member Elwyn Jones. Being a former policeman I had hoped he may still have one of those portable flashing lights to put on his roof so that we could overtake every Ifor Williams truck we saw, but alas, he had forgotten it, so we had to suffer the same as everyone else!   

Apart from passing through the town on numerous occasions I had very little knowledge of Rhayader and none whatsoever of their ground. The Weirglodd was pretty quiet when we arrived, with just a few Caernarfon supporters and a dozen locals standing around as the players started warming up on the pitch. There were two stands there, a quite impressive one on one side of the pitch, and a rather weather-beaten looking effort behind one of the goals, which was named the ‘Bill The Coal Stand’. It’s fair to say that both had seen better days but still did the job of offering sheltered seating to spectators and I rather liked the setting, with tall trees surrounding three sides of the pitch. Having said this, it also made me thankful for the excellent stands we have at the Oval! Watching one of the home players marking the pitch just half an hour before kick-off also made me thankful for our excellent groundsman, Wyn Owen!

The match was not a classic, but Town were worthy winners, and they showed plenty of quality, especially in the second half. Whilst walking around the pitch, trying to get a few snaps of all the players, I passed a handful of home supporters who were partaking in some banter with Caernarfon players. There was one in particular who was quick to pass judgement on any stray pass by a Town player, and James Bell was his target as I walked passed. Grahame Austin gave the heckler a quick riposte that seemed to rattle him somewhat and, to be honest, who could blame him? A goal from man of the match Matty Hurdman (left) less than a minute later finished him off, and I didn’t hear a word from him for the remainder of the match. Odd that, isn’t it?

It was a satisfying win that was made sweeter in that the team had given Lee a victory in his final game in charge. To be honest it was nothing less than I expected as most Saturdays over the last three years have more often than not resulted in victories for the Canaries! As Ywain Gwynedd led the players off the field, I wondered how many of the players will still be with us next season? I'd like them all to be there, but only the new manager will know.

And so, what of the future?

In his announcement last week Arfon hinted that the club may be in a position to name a new manager in the next few days. Time will tell if this happens but one thing you can be sure of is that the committee has given very serious thought as to who will be given the opportunity of taking Caernarfon Town back into the Welsh Premier League.

Following Lee Dixon is a massive job but the bar has been raised and the Cofis will be going for it next season!         

I'm sure to be back with another blog soon....   

Still in with a Shout.

As unlikely as it may seem, the Cofis enter the final week of the season still in with a chance of winning the Cymru Alliance League.

Following an excellent week which brought two victories over tough opposition, Town are second in the table, five points adrift of leaders Llandudno and with both sides having just two matches to play. It’s been some turnaround from Lee Dixon’s men following a difficult January when the side suffered an indifferent run of form and there was plenty of criticism being thrown at the manager and some of the players.

After the 1-4 defeat at Mold, I received a direct message on Twitter from someone I hardly know, who proceeded to tell me that the manager had changed the team too much in recent weeks and, from what he had heard, had obviously lost the dressing room. He had not been at any of the matches, but had apparently been reliably informed of all this from someone who knows these things! No name was offered, of course! Obviously, being a staunch supporter of Lee Dixon and the players I disagreed with him and, one or two messages and very little sense later, I told him that he should check his sources and get back to me before the end of the season. Funnily enough, I have not heard from him since!

Steve 'The Beast' Lewis struck the winner
against Holyhead..

Looking back at the first month of 2015, it was certainly a period where we lost a lot of ground in the race for the title and I think there were obvious reasons for a relatively mediocre run of results. Everything had been going well up to Christmas week, with the team close to Llandudno and looking good for a title challenge.

However, Lee decided to let Moses Barnett and Lee McArdle leave the club and this was understandable, as both had been on the bench in recent weeks. Unfortunately, he lost another defender immediately after, when it was announced that Clive Williams would be out for the remainder of the season due to injury. Danny Murphy also left the Oval and so the squad suddenly had a threadbare look about it almost overnight. The gaffer brought in the experienced Dave Morley and was also looking to make more additions. In January, striker Cory Williams left for Chester and Lee replaced him with former Rhyl forward Steve Lewis. The changes in personnel obviously had an effect on the team and, for the first few weeks of the new year, things did not appear to run as smoothly as normal on the pitch. One of the biggest changes was that Lewis is an old-fashioned centre forward who is big and strong and, having not had that type of frontman in the past, the team took time to adapt to his strengths. Having said this, it was obvious that he had something about him as a footballer and, after an initial settling down period, the Beast soon started firing.   

Jamie McDaid proving Neville Powell wrong on a
weekly basis.

January’s return of five points from four matches saw Llandudno and Guilsfield steal a march on us and therefore, for the team to have got back in contention now is testament to the hard work the players have put in. It also says a lot about the way Lee has managed to tweak the formation to one that can fully utilise the excellent offensive players he has in the squad. In my opinion, Darren Thomas, Jamie McDaid, Steve Lewis and the Punisher, Carl Owen, have proved an excellent strike force in recent weeks and it goes to show that, despite taking one or two matches to work things out, quality players can usually find a way to work together.  Of course, the recent impressive run of results is not just about the strikers and the whole team has been exceptional during a ten match period that has resulted in the late title charge.

The performances in past weeks have also proved that there is absolutely nothing wrong with team morale, despite what my ‘friend’ told me on Twitter weeks ago. How many times have we seen the team show character and resilience to find a way to win matches against good teams? Home victories over Llandudno and Caersws, and Tuesday’s impressive win against the odds at Holyhead have been recent highlights and you can’t get results like that without a happy changing room.

Lee taking his usual place in the home dugout for the final time last Saturday.

I confess to having missed the trip to Holyhead on Tuesday but from what I have heard, the players were exceptional and they needed to be against a good Hotspur side that included Jay Gibbs. Of all the players who have left the club this season, Jay is the one I really wish was still with us at the Oval. He is a cracking player and I always thought we looked really good when he played in our midfield. For whatever reason, Jay always seems to return to his hometown club but I hope that he’ll come back to the Oval one day to carry on where he left this season. Although I couldn’t make it to Holyhead, I was still able to follow the match on twitter, where I thoroughly enjoyed reading the comments coming from Llandudno FC’s official account. Fair play to the person who made the trip and braved the weather but I’m sure I wasn’t the only Caernarfon Town supporter who found his tweets entertaining, in a guilty kind of way!

Grahame Austin re-enters the fray after an injury lay-off.

Ywain Gwynedd leading by example against Caersws. 

Finally, I found Town’s victory over Caersws on Saturday a bitter sweet experience as, whilst obviously delighted at the result, it was also a sad occasion in that it happened to be Lee’s last home match as manager of Caernarfon Town. To be fair to the players, they gave the Gaffer a second half display to remember, and it was great that they gave him, and the home supporters, the victory we all wanted. But it was not all about Lee, as Jamie McDaid scored two more goals for the Cofis, and he continues to show on a weekly basis the folly of Neville Powell’s reluctance to put him in the team at Bangor. It was also great to see Grahame Austin’s return after injury as he entered the fray in the second half.
Special mention should also be made of Ywain Gwynedd, who has led by example as captain in Grahame’s absence.

Incidentally, Saturday afternoon had started well for me, as I met lifelong Caernarfon Town supporter Gareth  Morris, who had been one of the first to order my Oval Ways and Treble Days book. Gareth originally hails from Town and now lives in Cardiff and, having corresponded via the Cofis Dre forum and email over the years, it was really nice to finally get to meet him!   

I was really pleased to meet Gareth Morris on Saturday. 

And so to this Saturday, with the Canaries travelling to Caersws and still harbouring hopes of  winning the Huws Gray Alliance League. Llandudno travel to Penycae and are obviously favourites to win but we’re still in with a shout and as Jimmy Greaves used to say, it’s a funny old game.

Paul.

    

Just Like Watching Alan Brazil, Dicko’s Last Time and the Canaries Club Launch.

I am writing this blog entry for Harry, a Caernarfon Town supporter who twice last week reprimanded me for being inactive, and warned me to be sure I write two entries this week!

The subject of Caernarfon Town Football Club can pop up when you least expect it and I happened across such a scenario last week at Ysbyty Gwynedd.

Those who know me will be aware that I had a kidney transplant in 2009 and of course I am therefore required to attend regular appointments at both the Royal and Broadgreen Hospital in Liverpool, and renal unit in Ysbyty Gwynedd, where I had my dialysis six years ago.

The consultant who looks after me is a massive Liverpool fan (and why not?) and we always discuss the latest goings on at Anfield. Last week I gave him a copy of my Oval Ways book, by way of thanking him for everything he had done for me. To my surprise, the consultant turned to his assistant and asked if she knew where the Oval is situated. Much to my chagrin she replied in the negative, to which the consultant explained to her that to some people, the Oval is a famous cricket ground. However, to those who live in North Wales and have a passing interest in football, the real Oval is in Caernarfon, where the Canaries play!

I was impressed by his obvious appreciation of the finer things in life, and even more so when he continued by stating: “The Oval is where the supporters sing that watching their team is like watching Brazil!”    

I could not have described it better myself, although of course it has not always exactly been like this for us. In fact, if memory serves me right, I seem to recall this mantra once being uttered by one George Byrne, who managed Town for a thankfully short stint from January to October 1990. To be fair to our former manager he seemed proud to manage the club and obviously did his best but it seemed to me at the time that Mr Byrne was not short of confidence, and was certainly ready to talk to the local paper about how good his players were. Unfortunately, the only Brazil his team resembled was not that of the legendary Pele, Zico, Socrates and Rivellino variety, but rather that of the Alan variant when he played for Manchester United. All perm, little substance and disappointing results. In fact, the only thing that really stands out to me from Byrne’s time in charge was an incident involving his son, Paul, when he executed a full-blown rugby tackle on a passing striker. It was so fierce that JPR would have been proud of it and, come to think of it, JPR would probably have made a better defender for us than Byrne Junior.

This takes me nicely to the subject of rugby and the impressive way in which  Conwy Borough FC had promoted last saturday as an ‘event’ at their ground. They had posters outside and within the ground, advertising the Under 8’s match between the teams, and also that the clubhouse was open and BT Sport was showing live from 12pm. It also mentioned that the big rugby match between Wales and Ireland would be shown on the big screen for anyone who, for some reason, did not fancy the real match being played on the football pitch outside! In all seriousness, this is not something I see in many grounds, including ours if truth be known, and I hope their efforts were rewarded with increased revenue!

I also want to mention something I read on Conwy's official website. As Caernarfon’s Press Officer I am responsible or writing our match reports and, although I readily admit that they’re not of the highest quality, I always do try and give as fair and balanced an opinion as I can of the match. It is my opinion, however, that reports on some other clubs’ websites do not always credit both teams and some even have an edge of bitterness about them, if their team has lost. How many times have we read “Caernarfon can count themselves lucky to have won” or words to that affect?

Anyway, Conwy Borough’s report of Saturday’s match certainly does not fall under that category and I applaud the author and the team’s manager Aden Shannon for the generous words included in the piece:      

Aden Shannon "We gifted them three goals and you just can't do that with teams like Caernarfon as they will punish you. For me I think they are the best team in the league and have great quality going forward. I wish their outgoing manager Lee Dixon all the best in the future."

Classy stuff from a good club.

Just £5 to see Darren Thomas.

The past two days, I've enjoyed the snooker at Venue Cymru and it’s been excellent stuff! I’ve seen four matches lasting a total of ten hours over two days, and have seen the current World Champion and World Number One Mark Selby, and two former World Champions, Peter Ebdon and Shaun Murphy in action. I also had a photo taken with World Number Two Neil Robertson. And all this cost me was the princely sum of £10.50p! Seriously excellent value for money from World Snooker that again proves how much professional football is taking advantage of supporters with their overcharged and overhyped ‘product’. In fact, the only other place I can see world class talent for a fiver is at the Oval, where we can get to see Darren Thomas plying his trade! 

How the Chairman might look on saturday.

This Saturday is shaping up to be a memorable one for Caernarfon Town, with the visit of Caersws seeing Lee Dixon sitting in the Oval dug-out for the last time as manager of the Cofis. It hardly seems possible that three years have passed since Lee took over the hotseat, and what a wonderful time we’ve had since he joined us. The team was fifth in the Welsh Alliance League (Div 1) when the Board appointed and here we are, three years and five trophies later, and in second position in the Cymru Alliance. I will be looking at Lee achievements in more detail soon but suffice to say, he’s been brilliant for Caernarfon Town and if ever someone from Bangor can be called an Honorary Cofi, Lee is the one! I hope we have a brilliant turn-out and a victory, the Gaffer deserves it!

It will also result in the Chairman looking like this behind his desk!

The second significant occurrence at the Oval this Saturday is the launch of the Canaries Supporters Club. For more information about the launch and how to join the club, please follow this link to their superb new website: http://clwbcanariesclub.wix.com/clwb-canaries-club

Although this is the official launch, I know that the committee currently in place has been working extremely hard to put it all together in a professional and relevant manner. The Canaries have had representatives at the football club’s last two meetings and this is something the Caernarfon Town committee is keen to continue, so by joining the Canaries, it is guaranteed that the supporters’ voice will be heard.  

I was a member of the Canaries Club many years ago, and will be joining it again too. At £10 for a full membership and £5 for juniors, every supporter should seriously consider joining.

The Gaffer just wasn't sure who was sitting where....

There's still no news of Lee's replacement, with the committee having recently announced that they have entered the second stage of their recruitment process. Whoever is appointed has a hard job on his hands to follow Lee but at the very least I imagine he will be better than the Gaffer at co-ordinating the pre-season squad photo!

These are interesting times indeed at the Oval.

I hope you enjoyed it Harry!!  

Paul. 

Appreciating The Punisher.

Darren Thomas, Nathan Craig and Jamie McDaid are names that I feature often in my Caernarfon Town match reports. The reasons for this are numerous, and include the fact that they create and score goals regularly, are amongst the club’s highest profile signings, and are local talents who would grace the top tier of Welsh football (despite what Neville Powell may think, when you consider the lack of opportunities Jamie had at Bangor recently). Every good team has players that stand out and can make things happen in matches and, in my opinion, these are the three that seem to have done it more than most for Caernarfon Town in recent months. All are excellent footballers and I would go so far as to say that all three would have been pushing for places in John King's FA Cup team in the mid-eighties. Imagine how good Darren would have been in a team consisting of Martindale, Higgins, Ray Woods, Steve Craven and Austin Salmon! What a thought!!

Of course, other players influence matches in different ways and, whilst the plaudits are usually handed out to playmakers and goalscorers, I believe the Canaries have a number of unsung heroes in the squad who have proved an essential part of another impressive campaign.

Before continuing with this theme I’m sure that some people may question why I’m calling this a successful campaign, as it seems that may not achieve our goal of winning the league. In fact, judging by one or two comments I have heard recently, I have felt obliged to check the league table for confirmation that the team is still in the top three! However, the fact is, we’re currently second placed in the Huws Gray Alliance League, behind an excellent Llandudno side that is enjoying a wonderfully consistent season.

Yes, we would all love for the Canaries to be top of the table, and no one more than Lee and the players, but to be behind just one team in the second tier of Welsh football at this stage of the season is something we could only dream of just two seasons ago, so I think it’s been a pretty successful campaign up to this point. Maybe people have become accustomed to unequivocal success in the last three seasons and expect nothing less than trophies and titles, but it intrigues me that many were quick to criticise the team in January when results were not the best, but very few have mentioned the unbeaten run we’re now on, which was extended to eight matches following the excellent victory over Conwy.

As always, the three points were secured by a lots of effort, great teamwork and a little magic and I was really pleased to see one of this season’s unsung heroes getting on the scoresheet as reward for another excellent performance. Carl Owen arrived at the Oval last summer with a good reputation and not a little air of expectancy amongst Cofi supporters. Looking at his career in the game, Carl represented four clubs during a decade long period in the Welsh Premier League, where he scored 64 goals in 213 appearances, 39 of which were as a substitute. Having started out with his home town club, Bangor, he found first team opportunities limited (now there’s a surprise!) and moved on to Porthmadog, where he enjoyed five excellent campaigns, before winning the WPL title with Rhyl in 2008/9. He spent two seasons at Airbus returning to Porthmadog and despite suffering a broken leg in 2011/12, Carl fought his way back into the first team, where he remained before he joined us at the Oval.

I imagine this has been a difficult season in some ways for Carl, who has found himself in and out of the team. Having said this, he has been involved throughout the season and made a substantial, if somewhat overlooked contribution to the team. I was really pleased when Lee told me that Carl had signed, as I knew of him, and had always liked him as a striker. A good leader of the line, he is strong in the air and, as his Welsh Premier League record proves, he also has an eye for goal.

Unfortunately for Carl, he did not start the season in goalscoring form and has found it hard to get into the starting line-up. It took him six matches to score his first goal for the club but the manager obviously has great faith in him as he has featured in twenty eight of the team’s thirty two matches thus far, finding the net on seven occasions.

However, these statistics do not paint an accurate picture of Carl’s contribution this season and I think it’s fair to say that he has been something of an unsung hero. Carl’s strength is in leading the front line, holding the ball up and bringing others into the game. By effectively doing this, Carl has given his team-mates, such as Darren, Jamie and certainly Steve Lewis recently, the space to make their mark in the game. Of course, I’m not saying that their good form is solely down to Carl, but he has certainly been a part in giving them the platform to affect matches. He has an impressive workrate and even found time to work on his fitness by doing some press-ups at Conwy (above left) whilst the defence were thwarting a home attack! 

It’s been great to see Carl named the supporters’ man of the match in the recent victories over Rhydymwyn and Conwy, in which he has scored three goals. His second against Rhydymwyn was probably his best for Caernarfon up to now, and showed the quality he possesses in front of goal. Judging by the photo I took of the celebrations after the net-finder (right), Nathan Craig also believed it was a special strike!

He seems to have struck up a good partnership with Steve Lewis and, judging from Steve’s comment on Twitter after the Conwy match, the ‘Beast’ agrees: “He's a quality player. He leads the line and allows me to drop in and get on the ball.”

There are only four more matches to play this season and I hope Carl manages to carry on his good form. I also hope he’s with us again next season, as I would love to see ‘The Punisher’ at the Oval for another campaign.   

** Incidentally, I should point out that I predicted Carl’s excellent performance in the Rhydymwyn match, as the poster (left) proves!    

Ronaldinho, the Lion and Leo Sayer!

Saturday was a good day to be a Caernarfon Town supporter. Llandudno were the visitors to the Oval and the Canaries gave us a performance to remember.

Before going further, I think it’s fair to say that the Seasiders have been the Cymru Alliance League’s stand-out team this season and have been front runners since August. They started the season strongly and have kept going, amassing fifty seven out of a possible sixty nine points leading up to Saturday.

Town have had a difficult few weeks since defeating Porthmadog at the Traeth in late December and so I’m sure the visitors would have been very slight favourites for the match amongst neutrals.

As a Caernarfon Town enthusiast I know how good our team is and, having seen the majority of these players in action in most of their matches throughout the past two seasons, I felt quietly confident that we could get back to winning ways after three successive draws.

Lee Dixon usually tweaks the team from week to week, but only slightly, and rarely with more than one or two changes in personnel. I mentioned in my last blog that I felt Darren Thomas, Steve Lewis and Jamie McDaid have the potential to work well together but that both Jamie and Darren had seemed isolated in the match with Guilsfield, when the team had played a tad more directly than usual, in my opinion.

Therefore, I was intrigued to see the line-up on Saturday, and especially to that Lee had recalled Carl Owen (photo, right) to the starting eleven, with Dave Morley getting a place on the bench. Having seen Llandudno when they beat us on their own ground earlier this season, I know they have plenty of pace in their team and had expected Lee to stick with the recent formation of Steve Lewis up front, being supported by Darren and Jamie in deeper roles. I thought it was a brave decision by Lee to change the shape, and potentially leave space in midfield, but he has never shied away from setting his teams to attack, especially in big matches, and so I was not too surprised.

It was good to see a busload of Llandudno supporters arrive at the Oval as there are not many teams who enjoy large travelling support and, of course, the fact that there were a few of them in attendance helped create a great atmosphere at the match. Special mention must be made to Tommy Tudno (photo, left), who was obviously enjoying himself behind the Caernarfon goal in the first half, and leading the away supporters in a sing-a-long. I had to laugh, however, when I read an email from Caernarfon secretary Geraint Jones, who said the Lion was great fun but lost his head in the second half!! I have been assured that Geraint had merely meant that Tommy had taken off his Lion head!  

The first half was entertaining and tight, with both sides showing why they’re occupying their heady league positions, and the goal-less scoreline was a fair reflection of the action up to half time. The second half was a totally different affair and in my opinion the performance was on a par with the first forty five minutes against The New Saints in November. Although the opposition on that day was stronger, I was still very impressed by Llandudno. They have lots of pace and possess one of the league’s top strikers in Marc Evans. They also have a strong work ethic and Alan Morgan and Craig Hogg are doing a great job there. They have an excellent ground and set up and, if they are the team that wins promotion this season, they will be a credit to the top tier.

Someone told me after the match that Ywain’s bicycle kick goal to open the scoring was similar to a Ronaldinho effort for Barcelona against Villareal a few years ago and, having looked it up on youtube, I can see the similarity. Seriously! Here’s the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZimqUQK8nos

It was an exquisite goal by Yws and he was still smiling on the way out of the ground after the match! Of course, being Ywain Gwynedd, he was not content with simply scoring a quite obscene goal, so he headed for Aberystwyth to pick up no less than three Welsh Music Awards, being for Best Individual Artist, Best Song (Neb ar ol) and Best New Album (Codi/Cysgu). So, not only is Ywain Gwynedd known as the Cofi Keegan, we can now also call him the Cofi Leo Sayer! On a serious note, congratulations Yws and, because he’s a brilliant guy, here’s the link to his award winning album:  
http://www.sadwrn.com/eng/Yws-Gwynedd/CodiCysgu

Nathan Craig 'celebrating' his goal. I think....

Nathan Craig’s goal to double the lead was also a beauty and just goes to prove that he can strike the ball sweetly with both feet. And is there a better left-back in the league that Nathan? Some of us may like to see him play in a more advanced role from time to time, but his quality is always there for everyone to see and I was made up for him when the ball went in. As usual, his Cofi heart shone through with his celebrations, although I’m not too sure how much he enjoyed the following six man pile-up, instigated by the Beast, Steve Lewis!

Nathan finds the net.

And talking of the goal, I managed to catch it with my camera (left) and, although it’s not the best of photos, I had to smile when local photographer Richard Birch sent me a really nice message to say that it was better than his own shot of the momentl! Coming from Richard, that was pretty cool and ironic too, as he provided me with all the best photos for my ‘Oval Ways’ book! I’ve known Richard for near enough thirty years and he’s one of the nicest people I know. He’s also a top, top photographer, so it will be the first, and probably only, time I manage to get a better photo than him!   

Gareth Edwards was again superb at the heart of defence and he deserved his goal in the closing minutes, when he headed in from a corner. His celebrations (below, right) were great and I have a feeling he enjoyed it as much as the supporters!

The joy I felt at Saturday’s performance, and result, continues and was enhanced today when I saw the excellent write up by Dave Jones in today’s Daily Post. It was also good to see a match in the Cymru Alliance league enjoy a two pager in the sports supplement.

Dave does a brilliant job for grass roots football, and deserves our support. He also seems to understand that Welsh football is not confined to just the Welsh Premier League, a fact that sometimes seems to get lost on some influential figures in the game.

A classy new flag at the Oval on saturday. Very impressive.

The crowd at the Oval on Saturday was 525, and this was the biggest in Welsh non-league football, which just goes to prove this very fact. And just imagine what could happen if Caernarfon get back into the top tier and start fighting for the title! It may seem a distant dream now, but we have already come so far from where the club was just five years ago, and who knows what the Cofis can achieve in the near future?

Before finishing, another highlight from Saturday was seeing a new flag at the Oval (photo, right), under the banner Cofi Youths. It looked brilliant, and congratulations to whoever produced it. Very impressive and very classy!

All in all, Saturday afternoon was perfect. 
It was a good day to be a Caernarfon Town supporter….

Paul. 

The Two Magicians and A Bloody Nose.

Despite the frustration of a third successive draw for the team, I enjoyed Saturday’s match with Guilsfield immensely. Having seen all three previous encounters between the sides this season, I was aware there was very little between them, and so it proved.

Ever the optimist, and knowing the strength of Caernarfon’s squad, I expected the Cofis to be near the top of the Cymru Alliance this season but, in all honesty, I did not expect the same of the Guils. They finished the 2013/14 in sixth position and that’s where I would have expected to see them again this term, at best.

Ywain Gwynedd is thwarted by Guils stopper Dave Littleford.

And yet, as I write this, they are three points ahead of us in second position and being there at this stage of the season is no fluke. They’re obviously a very good side, and whilst I don’t believe they’ve got players of the quality of Darren Thomas, Nathan Craig and Jamie McDaid, they are very attacking,  exceptionally combative and have been successful in making it hard for Lee Dixon's side to get in their stride in all four matches this term.

Speaking with a long-time Cofis supporter before Saturday’s kick-off, he reminded me that, although the Guils don’t enjoy big crowds, their supporters can be particularly passionate, and not a little slow to share their feelings: “They always give us a warm welcome at the Community Centre Ground but, if their team goes a goal down, they can suddenly become pretty verbal. A bit like their team, in fact.”

The ref has a word with Danny Barton (9).

I can’t be totally sure if this is a fair reflection but the team itself certainly proved ‘up for the fight’ on Saturday and former Town striker Danny Barton in particular led from the front, as Graeme Austin’s bloody nose proved. I missed the incident but did hear Graeme ask Danny to keep his elbows to himself, which may suggest some contact! It may also explain why the referee decided to have a quick chat with Danny after the incident (right).

The encounter itself was exciting, and end-to-end stuff, with both sides creating plenty of goalscoring opportunities. Gareth Edwards went closest to grabbing a late winner for Town when he rose well at the far post to head a Nathan Craig corner over the bar but, whilst I would have loved to have seen the ball go in, I think the draw was a fair result.

My man of the match, Kevin Roberts.

Guilsfield manager Mike Parry is doing a great job with them and it will be interesting to see if they can manage to continue their good form up until the end of the season.   

Observations on Saturday:

Not for the first time in recent years, I thought Kevin Roberts (left) was exceptional. Gareth Edwards was not far behind him, with another impressive performance at the heart of the defence. After joining the club last summer and taking a few weeks to completely settle into the side, Gareth has been one of the team's most consistent performers in my opinion. A great signing by Lee.   

Steve Lewis was a handful in attack, and is getting better in every game, but the team seemed to be playing the ball longer than usual, which I believe slightly isolated Darren Thomas and Jamie McDaid. Steve has scored four goals in his first six matches for us, and I am convinced that there are many more to come, especially if Darren and Jamie see more of the ball. I'm sure it's just a matter of time

Gareth Edwards has proved an
excellent signing by  Lee.

until they gel and we see the three linking well.

Saturday’s attendance was 347, which was higher than the attendances in five of the six Welsh Premier League matches that took place during the weekend. This seems a regular occurrence in recent years and I'm sure it's not just Caernarfon Town supporters who want to see the club back in the top tier. 

I haven't heard many people talking about it, but I thought Darren Thomas took his goal really well on saturday. He still had a lot to do when the ball bounced at his feet thirty yards from goal (photo, right) but there was little doubt where the ball was destined once he struck it! Another quality finish from a quality player. 

Darren Thomas watches the ball sail into the Guils net.

Hot Topic. 

The hot topic surrounding the club these days is of course the manager’s job. The rather unexpected vacancy at the Oval was advertised last week and interested parties have been invited to contact the club. Not surprisingly, there have already been a number of those, and it will be interesting to see which lucky man will eventually end up in the managers’ seat.

Jamie McDaid takes on James Henderson.

As a Caernarfon Town supporter and committee member I am, of course, biased but in my opinion the post is amongst the top positions in Welsh football and anyone who seriously wants to prove himself at an ambitious club that has a strong, and passionate following, must surely be considering passing on their details to the club secretary.

Steve Lewis.

Most people who follow the game in this country will already be aware of the strides the club has taken in recent years and if this had escaped anyone’s attention, the coverage of the Welsh Cup tie with The New Saints in November must have proved how far we have come. Over a thousand people walked through the turnstiles to see the Cofis go head to head with the Welsh Champions on a day that I believe proved we belong in the top tier. I had genuinely expected, and hoped, to see Lee Dixon take us there in the near future but that will not be happening and so the club must look for his successor.

It’s not going to be an easy task but whoever succeeds Lee will have a great opportunity to do something special in the game.

This Saturday, Llandudno visit the Oval, and I can’t wait to see the team taking the league leaders on. If the two Cofi magicians, Darren Thomas and Jamie McDaid, can get on the ball lots, I am confident they can link well with Steve Lewis to give Llandudno more than they can handle. It’s going to be another exciting match and will be a great opportunity for the team to get back to winning ways.

Llongyfarchiadau!

Finally, congratulations to my son's favourite player, Ywain Gwynedd (left), and his wife Gwennan Mair on the birth of their son, Eban. We hope to see the little man at the Oval soon! 

Llongyfarchiadau Yws!!