Legends, Suspensions and Starsky's Hand Me Downs....

The title of the last blog was Month from Hell, due to my writing it in the middle of the team’s four week long road trip to mid-Wales. The results had been excellent during the ‘adventure’ but I think we were all ready for a home match and our return to the Oval turned out to be a very special day for the club.

It turned out that Iwan Williams’ squad was not the only group of Caernarfon Town players to return to the ground, as March 18^th also saw a special get-together of our famous FA Cup side of 1986/87. Cofis supporter Alex Philp had somehow managed to arrange a reunion of that legendary side and not only did most of them turn up to the special evening held to commemorate their efforts of thirty years ago, but they also managed to make it to the match to support the present players in their efforts against Holywell.

There was a special feeling at the ground as John King’s side took to the pitch before kick-off and watching them pose for a photo with the present squad was superb. Seeing Nathan Craig, Austin Salmon, Darren Thomas and Ray Woods lining up together with their respective team-mates was a great moment, and I couldn’t help but wonder how many of today’s squad would have got into Mr King’s side? Every supporter who’s been lucky enough to see both teams will have their own opinion but one thing’s for sure, putting both squads together would have given us a seriously impressive side. An idea for a future blog maybe, but one thing I have no doubt about is that, despite the perceived riches and advantages of those clubs who presently monopolise the game in Wales, a mixture of these two Caernarfon squads would prove more than a match for every other team in the Pyramid system.

The old and new guards.

Jamie Breese finds the net against Holywell. 

The match against our opponents from Halkyn Road turned out to be a real cracker as the Cofis steamrolled the Wellmen in a blistering first half performance that blew Johnny Haseldine’s men away. The visitors are a good, tough side and had been enjoying a fine run of results leading into the match, with former Town player Jamie McDaid impressing since joining them in January, so a tough encounter had been expected. However, once Darren Thomas scored in the seventh minute, the Canaries turned on the style and went into the half-time break four goals ahead. The Cofi Messi was simply unplayable for the first half an hour, during which he completed an impressive hat-trick, and in that type of

Kevin Roberts may need to work on his goal celebrations....

mood I don’t think there’s a better playmaker in the Welsh Pyramid. Jamie Breese added a fifth soon after the restart and whilst Holywell managed to pull two goals back, a rare netfinder by Kevin Roberts restored a fairer reflection of the match. Kev doesn’t score many so it was good to see him finding the net although he may need to work a bit on his goal celebration!

Ray Woods, Player of the Season for 1986/87.

The victory, and performance, was a great way to start the 86/87 celebration and the actual reunion itself was a memorable event, where we enjoyed watching a superb hour-long dvd of the FA Cup  run on a big screen in the team’s presence. This was a special experience as I was a teenager at the time of those halcyon days for the club and that group of players obviously mean a great deal to me. Russ Hughes, Huw Williams, Dave Higgins, Ken Jones, Dave Wignall, Steve Craven, Ray Woods, Phil Wilson, Stuart Clynch, Bobby Tynan and Ian Cockbain are all names that bring back lots of great memories to Town supporters and it was greatto meet them all during the reunion. The dvd itself was excellent, and I’m sure it must have brought back sweet memories for the players, many of whom told me they had never seen most of the footage before, which I find quite remarkable. Having said that, those cup matches took place thirty years ago and not everyone had video recorders back then, not to mention Sky + and whatever other gadgets there are to record programmes on today. How times have changed!

Steve Craven, Top Scorer in 1986/87.

Highlights of the evening were seeing Ray Woods and Steve Craven receiving their long overdue Player of the Year and Top Goalscorer awards respectively for the 86/87 season, hearing Phil Wilson explain how he got his ‘permatan’ all those years ago, listening to the players’ stories and hearing a number of refrains of the classic ‘Johnny King’s Cofi Army’ chant from those who used to watch the side from the terraces. Alex Philp was an absolute star for organising such a wonderful event, and special thanks are also due to Phil Jones and Jamie Richardson of the Canaries club for assisting him. Caernarfon Town chairman Richard Morris Jones also deserves a mention for providing the best comedy moment of the evening when a clip appeared on the dvd of him introducing the Barnsley match to the television camera. Richard’s delivery was as slick as I remember from his time on our screens in the seventies and eighties so he got full marks for that. I cannot, however, say the same for his choice of clothes as, standing on the Oval pitch with microphone in hand and the Welsh Guard Brass Band behind him, he looked for all the World as if he was wearing ‘hand me downs’ from Starsky or Hutch!

Reunion Booklet Cover.

On a personal note, I had been delighted and rather proud when Alex asked me last summer to put together a commemorative booklet for the reunion and Ii had a great time working on it. I’m sure I’ll be writing about the whole process in a future blog, and am looking at the possibility of working on a more in-depth publication in the future but what I can say is that the booklet was a very enjoyable, albeit rather stressful experience, though the latter only because the team’s achievements deserved a quality product. Whilst I was very happy with how it turned out, there was some pressure to get it right and I just hope the players thought it was an accurate reflection of their heroics! Interviews with Huw Williams, Ken Jones, Ray Woods, Russ Hughes and Phil Wilson certainly made added authenticity to it. 

It really was an excellent day and one I felt proved that whilst Caernarfon Town has a rich history that needs to be celebrated, we also has a very promising future to look forward to, as shown on the pitch that afternoon. I caught up with Ray Woods during the reunion and he was very complimentary about the present side, and manager, so that is proof enough to me that we’re on the right path!

Iwan, back on the road with the Cofis!

We were all back on our travels seven days later, although thankfully not on the A470 this time as we got to use the relative luxury of a decent road to Mold. My son Iwan accompanied me for a rare away trip and we had a great time, helped in part by a dinner-time stop at Subway and an impressive cheeseburger at the ground! Iwan has always enjoyed watching the Canaries and was a regular at home matches up to the end of last season when he became so disillusioned that off the field matters had cost the team promotion that his interest waned. It’s taken him a few months to get back into the swing of things but he’s back in the groove and I’m delighted about it!

The match at Alyn Park was a peculiar one, with the Cofis dominating large parts of the encounter and going a goal ahead but ending up scrambling for a point after the hosts hit a ten minute purple patch during which they scored twice.

Although the sides’ respective league positions suggested that Caernarfon were favourites for the points the hosts were battling to survive in the Huws Gray Alliance and played like it. They gave an excellent account of themselves on the day and deserved the draw, although Nathan Craig’s late equaliser on its own was worthy of all three points. I’ve mentioned in the blog after past visits to Mold that it’s an away day I always enjoy and if ever points were awarded for friendliness of stewards and staff, they would be nowhere near the wrong end of the table! The staff there are always good for a chat and have plenty of time for everyone, which is not always the case at a select few grounds, where all you get is a nod and scowl and, if you’re lucky, a decent car park with no potholes in sight!

Alex Crofts.

A share of the spoils may not have been what we wanted but the match was far from a disappointment as there were a number of positives for the Canaries to take out of it. The performance of young goalkeeper Alex Crofts was the highlight of the day for me, as the young glovesman enjoyed an impressive debut. We’re spoilt at Caernarfon to have Alex Ramsay between the sticks and so I was surprised to see our number one sitting on the bench as the team walked on the pitch, but the reserve keeper proved a very able deputy and a fine early save to deny a certain goal settled him down well as he showed his potential with a good, solid display. A very promising debut by the keeper, who has obviously impressed during his first season with the club’s second string.

The supporters voted Leigh Craven as man of the match as he followed up a great performance against Holywell with probably his best in a Town shirt. We all know that he is a fine footballer but sometimes I feel Leigh doesn’t always get the credit he deserves. He isn’t the type of player who will score double figures every season from midfield but he has many other strengths, including being excellent at keeping possession and he has a great engine. He’s also a really nice guy and it’s been good to see him back at the Oval in recent months!

Leigh Craven was man of the match against Mold.

I mentioned earlier that the match had been a peculiar affair and to continue with this theme, I found myself for the first time carrying out post-match interviews that did not include one with the Caernarfon manage! The fixture with Mold was the first of a three match ban for Iwan and, whilst it had been odd not seeing him in the dugout alongside Alun, Richard and Mike, it seemed even more surreal that I couldn’t interview him.

The FAW’s suspension included all media duties in addition to match duties and so I put the phone in front of Alun Winstanley and found out that he, just like the gaffer, is another member of the management team who is a straight talker and needs just one ‘take’ to get his point across! I’d heard that Alun is a hard task master and, from talking with him after the match, I can well believe it! All thoughts after the match turned to Rhyl and our Welsh Cup Semi-Final with Bala Town, which I’ll be looking at in the next blog….  

Alun Winstanley (left) and Mike Innes at the Mold match.

Before finishing I just have to mention the manager’s recent three match suspension. Iwan was sent off during the match at Holyhead Hotspur on February 4^th and, after a pretty lengthy, he was finally handed his punishment, which was to begin on March 24^th. This means that it had taken seven weeks for the suspension to kick in! I won’t pretend to know how the FAW goes about this type of thing but what I do know is that the process is ridiculously long-winded and, in Iwan’s case, resulted in him having to sit out the biggest match of his managerial career to date.

It would be too easy to point out that the referee who sent Iwan off at Holyhead left both sets of supporters perplexed at his red card to Alex Ramsay that led to the manager’s dismissal, though in his defence the Greg Louganis wannabee (replace Mr Louganis with Tom Daley if you’re under forty years of age!) wearing blue and white stripes hardly helped.

Although the man in black was definitely out of sorts on the day, once his decision had been made it was left to the FAW to determine the punishment. And this is where I have to question the their  process of determining the suspension and the surprisingly long amount of time it took to implement. Why did it take seven weeks from the day of the incident for the suspension to begin,  and does the FAW really need so long to reach a decision? If the answer is yes then there must be something wrong with their processes, and they need to re-assess and adjust them as quickly as possible.

The questionable delay in implementing the ban resulted in Iwan having to sit out the Welsh Cup semi-final with Bala and, as far as I’m concerned, this was unjustified and unfair on him. One or two people have suggested to me that the timing of the ban which resulted in the manager sitting out our biggest match in twenty nine years was not totally coincidental but I would never subscribe to such claims.

I would never question the FAW’s integrity and their wish to ensure fairness but in my opinion Iwan and Caernarfon Town deserved better than the fiasco they served up in taking so long to implement their ban.

#UnClwb

    

 

Month from Hell and On the Cusp of Something Special.

In the days following the Welsh Cup win over Llanfair United I think it’s fair to say that everyone connected with Caernarfon Town had a spring in their step. For the first time in nearly three decades we had a semi-final in the competition to look forward to and, as if this wasn’t already exciting enough, we had further cause for celebration when, just days after the quarter-final victory, Iwan  Williams signed a two year contract to stay on at the Oval.

I know the manager will not want me to sing his praises on here or anywhere else, but as this is my own blog then I’ll be doing it anyway! For me, Iwan signing the contract is probably the most positive news we’ve had for many a year. In fact, when considering what he’s already done since arriving it probably ranks up there with John King’s appointment in the eighties.

The success he’s brought us on the pitch has already been widely reported on but what may not be quite as obvious is the work he does behind the scenes. Iwan introduced the ‘one club’ ethos to Caernarfon when he joined and as a Board member I can confirm that he makes absolutely sure we implement it! The ethos has made a huge difference to the way we see and do things and at our latest meeting we had representatives of the Canaries supporters club, the academy and the ladies team in attendance and this has become very much the norm in recent months. There’s more we can do, and we will, but there’s a definite feeling of togetherness at the club and whilst it would be wrong to deny that success on the pitch helps foster this feeling, it would be equally wrong to deny that the manager’s ethos is just as important.

Former chairman Arfon Jones started the ball rolling when he and a handful of supporters helped save the club seven years ago and he made it clear then that he wanted Caernarfon Town to be something it had not been for a long time, a community club in its true sense. I know how hard Arfon worked towards this end because I was present at all those committee meetings he chaired when he would remind everyone of the message and what the club should be about. When considering where we were back then, he worked wonders in getting so many people to re-invest their passion for the club and Iwan’s arrival in 2015 has pushed things on again.

Iwan with chairman Richard Morris Jones.

The first time I met Iwan was at his interview for the manager’s post and one of the first things he mentioned was his ‘One Club’ ethos. If I’m being totally honest I probably felt at the time that it might be an uphill battle to get his ideal going but such was his enthusiasm and belief in it that I couldn’t help but be impressed by his plans and how to make it a reality. In the last two years he’s implemented his ideas and from what I’ve seen I believe that the club’s stakeholders fully believe in the ethos. I am absolutely convinced that we’re on the cusp of something special as a club and securing Iwan for another two years will give us the chance to finally punch our weight in the game.

It was with great pleasure that I met with the manager and chairman for a quick photo shoot and interview to announce the news and the response when we put it out on the website and social media was excellent, proving the most popular item we’ve released in recent years.

Danny Brookwell against  Guilsfield.

The day following the announcement the team was back in action for the third of four consecutive trips to mid-Wales, this time to play Guilsfield. I’ve mentioned in past blogs that visits to the Community Centre Ground can be quite difficult, not only because the Guils are always tough opposition but also because, despite their small home following, there is always someone on hand to offer match officials and visiting supporters alike plenty of advice of the vitriolic kind. I am, of course, referring to my old acquaintance, the purple faced one, who seems to think that every refereeing decision against his team is an injustice of biblical proportions. Unlike my past visits to the ground, however, at least he hadn’t brought his mates with him this time around and so he was slightly less animated than usual!

Alex saves a late penalty at Guilsfield. 

The match itself was an entertaining encounter, despite remaining goalless, and whilst Caernarfon were the better team for most of the encounter I thought the hosts just about shaded the final quarter of an hour of the match and it was thanks to an excellent penalty save by Alex Ramsay late in the match that we managed to hold on to a point.

Alex was excellent throughout and, considering Guilsfield’s direct approach, he needed to be. Danny Barton’s side are always tough opposition and rarely deviate from their playing style, being as direct as they can at pace and throwing everyone and everything into the penalty area where they try and bully defenders. Such is the aerial bombardment from them that I imagine playing the Guils must be bottom of every centre back’s list of ‘favourite places to play’. I’m not criticising them though because they’re a decent side and always give it their best shot. They also have one of the best players in the league in Chris Cathrall, who always seems to play well against us.

Nathan Williams. 

Nathan Williams was named the Cofi supporters man of the match and rightly so. As already mentioned, Guilsfield threw everything at Caernarfon’s defence, especially in the latter stages and Nathan dealt with it all superbly. Considering that he is still to reach double figures in matches at this level, he is already proving to be an outstanding addition to the squad and, as we all love local lads in the squad, he has already become a favourite with the supporters. Iwan keeps mentioning him in our post match interviews and it’s not hard to see why.

A return visit to Llanfair awaited us seven days later and whilst another three hour round trip was the not what any of us wanted after so many away matches, I was consoled by the fact that it would be our last to Powys this season.

One thing I felt sure of on the way to the match was that the hosts would be doing everything possible to avenge their Welsh Cup defeat and I expected them to put up much more resistance this time around. The pitch was still understandably heavy although it looked much better than it had two weeks previously and I was not surprised at all to see a much smaller crowd this time around! There may not have been buses full of supporters for this encounter, but the local constabulary still deemed it necessary to send three of their finest to the match, which was rather puzzling, but at least they could enjoy the football!

As predicted the match was much closer this time around and the opening quarter was pretty even, although the hosts were again finding it difficult to deal with Gareth Edwards at set-pieces. Having scored twice in the cup match Gaz was again giving them all sorts of problems with his height and whilst he couldn’t find the net this time around he went close on a number of occasions in the early stages. Jamie Breese and Danny Brookwell also went close to scoring before Llanfair were given a boost when Rob Jones was given his marching orders in the twenty fourth minute.

Rob Jones. 

I could not see the incident clearly from where I stood but was told at the time by a home supporter that the referee’s decision was very harsh and so, not for the first time in recent weeks I was left wondering if certain players get a rougher ride than others where match officials are concerned. I mentioned in the last blog that Jay Gibbs seems to get more than his fair share of questionable decisions against him and I think the same can be said about Rob. This was his third red card of the season and I’m not convinced that they’ve all been warranted. One of the problems for Jay and Rob is that they are both ready to tackle for the ball and, whereas midfielders have always been expected to do this in the past as they try and gain control in the engine room, officials are making it increasingly impossible for them to try and win the ball. As soon as a player challenges another for the ball, the whistle is blown and, more often than not, a card is shown. Goodness knows where this epidemic of the game started or will go next but it must be as frustrating to the players as it is to supporters. It also needs to stop, because players are getting booked and sent off for just looking at the ball these days. I spoke with Rob after the match and he was frustrated with the decision and I could see how upset he was about it too. Rob has plenty to say on the pitch and seems to enjoy the vocal jousting always available with opposition but off the pitch he’s a really nice guy and I hope he gets a bit more luck with match referees in the future because it’s a shame to see him miss matches  because referees cannot seem to accept that tackling is part of the game.    

Jamie Breese worked his socks off at Llanfair. 

So the Cofis were down to ten men but it did not seem like it and, after an initial five minute burst by the hosts following the sending off, Caernarfon regained control and went ahead before the break when Danny Sullivan finished from close range following a melee in the penalty area. Rhys Stephens’ side got back on level terms soon after the break with an excellent Paul Griffiths strike from twenty yards and the hosts certainly had their tails up at this point. Caernarfon weathered the storm however and eventually clinched the points courtesy of a fine Darren Thomas strike.   Although the match had been much closer than the one two weeks earlier, it had still been an impressive victory for Town under the circumstances. Llanfair are fighting to stay in the league and so every match is a cup final for them now but the Cofis showed that, whilst they’ve lost the league title, they want to secure the runners-up spot and showed real determination to hold on to their lead in the closing stages when the hosts threatened to equalise.

My man of the match was Jamie Breese, who showed once again that there is much more to his game than goals. We all know that our number nine can score, and he is likely to top our scoring charts again this season, but there is much more to his game than this and, quite apart from bringing other players into the game with his ability to link-up play, his workrate during this, and every match  is outstanding. He may not have scored against Llanfair but he worked his socks off and in my opinion was our main man on the day.

Chris Williams enters the fray against Llanfair. 

Another massive positive from the match was the introduction of Chris Williams as a second half substitute. Chris suffered a bad injury last October and so it was great to see him back in action for the first time in five months. There's no need for me to say how good Chris is and how much of a boost it must now be to have him back in contention for the first team. He slotted in seamlessly for the final thirty minutes at Mount Field and did a great jon just in front of Nathan Craig on the left flank. So, our month from hell on the road to mid-Wales was finally over and we could look forward, at last, to a long-awaited return to the Oval for a match with our friends from Holywell, and a rather special reunion with our FA Cup legends of 1986/87. I’ll be taking a look at this special day in the next blog…. 

The Enforcer, the Smiler and a Closed Stand.

All things considered, the 2016/17 season is heading towards an exciting conclusion for Caernarfon Town. The Cymru Alliance League title has deservedly gone to Prestatyn but Iwan Williams and his players can still provide the Cofi Army with a memorable end to this campaign. As I write, we’re close to securing runners-up spot in the league, there are two semi-finals on the horizon and, whisper it quietly, the possibility of a first Welsh Cup triumph for the Canaries.

During the three weeks since the last blog the Canaries have play four matches, all away from home, with an impressive return of three victories and a draw. Of course, the highlight since the last blog was the outstanding 7-0 triumph over Llanfair United in the quarter finals of the Welsh Cup but the three other matches were no less impressive, for a host of reasons. I’ll be discussing the first of those, at  Conwy, and the Welsh Cup tie this time around, and hope to cover the matches at Guilsfield and Llanfair (again) in another blog in the next few days.  

Jamie Breese was on the scoresheet at a wet and windy Morfa.

Having won at Caersws, Caernarfon travelled to Conwy for a re-arranged midweek encounter under the floodlights and, despite a sluggish start, the Cofis managed to bounce back from a half-time deficit to gain a 3-2 victory. I always enjoy my trips to the Morfa Stadium and imagine it’s something to do with the fact that, more often than not, it’s been a lucky ground for the yellow and greens. We’ve won cups there, high intensity clashes with the hosts in the League of Wales and, more recently, a Welsh Cup tie there earlier this season. There are two things you can always be sure of when playing at Conwy, a warm welcome from everyone at the club and a bitterly cold breeze wherever you stand to watch the action. In fact, I could also probably add that they always seem to have a new manager at the helm whenever we play them! It puzzles me that Conwy have changed their manager quite so regularly in recent years as they have a great set-up and a decent catchment area and yet, for some reason, no one seems to last long in charge of the first team. I heard a rumour a few weeks ago that a former manager of ours was approached to take on the hot seat and, if the tangerines board are looking for someone to turn things around there, I’m sure he’d have been a decent option for them!

Such was the heavy rain that had fallen throughout the day I half expected the match to be called off but was pleasantly surprised to see the floodlights on as I arrived and, upon hearing that the pitch was playable, decided to make my way, with everyone else, towards one of only two sheltered areas that are available to the supporters, the main stand itself and a covered standing area alongside one half of one side of the pitch. 

Town attack the 'Closed Stand' End at Conwy.

It was disappointing to see that the impressive stand behind the far goal was once again off limits to everyone, for what I can only assume were for safety reasons. This was my fourth successive visit to the Morfa and the stand has been cordoned off and, considering the lack of shelter against the elements around the pitch, the matter does need to be addressed. Half a dozen Cofi Army members braved the wrath of one of the security guards by sitting there and they successfully managed to watch the first half from their dry vantage point behind the goal.

Beginning of the End? 

The match itself was a real battle and it took the appearance of Darren Thomas as a second half substitute to tilt the balance in the Cofis favour. The heavy pitch and incessant downpour didn’t stop Messi turning on the style and he popped up late on to score a deserved winner. When I caught up with Iwan after the final whistle for our post-match interview he could barely walk after injuring himself early on in the game. I think he’s received some banter about taking himself off after twenty minutes and has hinted at hanging up his boots but, such is the need to ensure his small group of Welsh Cup eligible players are kept fit, I have a feeling we may still see him in action before the end of the campaign! He posted a message on the Oval Ways Instagram account next to a photo of himself taken at the match declaring it was ‘the beginning of the end’, but we’ll have to see. The lure of the yellow shirt may prove just too strong for him yet!

Jay Gibbs.

One final point I have to make about the match was the yellow card shown to Jay Gibbs. I’m still not sure why referee Andy Harms decided to caution Jay but sometimes I feel that certain players need only be named on the team sheet to ensure themselves a card and I believe Jay is one of them. This is something I’ve felt throughout the past two seasons and whilst I’m sure no official, or player, goes onto the pitch intent on making pre-ordained decisions, I certainly believe Jay is being harshly treated by match officials.

Three days after our soaking wet trip to Conwy we headed to Powys for the Welsh Cup quarter final and what a special day it turned out to be! Bearing in mind the teams that were still left in the competition I don’t think it’s being too disrespectful to Llanfair United when I say the Canaries were given a pretty decent draw in the last eight and certainly if someone had offered me an away match with a side struggling at the bottom of our league at that stage then I’d have been more than happy with it!

The team arrives at Llanfair's ground.

We all know that the road down there is not the most enjoyable to travel on but once we arrived it seemed that the village had been transformed into Llanfair-Caernarfon for the day! I made the trip down with my mate Bobby and the first people we saw upon arrival were members of the Cofi Army stepping off their bus and heading towards the vicinity of the Red Lion. We saw many more Town supporters on the way up Broad Street and again when we decided to test the culinary skills being offered at Catrics Fish Bar. I’m pleased to say that Captain Birdseye passed his test with flying colours and so we headed back to the ground praying that the light rain would stop and hold off for the match. Of course we should have known better and, as soon as we got there, the heavens opened and remained thus for most of the afternoon. Despite this a good crowd had turned up and I’d surmise that around three quarters of those in attendance were Caernarfon supporters. Luckily, our hosts had added two small sheltered stands at the ground since our visit last year and therefore most of the travelling party were rescued from the downpour. With fans on both sides of the pitch, it made for a great atmosphere.

The teams get ready for their quarter-final clash. 

Although I felt the Canaries were favourites to get through, Llanfair had defeated us 4-2 at the Oval this term and, as Carmarthen and Rhyl had found out against us in earlier rounds, league positions and a perceived sense of superiority does not guarantee success so it was imperative that Caernarfon did not take their opponents lightly. As suspected, Iwan and his staff are too professional for that, right from the off, it was obvious that the Cofis meant business, going ahead in the fourth minute and surging into a three goal lead inside twenty minutes. Llanfair seemed shell-shocked and could not manage to recover from the early onslaught, with Town going on to complete an impressive 7-0 victory.

Not your orthodox centre half. 

Kevin Lloyd. 

When taking into account the conditions, which included an extremely heavy pitch, Caernarfon played very well and some of the goals, especially those by Kevin Lloyd and Clive Williams, were superb. Kev’s movement for his goal was outstanding, beginning the move in midfield before perfectly timing his run to meet Danny Sullivan’s cross in the six yard box and one of the highlights of the afternoon was seeing him run towards his friends in the crowd to celebrate. Clive’s contribution to the score was an absolute stunner as he latched onto a Darren Thomas ball in the box to finish first time into the top far corner of the net. Not a finish you’d usually associate with a centre half but everyone who sees him playing regularly will know that Clive is not really an orthodox centre half! 

Kevin Roberts may not have scored on the day but he was voted man of the match by the supporters and fully deserved it. With the pitch as muddy as it was Caernarfon needed an enforcer in midfield and, as always, Kevin excelled at the task. I’ve watched a lot of football at all sorts of levels and I can’t remember seeing anyone win as many tackles in ninety minutes as Kevin did in this encounter. He was like a one-man wrecking ball on the day and proved again how correct he was to reverse his decision to retire from the game last summer. Gareth Edwards also deserves a special mention for his contribution, the big defender having become a father for the first time just a day before the match and enjoying little sleep for the best part of forty eight hours in the lead up to the tie. He opened the scoring in the fourth minute and completed his brace to put us three ahead so all in all, I would say it must have been a perfect weekend for Gaz! 

It was undoubtedly one of the club’s most important victories in recent years and it’s a special achievement to reach the semi-finals of the nation’s most important cup competition. Unlike the English FA Cup, which can seem a hindrance to some of England’s cash loving clubs and their owners who see the Premier League as the be all and end all of their very existence, the Welsh Cup has retained its importance and prominence in our game and it’s a massive boost to everyone involved with the club to reach the final four. As has been well-documented, this is the first time we’ve reached this stage for twenty nine years and it was great to see the manager who last took us this far, Phil Wilson, sending a message on facebook to congratulate the side: “Well done to the team, I was player manager the last time when we took Cardiff City close over two legs. I think you have a much better chance this time to reach the final. Good luck!” 

The Enforcer and the Smiler!

We've been drawn to play Bala in the semis, and will take on the Welsh Premier League side at Rhyl's Belle Vue on April 1st. We'll be the underdogs again, but buses are being arranged, train seats are being booked and the players will have the Cofi Army to spur them on. I can't wait to see what happens!

Speaking with Iwan after the quarter-final it was plain to see that he was as excited as all of the supporters at the victory and from what I’ve heard I believe that he and the players enjoyed themselves with the fans on the way home, which is exactly how it should be! We know he has a special bond with the Cofi Army and a few days later the manager would have further good news to share with everyone who follows the club. I’ll be covering this and the two matches that followed the Cup win in the next blog. 

Rob, Russ, Ken and Sgorio.

It’s been three weeks since the last blog and in that time, Caernarfon Town supporters have enjoyed a thrilling victory over Welsh Premier League opponents, a disappointing defeat against local rivals and two straight league victories.

I believe that the Canaries’ 3-2 Welsh Cup victory over Rhyl has probably been one of the most talked about matches in the Pyramid system in recent seasons and it’s not hard to see why. Despite the match being televised live there was a bumper crowd of 1118 at the Oval and this certainly added to the sense of occasion as the sides went at it full throttle from the first whistle. 

The Welsh Cup.

The fact that you’re reading this will mean that you’ve probably seen the match by now, so I won’t go over it in any depth but the main point I have to make is that the Cofis deserved the victory. Danny Sullivan scored a tremendous opener for Town before the Lillywhites levelled late in the second half. Just four minutes later came a flashpoint in the match when referee Lee Evans awarded Caernarfon a penalty for what he thought was a foul on Jamie Breese by Mike Sharples. Nathan Craig put us ahead and, with the clock ticking down, I thought that this would be the goal that sent us through to the last eight. Unfortunately Rhyl struck again in the dying minutes and so extra time was required to settle the tie. At this stage, the Cofis’ injury crisis had struck twice again as Joe Williams and Danny Brookwell had been forced off due to bad knocks and so the team on the pitch looked quite unfamiliar to most of us who have followed the side all season. Lee Fowler and Carl Owen were making their first appearances of the campaign for Caernarfon and in  Carl’s case it was his first action of any kind in eighteen months!

The Punisher, Carl Owen. 

When Nathan was sent off ten minutes into extra time I feared the worst, but the players managed to keep their composure and found enough energy to dominate the match from this point onwards and, if truth be told, from where I was standing there was only going to be one winner. In the end it was Carl Owen who put us through and what a fairytale return to action for the quiet man of Welsh football. When Carl played for us two years ago I nicknamed him the Punisher, and I was pleased to see that he has lost none of his goalscoring instincts, as he struck a fine winner to clinch the match. Afterwards, Rhyl manager Niall McGuinness bemoaned the fact that Nathan Craig should have been sent off much earlier than he was and that the referee should not have awarded the penalty. Maybe he forgot when saying this that Caernarfon actually outplayed his side in the second half of extra time when a man down although I’m not too surprised as I had already seen him ranting away about the matter immediately after the final whistle. Of course, what he failed to mention in his post-match interview is that Caernarfon could have scored seven or eight goals were it not for his goalkeeper, who was certainly their man of the match, whilst Alex Ramsay was nowhere near as busy in our goal. Someone mentioned to me after the match that, instead of questioning Evans in awarding the penalty, it may be worth questioning why Mike Sharples made the challenge in the box on Jamie Breese when our striker was not headed directly towards goal? Surely that was the key factor in forcing a decision from the referee? A quick look at Sgorio’s coverage would prove all this to those who gripe about the penalty and result and whilst I understand the Rhyl manager’s  disappointment I think he could have followed Mark Aizlewood’s example from the previous round and given Caernarfon at least some credit for the victory. Sometimes credit is in short supply and I certainly feel that Caernarfon have not been given enough of it for their performance and result. But that’s today’s football, isn’t it? 

Gareth Edwards. Man of the Match v Rhyl.

I managed an interview with Iwan Williams and, as we walked towards a quiet spot on the pitch it was easy to see that the Town manager was elated, but also a little emotional. He felt exactly the same as I did, and I think that’s why he’s been such a success at the Oval. Yes, he’s the manager, but he sees things like the supporters too. I know he was delighted when the draw had been made for the tie as he saw it as an opportunity to avenge the Word Cup defeat earlier this season and, when you look at how different this match was to the first one, and also consider the threadbare squad he had, the result was a real triumph for him for which he deserves huge credit.

As always, the Cofi Army was in marvellous form, both vocally and banter wise, with former Town striker Steve Lewis getting his fair share of it! It was good to see the Beast and also Toby Jones, both of whom played well, although I was disappointed that another former Cofi, James Bell, was forced to miss out due to injury. 

Sgorio’s Malcolm Allen gave the man of the match award to Gareth Edwards and I agree with that as the Big Man was superb all afternoon, although he will need to ask Jamie Breese or Darren Thomas for tips on how to finish off a close range goal opportunity! In all fairness, though, I think each and every one of the Cofis’ squad on the day was outstanding and could all quite easily have been named by Allen. Talking of the former Welsh international I just have to mention his and Nick Parry’s commentary on the match, they were excellent and well worth hearing. 

Russ Hughes. 

A massive bonus on the day was meeting Russ Hughes, the club’s legendary goalkeeper, who was at the ground to support his old team. I have been in touch with Russ recently but never met him before and have to say he is just as nice as I had been told he was and still looks the same as he did thirty years ago! He told me later that he had enjoyed the match and is thinking about making the trip down to Llanfair, so hopefully he’ll be there as our lucky mascot again!

So, a wonderful day at the Oval for Caernarfon Town supporters that reminded me of those special days in the eighties when we had that FA Cup run under John King. Like then, we were again seen as the underdogs against higher league opposition but, just like those days, the team showed its quality and heart and deserved the victory. In fact, I recently spoke to Ken Jones, a member of that famous Cup side of thirty years ago, and he had been impressed with the side’s performance against Rhyl:

“I put the television on the other week and I watched the Caernarfon game and I really enjoyed it. I watched the second half and it was absolutely brilliant, the lads really had a go. They’ve got some good lads there, tell the manager that. They worked hard, because the other team are not a bad side, they’ve got some good players, but what Caernarfon have done is they’ve stuck together, they’ve worked hard and Caernarfon have got a couple of good players there, they’ve got some very good players.”

High praise indeed from a true legend of the club and certainly worthy of the final word on the tie!

A trip over the Britannia Bridge was next up as we headed to Holyhead Hotspur for a league encounter but, in stark contrast to the previous weekend, this was not a good day. In fact, it was as frustrating as it gets. The New Stadium is never an easy ground to visit and matches there always remind me of Jimmy Greaves’ old saying that it’s a game of two halves. So strong is the wind that  always prevails at the ground that you really cannot pre-empt what may happen in the ninety minutes, apart from knowing that both sides will be struggling for one half! It’s true that every visiting team knows this beforehand but what cannot be accounted for is a flustered referee who seemed out of his

Not even Messi could save us at Holyhead.

depth. The sending off of Alex Ramsay half an hour into the match was surprising and puzzling and I would love to know what the onlooking referee’s assessor thought about it. Supporters of both teams were dumbfounded by the decision as, unlike the incident between Breese and Sharples in the Rhyl match there was no challenge involved this time. Alex had the ball safely in his hands and the referee was running away from the box and towards the half way line when he blew his whistle. I have to say that the Holyhead player involved in the purported incident hardly covered himself in glory, although I’m quite sure that Glenn Hoddle, Gary Neville and every other sports commentator would call his behaviour ‘clever’ and ‘professional’, though I heard a number of other words for it at the time. Once the hosts scored from the resulting penalty it was an uphill battle for the Canaries and one that they ultimately couldn’t quite manage to overcome.

Unfortunately, Town manager Iwan Williams was also given his marching orders for dissent following the ‘incident’ and so I was rather nervous about our customary post-match interview. Would he really want to answer my questions about the match? Thankfully, he was more than happy to do it, although there was a worrying moment just as we were about to wrap up our second attempt when the referee came out of his room and we had to stop! I had to delete the abandoned video clip off my phone as it would need an ‘18’ certificate to share with everyone! Incidentally, despite his frustration at the result, Iwan still made a point of saying that Holyhead had played well and deserved the victory, something that many managers seem reluctant to do these days.

Nathan Williams has impressed thus far. 

One positive aspect of the afternoon was the performance of debutante Nathan Williams, who was outstanding at the back and was deservedly named the supporters’ man of the match. Nathan, of course, was a member of the youth side that did so well under Bryn Williams a few years ago and, having had two excellent seasons with Llanberis he now looks ready for the step up to the Cymru Alliance. He’s made a promising start and it’s great to see him back!

Ruthin at home the following week was always going to be tough as, although they’ve been struggling most of the season, their tails would be up after an impressive victory over Flint the previous week. In addition to this, the pressure was on the Cofis because our last league victory had been on January 7^th and other teams had been catching us up. As we found out last season, runners-up at the end of the season may still carry a reward and so getting back to winning ways was vital.

Rob Jones. 

Pre-match expectations of a tight encounter proved correct and, whilst Caernarfon enjoyed plenty of possession, goals by Gareth Edwards and Nathan Craig had been cancelled out by the visitors and it was left to man of the match Rob Jones to clinch the victory with a poachers’ goal as he finished from close range. I was really pleased for Rob, who has taken time to get back to his best after returning to the club earlier this season but has been in excellent for during the past month. He was outstanding against Rhyl and has subsequently carried on in that vein, and when Rob’s playing this week he’s amongst the best midfielders in the league.

The side followed this victory with another one at Caersws, although I cannot really give an opinion on it as I was forced to miss out through illness. However, what I do know is that Iwan had to reshuffle his pack again for the match and, when considering he had nine members of his squad unavailable, the 2-0 victory at the Recreation Ground was impressive to say the least.

Graham Evans’ side are always tough opposition so gaining three much-needed points against them was good going. In addition to masterminding the victory Iwan also played his part on the pitch and he even lasted eighty nine minutes at the heart of the defence where I’m told he formed a decent centre back pairing with Danny Sullivan. On Sunday I read on Twitter that our manager was paying the price of a rare appearance in the Cofi shirt and could hardly move, and I can only hope that he took up the offer of some WD40 from one of the club’s supporters! So, saturday afternoon was not the most enjoyable of experiences for me as I was forced into that awful semi-reality World of glancing at my phone three times every minute to check for an update from club secretary John Watkins. He also provided me with a detailed overview of the match and it was thanks to John that I was able to write a match report. 

A big week lies ahead for the Canaries which may go a long way towards defining our season. We travel to Conwy on Wednesday for a re-arranged league fixture whilst on Saturday the side travels to Llanfair United for the much anticipated Welsh Cup quarter-final. I’ve recently been speaking with former Town player and manager Phil Wilson and it was during his first season as manager that Caernarfon last reached the semi-finals of the nation’s premier cup competition. It might be hard to believe but that was twenty nine years ago and wouldn’t it be great if Iwan and the side could emulate this feat, and even surpass it this season?

Kevin Lloyd.  

Llanfair may be just a point off the bottom of the Cymru Alliance League but they’re a good side and have already defeated the Cofis this season, clinching a 4-2 victory at the Oval. I can’t wait for the match and, with over two hundred Caernarfon supporters reportedly planning to make their way to mid-Wales for the tie there should be a great atmosphere at Mount Field.

Finally, congratulations to our striker Kevin Lloyd who married his fiancé Jamie on Saturday. 

Come on Town!

       

Five Matches, Twelve Teams, Big Gaz and the Field of Dreams.

My last written blog took us up to our defeat at Prestatyn before Christmas and I finished it with a few words about the post-match interview I had carried out with Town manager Iwan Williams during which he’d said he was looking for an immediate reaction to the defeat by the players, beginning with the match at home to Porthmadog.

Three victories and two draws from the next five fixtures since the trip to Bastion Gardens suggests to me that the players have responded well and yet there remains a sense of disappointment amongst a handful of supporters I’ve spoken to, who seem to expect the team to coast to victory every time it takes to the field. In some ways I can’t blame them for this, especially following last season’s success, but in reality I believe that a return of eight points out of twelve and a cup tie victory over the last month has been pretty good. Prestatyn’s unbelievable run of form probably casts a false shadow of mediocrity over Caernarfon’s recent results but we remain second placed in the league and are still in two cup competitions so it can’t be as bad as some would have us believe.

Gaz Edwards.

Before looking back at those matches, it’s worth mentioning that the interview with Gareth Edwards published earlier this month has proved the most popular item I’ve posted on the blog, with over eighteen hundred views thus far. I’m sure the reason for this is Gaz’ popularity but I also suspect that a fair number of people will have taken a look in the hope of finding out how he manages to keep those teeth so white!       

Of course, the standout fixture of the past weeks was the Gwynedd Derby with Porthmadog. Matches between the sides are always fiercely competitive and in recent seasons we seem to have enjoyed an edge over our local neighbours, which continued on December 27^th. It was not the best of matches, it has to be said, and after an explosive start, proceedings tailed off for long periods. It was never short of intriguing, however, and whilst goalmouth action was at a premium, there were plenty of blood and thunder challenges from both sets of players to warm up those of us freezing on the terraces!

And, as you’ll probably already know, there were plenty in attendance, with a crowd of 1247 having paid at the turnstiles to see the friendly rivals going head to head. Matches between us always produce large crowds and in the lead up to this latest instalment I am sure that most local football enthusiasts would have predicted a decent turn-out. I don’t think there were any other matches in the vicinity on the day and so, in addition to supporters of both clubs, the crowd was swollen greatly by a large number of casual football followers turning up to escape the obligatory turkey, stuffing and cranberry sandwiches that turn up on our dinner tables during the last week of every year.

Jamie Breese celebrates his goal against Porthmadog in front of a bumber Christmas crowd.

The club’s social media platforms were full of great comments about the size of the crowd and of course this led to yet more questions being asked about the lack of interest in the Welsh Premier League. Readers of the blog will already know that I believe the top tier has become nothing more than a borefest in recent years due to the dominance of The New Saints and the baffling twelve team format that the FAW persists with.

It was recently announced that the league would remain in its current format although the particulars of the FAW Council’s vote have proved hard to obtain thus far. The governing body’s Head of Competitions Andrew Howard has suggested that I get in touch with one of the two area representatives on the Council which I have done and hopefully this may shed some light on the matter. Someone has suggested that one of the reasons the FAW wants to keep the league to twelve teams is because they fear a dilution of quality by increasing the league to sixteen but my answer to this would be that Caernarfon Town have won three out of five competitive matches against WPL teams in the past two seasons and other second tier sides have also fared well recently against supposedly superior opposition ie Holyhead, Denbigh and Holywell.

Whatever the reasons for the decision, and I still aim to find out, one thing the FAW cannot get away from is that the Cymru Alliance League is every bit as entertaining and competitive as the top tier, if not more so. Attendances in the second tier are certainly comparable to those in the WPL and whilst the Christmas derby crowd may well have been a one-off, the low numbers of people watching fixtures in the Premier League would suggest that there’s something fundamentally wrong with the flagship competition. It doesn’t seem to me that anyone is listening and whilst the powers that be may be hanging on to the coat tails of The New Saints’ record of successive victories as proof that is all is well then I must ask that whilst the champions are running riot, I wonder who, in Wales, is watching?

Danny Brookwell during the Gwynedd Derby.  

I would suggest that all those who believe the WPL has exclusive rights to quality football in this country should take a look at Danny Brookwell’s stunning goal in our Christmas victory over Porthmadog. It’s available on twitter and facebook, and there are many more of equal value from across the second tier on social media if anyone doubts how good the football is any worse than that offered by the ‘top twelve’.

The festive win over our neighbours was followed with a comfortable league cup victory over Denbigh, with the highlights being first goals for the senior side for both Jamie Roberts and Aaron Davies-Thomas. Recent signing Jamie has made a good start to his time at the Oval and there’s definitely more to come from him whilst sixteen year old striker Aaron has already started making a name for himself as a real goal poacher. Both are great prospects for the club!

The side returned to league action seven days later and the trip to Gresford proved a fruitful one, although it must be said that the hosts proved more than a handful for the Cofis in a thrilling first half. Gresford had been playing well of late, with new manager Steve Halliwell making an impressive start to his stint at the helm. They were in confident mood following an unbeaten run of five matches, four of which they’d won, and twice they took the lead before Darren Thomas led the Canaries to a 5-2 triumph. The Cofi Messi was in imperious form on the day, running through his array of trickery on his way to a hat-trick, which he completed with an obscene run past three defenders before sliding the ball into the onion bag. Rhyl manager Niall McGuinness was in attendance to run the rule over his side’s Welsh Cup opponents and I wonder how he plans to nullify  our talisman? Of course, putting a plan together is one thing, but carrying it out successfully is a much harder task.

Messi scores on his way to a hat-trick at Gresford.

We were given a very nice welcome from the club itself and I enjoyed the afternoon, despite ruining my trainers, making it the second pair in two visits to the ground that I’ve had to bin! I’m keeping my fingers crossed that there will be some ‘hard standing’ all around the pitch the next time I visit!

A second Oval encounter inside a fortnight against Denbigh followed and my delight at not seeing Jonathan Hill-Dunt standing between the sticks at Gresford was quickly forgotten when I saw him in goal for the Central Park oufit! I don’t have anything against the big man but he always seems to have a blinder against Caernarfon and, rather frustratingly, he enjoyed another one with his new team as they held us to a draw.

The visitors were a much improved outfit to the one who lost so convincingly in the league cup just thirteen days previously and, whilst I don’t believe the Canaries were at their best, Denbigh played well and were full value for their share of the spoils. Caernarfon started slowly and got frustrated as the match wore on, which obviously gave their opponents confidence to play for the victory. They were two goals up and fifteen minutes away from doing just this until Jamie Breese struck a cracker to halve the deficit. Danny Brookwell pulled us level soon after and the last ten minutes were excellent, as both sides went searching for the winner. It was end to end stuff and although we probably went closest to scoring the winner, Danny Sullivan hitting the header and Kevin Lloyd seeing his netfinder ruled offside, Denbigh could just as easily have won the match, as they too went close to a decisive goal.

Thomas, Kim and Nathan. Un Clwb.

I was summoned to the Oval on the Sunday to take photos for use on a new project Town supporter Alex Philp is putting together, where supporters can pay to put their names on a personalised printed bricks to go alongside club legends at the Hendre End Stand. His son, Thomas, was there, as were Kim Broadbent and Nathan Craig so we had representatives from the Academy, and ladies and men’s sides and it was brilliant to see the one club ethos working properly on a new and exciting venture. Here’s the link where you can buy the personalised bricks:  
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Caernarfon-Town-Wall-Of-Fame-brick-/302203374009?hash=item465cb989b9%3Ag%3ApG8AAOSwo4pYhM3d

Last Saturday we travelled to Penrhyncoch (or Penrhyn cock if you’re Buckley’s half-time announcer!) and, rather worryingly, the side again started slowly, taking most of the first half to warm up before reaching, and maintaining, the high tempo football they are capable of. 

I travel solo to most away matches these days and, having been to Cae Baker just once before I put my trust in the sat nav to get me there, which it did, but only after a worrying two and a bit mile rollercoaster ride up, and down, a muddy and winding country lane! For some reason, the film  Deliverance came to mind but I was at least comforted in the knowledge I was not far from the ground because the driver in front of me was Town keeper Alex Ramsay! Like me, he too seemed confused by the sat nav’s chosen route, but at least we didn’t happen across any dueling banjos!!

Kev Lloyd jumps up to head in the equaliser against Penrhyncoch.

The match itself was no classic and yet it was an enjoyable encounter, albeit another frustrating one for Cofi supporters. Having gone behind before the break I expected the players to re-appear from their half-time pep talk with the manager with renewed vigour and they certainly did, taking the game to the hosts and when Kevin Lloyd headed in the equaliser on the hour mark, I’m sure that most of us at the ground thought we were in with a real chance of victory. Such was Caernarfon’s dominance in the closing stages that I half-expected Michael Caine and Stanley Baker to appear in their red jackets, but a combination of desperate defending and excellent goalkeeping secured an unlikely point for them.

The post-match interview with Iwan was quite hard to carry out because I could see he was frustrated at the result. However, as I’ve often mentioned in the blog, he never shies away from sharing his opinion and, as a supporter, I’d much rather hear the manager giving an honest opinion than trying to gloss things over. It certainly helped listening to it on the way back home as I took part in what seemed like the famous final scene from the movie Field of Dreams, so bad was the traffic due to the endless stream of Ivor Williams trailers clogging up the road!

Before moving on, I feel I must thank the person who decided to help warm us up on a freezing afternoon by burning something in their garden whilst the match was going on. The action may have been hard to follow due to the thick smog that emanated from their efforts but at least it kept us all warm!

Next up is Saturday’s massive Welsh Cup tie with Rhyl, which is one of the club’s biggest match in recent years. As a Welsh Premier League side, the Lillywhites obviously start the match as favourites and whilst they knocked us out of the Word Cup earlier this season I am quietly confident about our prospects this time around. Iwan has a threadbare squad available for the match but they’re all quality players and can be sure of a big, and vocal following to push them on.

The television cameras will be there, the local media will be there and the Cofi Army will be there.  I can’t wait!!

Come on Town!!