Moving On As Messi Leaves.

The news that most, if not all, Caernarfon Town supporters had been fearing was finally confirmed last week when we heard that Darren Thomas had signed for Aberystwyth Town.

Darren Thomas - The Cofi Messi. 

Rumours had been rife since the end of last season that the Welsh Premier League side were keen to add the playmaker to their squad and why wouldn’t they? We all know how good Darren is, and Seasiders manager Ian Hughes also does, having worked with him at Llangefni a few years ago. On Aberystwyth’s website, Hughes said that Darren has been the best player in the Cymru Alliance League for the past three years and I wouldn’t argue with that. Some of the goals he has scored for Caernarfon these past three years have been breathtaking, none more so than the one he scored against The New Saints in front of the television cameras last season. In addition to his goalscoring prowess, Darren is also very good at bringing other players into the game and the greatest compliment I can give him is that I think he would have walked into John King’s classy side in the mid-Eighties. And I can’t name many Caernarfon players of the last thirty years who would have done that.

Unfounded Rumour.

Whilst on the subject of Darren’s goal against TNS, it was of course a contender for Sgorio’s Goal of the Season and a compilation of the shortlist was shown during the half-time break at Wales’ recent match against Belgium. Seeing the goal shown on the big screens at Cardiff City Stadium was brilliant and although the rumour that Gareth Bale saw it on the way to the dressing room and stopped to applaud are unfounded, I would not be surprised if he did! 

There's a Fire in my  Heart. 

The Super Furry Animals at Cardiff City Stadium.

Tribute to  Gareth 'Cwm' Jones. 

And what a night that was in Cardiff, when our national side took a huge step closer to reaching Euro 2016, courtesy of a gutsy display that was on a par with anything I’ve seen from Wales since I started watching football. I was lucky enough to be at the famous victory at the Arms Park over World Champions Germany in 1991, and again when Italy were put in their place at the Millennium Stadium in 2002 and, as enjoyable as they both were, the victory over Belgium was better. I know we’ve seen it all before, when the team gets so close to a major championship before imploding but this time seems different somehow. 'There’s a Fire in my Heart' sang The Super Furry Animals pitchside before the match and all the players obviously felt the same. 

What a performance, what a team. 

Gareth 'Cwm' Jones. 

Before returning to Caernarfon related issues, I have to mention something that was included in the Wales - Belgium matchday programme. I did not look at it until we returned home and was really pleased that I did, as I saw a really nice tribute to a friend of mine who lived in Caernarfon, and who sadly passed away unexpectedly a few weeks ago. Gareth  Jones, or Gareth 'Cwm' as most knew him, was a massive supporter of the national side and it was very touching to read the words about him in the supporters section of the programme. A very nice touch and a fitting tribute to a great guy. Cysga'n dawel Gareth.   

Last Opportunity?

Back to Caernarfon now and whilst disappointed Darren has left the Oval, it is understandable why he has decided to do so now. At twenty eight years of age, he may have felt this is his last opportunity to make a real go of it in the Welsh Premier League and although it would have been great to see him play in the top tier with Caernarfon, there are no guarantees that this will happen in the near future. It’s going to be interesting seeing how he does next term but one thing’s for sure, the Aberystwyth supporters are in for a treat! And who knows, we may yet see Darren playing for Caernarfon in the top division one day?

A Stronger Outfit and Possible Line-Up?

Cofis' Number One, Paul Pritchard. 

Although I will miss seeing the Cofi Messi playing at the Oval next season, I have every confidence that the manager has sufficiently strengthened the squad and that the side will mount a serious title challenge next season. Iwan has been steadily tweaking his squad in recent weeks and I honestly feel we look a stronger outfit today than we did this time last year.

Recent news that Grahame Austin, Clive Williams, Paul Pritchard and Gareth Edwards have committed to another campaign with the club means that the manager will have the mainstays of the league’s best defence in 2014/15 and so we should expect more of the same from them. Clive will be like a new signing for us after his injuries last season and if he can recapture his form of 2013/14 then he should be one of the best players in the league. Having him in his squad should give Iwan some flexibility as he can play

in numerous positions and will be invaluable if we are going for the league.

Gareth Edwards is set for a Second Season with the Cofis.

Iwan has bolstered the midfield by bringing Jay Gibbs back from Holyhead, and I also have a feeling that we may see Nathan Craig taking a more central role in the team, where he can influence the game much more than when playing at left back, whilst Kevin Roberts will again be showing his teeth, and studs, in the engine room.

It is probably in the front positions where Iwan has made the biggest changes, bringing in Jamie Breese, Toby Jones and Gareth Jones Evans, whilst also retaining the services of Jamie McDaid, which I believe has been one of his most important signings thus far. Of the three new signings up front, Gareth is the one I know the least about but from what I have heard about him, he is very quick and poses a big threat going forward and it seems he is another exciting prospect for us.

Therefore, from all the information we have to hand regarding signed players, the match day squad could potentially line-up for its first match of 2015/16 like this (inc one sub only at this time, given number of outfield players signed ):

Paul Pritchard, Clive Williams, Gareth Edwards, Grahame Austin, Joe Williams, Kevin Roberts, Nathan Craig, Jay Gibbs, Jamie McDaid, Gareth Jones-Evans, Jamie Breese, Toby Jones.

Of course, I have absolutely no idea what plans Iwan has for the side, but this looks a strong team to me and I would be pretty happy to see this line-up for the season’s opener. Solid at the back, guile and bite in the middle, and lots of pace, and goals up front! Sounds an ideal combination but I’m no expert and we’ll just have to wait and see how the manager sees things. The more old-fashioned, or realistic, of us will always be cautious and say that football matches are not won on paper but it goes without saying that the more quality players you have in the side, the more chance you have of winning matches, and I think we’ve got a fair quota of quality performers in the squad to win many more matches than we lose.

Hendre End.

A quick update on the ongoing ground improvements now, and I can tell you that the Oval is looking stunning these days! Having finally secured new yellow and green seats for the Hendre End, the  Stand looks very impressive, and it has massively improved the overall look of the ground itself. In fact, due to the hard work of Arfon, Dylan, Ken and Mike MTech and his team, the Stand looks like a new build and I’m sure that supporters will be impressed with it. These photos of the Hendre End  were taken by Arfon. There is still more to do at the ground and work will continue for the remainder of the close-season period.  

Interesting times indeed at the Oval and although we have had to say goodbye to the Cofi Messi, the squad that Iwan is putting together is looking pretty strong. I can’t wait for the pre-season friendlies to begin!

Finally, I received a very nice, if unexpected, message from Eirian of Palas Prints (10 Palace Street, Caernarfon) two weeks ago, who asked for more copies of the Oval Ways and Treble Days book. Eirian has been kind enough to sell Oval Ways at her bookshop and I was delighted that her stock had run out! Being that I self-financed the book and with all the profit being shared out between the Caernarfon Town Academy and Waunfawr Primary School, I am totally reliant on self-publicising it and therefore am indebted to Eirian for giving me somewhere to sell Oval Ways. I am sure that my numerous tweets and facebook messages about the book have seemed too much at times but around two hundred and thirty copies have been sold thus far and so it’s important that I thank everyone who has helped me raise money for two great causes, both by selling and buying the book.

I am also pleased to say that Oval Ways can now be bought online through the Palas Prints website, and here’s the link should you decide you’d like to buy a copy https://palasprint.com/siopa/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=oval+ways

Diolch

Paul. 

New Signings, Jay Gibbs and Anglesey's WPL side?

The last month has been pretty good for Caernarfon Town, both on and off the pitch, and if it’s an indication of things to come, I believe we’re in for some exciting times.

Jamie Breese.

Firstly, the new manager has been making his mark in the transfer market, has brought four excellent players into the club, in Joe Williams, Toby Jones, Jamie Breese and Jay Gibbs.  

Goals.

We all know how good Jay is but what of the three ‘new’ players?

Joe and Toby were members of Llandudno’s Cymru Alliance League winning side last season and therefore know what will be required at the Oval, where there is always pressure to do well. I will not pretend to know too much about Joe, but have been told he can play in defence and midfield  and his versatility to the team will be prove invaluable. He is said to be a ferocious tackler so I have already booked a front row ticket for his ‘Extreme Tackling Contest’ with Kevin Roberts!

Toby I have definitely heard of, and seen a few times, and I think he is a great signing. From the records I have seen, he scored ten goals in twenty seven appearances for the champions last term  and has previously played for both Neath and Airbus UK in the Welsh Premier League so is obviously a talented footballer who has played and scored at the very highest level in Wales.

Caernarfon's Wing Wizard, Jamie McDaid. 

And talking of goals, Iwan has also signed last season’s top scorer in the Cymru Alliance, Jamie Breese, from Llanidloes Town. Like Toby, Jamie is a true goalscorer and must be some player to have topped the scoring charts playing for a team that finished pretty low in the league. I know the Daffs were a decent side, but would hope that Jamie will enjoy many more opportunities whilst playing for the Canaries and therefore stands a decent chance of getting near the top of the scoring charts again next season.  Encouragingly, judging from the messages I received from two prominent people in North Wales football this week, he could be a major signing for us.

Wing Wizard.

The side did not have lots of goals in it last season and, with the exception of Jamie McDaid, who found the Onion Bag on twenty two occasions, we did not really have a prolific goalscorer in the side. To be fair, Steve Lewis would have scored a fair number if he’d played all season and of course Darren Thomas always had a goal in him (usually from the top drawer!) but most good sides possess goals throughout the team and I certainly think that this is true, especially now that Jamie McDaid has also committed to the club for 2015/16. I have mentioned this more than once in previous blogs and make no apologies for doing so again, but Bangor’s loss is most certainly our gain where Jamie is concerned. The management at Nantporth may not have truly appreciated Jamie but everyone at Caernarfon certainly does.

Jay Gibbs showing a referee
how to kick the ball properly. 

Welcome Back Jay.

One of the perks of being the club’s press officer is that I often get to hear quite quickly when new players join us and it’s always exciting to read the managers’ latest messages regarding the latest additions to his squad. This was particularly true when I received news that Jay Gibbs had decided to re-join Caernarfon. As Cofi supporters will already know, Jay has signed for us twice before, and so we already know how good he is. To use a footballing idiom, I was gutted when Jay left the club last season and am therefore delighted he’s back with us. I thought he played really well in midfield for us under Lee Dixon last term and feel sure that he will be a big player for us under Iwan Williams too. Judging by his facebook account, Jay is delighted to be back at the Oval too as he tweeted last week: ‘So happy to be back in the best club in Wales @CaernarfonTown thanks @iwanwilliams9 #gaffer’. 

Grahame Austin.

So, we already know four of the players that will be lining up for us next season, with the three new players joining Jay Gibbs, Nathan Craig and Jamie McDaid, and you can also add Grahame Austin to that number as he will again be leading the team out. I know that Iwan already knows most, if not all, of his squad and so it remains to be seen who he will be adding to the eight players already mentioned, and indeed how many of last season’s team remains, although I’m sure there will be a few. One thing is for sure, the eight we already know about are all excellent and it’s already looking promising for next season.

Ground Improvements Gathering Pace.

Off the field, ground improvements have continued at the Oval and, although my manual skills are limited to painting exterior walls these days, I have recently enjoyed two Saturday mornings at the ground with members of both the committee and the Canaries Club, where we’ve been giving the old ground a lick of paint, and generally sprucing the place up a bit. However, the work being carried out does not stop there, and last week saw the arrival of over 400 lovely looking yellow and green seats for the Hendre End Stand. Arfon, Dylan and Ken have already started bolting them in, and, having been to the Oval tonight, they’re already looking good! 

This, of course, is just part of the summer’s improvements as the club goes all out to gain the FAW Domestic Licence. In much the same way that I am looking forward to seeing the team in its first pre-season match, I am also looking forward to seeing the Oval in all its glory for the start of the new campaign. It’s going to look superb!

And just a word here to thank those from the Canaries Club who have given up their time to help us with the painting on Saturday mornings. Iwan has spoken of bringing the one club ethos to Caernarfon Town and the supporters are showing what can be done when we all pull together. The Cofi Army is a force to be reckoned with these days and who knows what we can achieve as a club in the future?

Anglesey's WPL Side?

Before finishing, wasn’t it exciting to hear that we have been given an away tie at Nantporth in the first round of the Word Cup? As soon as the draw was announced, I received a message from a friend who asked if I’d heard we had been drawn to play Anglesey’s Welsh  Premier League side, the inference being that many of the Citizens supporters live on Anglesey and not in Bangor itself. I couldn’t possibly comment on that, of course, and can only hope that, unlike when we last played there, this time there will be

proper segregation and decent police presence, and also that refreshments will be made available to supporters of both teams.

Thankfully, the Word Cup is run by the FAW and not the North Wales Coast FA, so we're in with a chance....

Paul.

Nathan Craig on Torquay, Centre Midfield and Jamie McDaid.

Having taken a short hiatus, the blog returns with an exclusive interview with Nathan Craig.

Very recently, I had the good fortune of sitting down with Nathan in the hope of putting together an article for the Official Caernarfon Town website and, as always, he was happy to help, and answered  a host of questions relating to both his work as Head of the club’s Football in the Community project and his thoughts on the 2014/15 season.

The first part of the interview concentrated on the excellent Football in the Community work Nathan carries out and the feedback on the official facebook site was very positive.

(Here's a link to the article: http://www.clubwebsite.co.uk/caernarfontown/News/view/887191)

I am therefore really pleased to publish the second part of the interview in which Nathan talks about last season, and football in general. Enjoy!

Question: What are your general thoughts on the 2014/15 season?

Nathan: My overall feeling is being gutted at finishing second in the league. I expected us to be challenging for the title and was pleased that we did but, looking back now, I feel that an indifferent run of form in January cost us the league. Those disappointing results meant we were then playing catch-up and we couldn’t quite manage to peg Llandudno back.

Q: What were your highlights of the season?

Nathan: The TNS match was special. To push the Welsh champions so close was a fantastic achievement and showed we are a good team that is capable of playing in the Welsh Premier League. The attitude we had before the match in the dressing room gave us the confidence to go out and take them on. We felt that there was no pressure on us and so were able to play our own game.  The day itself was very special for the club and the supporters. From the team breakfast at the Castle public house in Town to the brilliant supporters who created such a wonderful atmosphere and of course the television cameras being at the ground also added to the day. It was also nice to score on the day!

From a personal point of view, I was really pleased and proud to play every match, week in and week out, apart from a short period out after being sent off at the start of the season. Another personal highlight was scoring against Llandudno at the Oval as it was such a big match.

Q: Are there any low points to the season?

Nathan: Not winning the league, and also hearing that Lee was leaving. I was shocked when I heard the news he was stepping down. He was very god to me, and always sure that he game me confidence to play my game and he has done an excellent job at the club, winning all those cups and a league title. I wish him all the best in the future.

Q: Who did you vote for as your Caernarfon Town Player of the Season?

Nathan: I voted for Jamie McDaid because he finished top scorer, even though he missed six matches due to injury, and also didn’t join us until a month into the term. If Jamie had played in every match, we might be looking forward to the Welsh Premier League next season! I also had Grahame Austin and Paul Pritchard but decided on Jamie because you have to score goals to win matches.

Q: Which was the best team you played against in the league?

Nathan: That would be Guilsfield. They were compact and well-organised and very hard to break down. We beat them three times in four matches but never by more than one goal which proves how good they are. To think they are a village side and probably have limited resources I think they were the Cymru Alliance Team of the Year!

Q: Who was the best player you played against last season?

Nathan: Danny Barton. I remember watching Danny playing when I was very young and he’s still playing and scoring at a high level. He uses his body well and still knows where the goal is!

Not content on settling just on last season, I decided to ask Nathan about about his thoughts on a host of other football related matters, including his time at Torquay, his favourite position on the field and Caernarfon’s new manager.

Q: Everyone at the club is delighted you’re with us but from a personal point of view I definitely believe you are good enough for the professional game and the football league. What happened during your time at Torquay Nathan?

Nathan: The first season at Torquay went really well under Martin Ling and I was playing regularly. There were rumours at the time that a few clubs from higher leagues were looking at me. Unfortunately, Martin fell ill and left the club and the new manager, Alan Knill, brought his own players with him and once he arrived I was given very few opportunities in the team. Therefore, being given the chance to come back to Caernarfon was brilliant for me!

Q: I have often heard supporters asking why you were played mainly at left back last season, and would like to know where you think your best position is?

Nathan: Centre midfield is my favourite position as I would hopefully be able to dictate the play and get my team-mates playing football on the ground.  ! I am also comfortable playing Centre-Half, left back and left-wing but am more than happy to play wherever the manager wants me to.

Q: What are your thoughts on the new manager?

Nathan: I am really positive about the future for the team under Iwan. I have spoken a few times with him already and am very excited with his plans. He has already told me that we will be training hard and I can’t wait for pre-season to begin!

Q: Iwan has already announced that you will be his vice captain next season. How do you feel about this?

Nathan standing in the Hendre End at the Oval, where
he caried out ball boy duties as a youngster.

Nathan: I am honoured to be vice captain. I still remember being a ball boy at the Oval at the Hendre End so it’s brilliant for me to be playing for the team, and now to be the vice captain too!

Q: Have you seen any changes at the club since coming back last summer, compared to when you played for us four years ago?

Nathan: There has been a lot of improvement at the ground in recent years and the hard work has made the Oval look really good. I know there has been a lot of hard work behind the scenes, and the club is run much more professionally now. I also feel that the people of Caernarfon seem much more interested in the team these days and that’s good for the community as a whole.   

Q: Hopes for the 2015/16 season?

Nathan: Promotion! Caernarfon Town Football Club needs to be back in the Welsh Premier League and I want to be a part of the team that takes us there!

Q: You have just signed a new contract with the club. Does this mean you’re a Cofi for the rest of your career?

Nathan: You can never tell what is around the corner in football but I love it here, this is my club and I’ll always be a Cofi!

A massive thank you to Nathan for answering all the questions and for doing so in a very honest and forthright manner. It goes without saying that Torquay’s loss is very much our gain and I can’t wait to see where Iwan plays him in the team next season!

I’m hoping that this is the first of a series of interviews I’ll be publishing on the blog over the next few weeks so wish me luck as I contact a few people I believe will be able to provide something of  interest to Caernarfon Town supporters.