Danny, the Boss and the Final Word.

A full month after the end of the 2015/16 season I am, albeit rather belatedly, able to post this final blog of a spectacular campaign for the Cofis. I’ve already twice tried to write this ‘last word ‘ but my first two efforts, as so often happens, ended up being much too long, and were posted as separate entries, being the last two blogs. However, with just the league cup final to look back on, I think I may just about manage it this time, so here goes….

With the league title trophy already safely tucked away at the Oval, or, if rumours are to be believed, in the club President’s bedroom, the side headed to Conwy’s Morfa Ground in search of a coveted league and cup double.

Squaring up to the Canaries in the final were Flint Town United and, although it’s fair to say that Caernarfon were favourites to get their hands on the Huws Gray League Cup, it was certainly not a given that they would as the Silkmen had looked a very good side when we had played them in the league, especially on their own ground early in the season. Despite having lost six successive league matches between March and April, which included a 4-2 defeat at the Oval against us, Aden Shannon’s outfit had won their last three matches going into the final and would certainly provide stiff opposition.

Toby looked sharp in the league Cup final.

It was slightly disconcerting during the week leading up to the final to read silly rumours on social media about managers of other clubs contacting Caernarfon players to enquire about their plans for  next season. It all seemed a bit like a case of one or two people trying to unsettle the side before a big match because I can’t imagine that any decent manager would do anything so silly.       

I enjoyed a new, and very unexpected, experience on the day of the final when my wife, Valmai, also known as the Boss in our household, declared that she would be accompanying my son Iwan and I to watch the match. Having immediately suspected an ulterior motive (an early morning shopping spree in Llandudno maybe?) she assured me there was none and that she simply wanted to see this great side I’d been banging on about all season. Fair enough, but I did have to point out that Messi was cup-tied following his short sojourn to Aberystwyth, so the country's best number ten I’d also been banging on about would not be on the field! 

The match was not the greatest and, to be perfectly honest, I didn’t care. All I wanted was to see Grahame Austin lift the cup for the second time since he joined us three years ago and this is exactly what he did after a tight, and unspectacular contest.

The sides began cautiously which was understandable given the stakes, but Danny Brookwell and Toby Jones were looking very sharp on the flanks and it came as no surprise that it was the former who opened the scoring when he powered past a defender before slotting the ball past the keeper in the sixteenth minute. It was a great finish by Danny and I was lucky enough to manage a decent photo of it. It’s not a Richard Birch-quality shot but, as I haven’t seen any others of the goal I’m pleased I was alert at the time!

Danny slides in the opener against Flint. 

Toby, Nathan Craig and Jamie Breese all had decent efforts following the opener whilst Clive Williams struck the bar just before half-time but, in reality, there was very little goalmouth action for the remainder of the match. To be honest, Flint enjoyed plenty of possession in the second half and Caernarfon were content to soak up the pressure and play on the counter-attack, where Toby and Danny were proving such a threat.

The players celebrate Nathan's goal from the penalty spot. 

The match was all but settled seven minutes from time when Danny was brought down in the box by  John Hill and Nathan Craig stepped up to double the lead from the penalty spot. Despite conceding a wonderful consolation goal by Stewart Carroll late on for Flint, Nathan’s netfinder proved enough to secure a second piece of silverware for the champions.

If I’m being honest, I thought the players in yellow and green looked a little tired and who could blame them after such a challenging last month of the campaign. I accept that the legacy of a wet winter meant every team in the league had been forced to play a high number of matches in a short period of time but only one set of players also had to cope with the massive disappointment of a failed Domestic Licence application keeping them out of the Welsh Premier League. This must have had an effect on the players and so I think they did exceptionally well to keep playing, and winning, despite the circumstances.

Jamie Breese couldn't quite manage to put away this opportunity.

Taking into consideration the opportunities created during the ninety minutes, I think Caernarfon just about deserved to win, although I know that whoever writes Flint’s match reports certainly wouldn’t agree with me! According to the Silkmen’s reporter their defeat was largely down to refereeing decisions and their own profligacy in front of goal and, whilst everyone is entitled to their opinion, I certainly don’t think the referee had such a pronounced bearing on the result. Most  matches consist of a number of key moments involving the players and this was indeed the case in the final. Clive hit the bar for Town, Jon Culshaw cleared a Nathan Craig corner off the Flint line, Jamie Breese twice went close to scoring when well placed, and Paul Pritchard made two fine saves to keep the Cofis ahead when just a goal in front. Near misses and mistakes are par for the course and obviously have a massive influence on results. The referee of course can also influence things with his decisions but I don’t think he did this time as his two big calls seemed straightforward to me. The first was his decision to give Phil Clarke an early bath for a reckless challenge on Danny Brookwell and the second was the penalty he awarded for John Hill’s foul on Danny in the box. I don’t think the man in the middle had any choice in either matter and it’s a shame that any suggestion to the contrary had to appear in the report.

Danny Brookwell.  

One final point about the match concerns the man of the match award, and the bewilderment that a supporter standing next to me showed when he asked why it hadn’t been given to Danny Brookwell (above). I can’t answer that, and can only guess that whoever made the decision was obviously looking for something other than an eye catching performance by Danny that saw him scoring one goal and help create another. I would also add Toby Jones as an equally deserving recipient but it goes to show that the game is all about opinions.  

Of course, my job as the club’s media officer was only half completed at the final whistle as I needed to ensure a few decent photos were captured of Grahame Austin receiving the cup, the team celebrating and, if possible, some individual shots for the players with the silverware. I love my post with the club, it’s the best one I could have, bar managing the team and wearing the number nine shirt and I think Iwan and Breesey are pretty much nailed on for those, so really I’ve got the best job available to anyone. That said, it can also be slightly stressful on this kind of occasion because I was responsible for taking the club’s photographs for the website and social media and I really would hate to let anyone down with poor shots. However, on this occasion I just about got away with it and got some nice photos although it was largely thanks to the players posing for individual photos after the match.

Grahame Austin collects the league cup for the second time as captain of Caernarfon Town.  

In all, it was an excellent afternoon, and securing the double in lovely sunshine and in front of the Cofi Army was a great way to end a memorable season for Caernarfon Town. Looking back to twelve months ago and our first interview with Iwan for the managers’ post, I think we all felt he would be an excellent appointment but I doubt that any of us could have guessed quite how good he would prove to be in such a short period of time. There are numerous highlights to look back on over the course of the campaign and one of mine happened before a ball was kicked competitively. Iwan’s appointment as our manager was the best decision we’ve made in a long time and ranks as a definite highlight of the 2015/16 season. He had a hard act to follow but he’s done it, and taken us to a totally different level.

Clive Williams paying for his efforts as he tries
to kneel down for a photo with the silverware.  

So, the 2015/16 was finally over. The Cofis had won the double, the new manager had been a revelation, the team proved to be our best in a very long time and my wife had finally been to a Caernarfon Town match. What more could I have asked for as a Caernarfon Town supporter? 

As I hopped off the Caernarfon Town rollercoaster in preparation, and not a little fear, of a period of weekend shopping and day trips with ‘the boss’ I suddenly reminded myself of the hard work that needs to be done during the close season. Iwan contacted me just a few days after the final and it was very much a case of ‘business as usual’ and, to be honest, this is how it’s been for the past month, and I really wouldn’t have it any other way! 

I’ll be looking at what we’ve been up to in the next blog entry….

One Club Ethos and World of Sport Wrestling.

I finished the last blog by recounting how the Canaries secured the Cymru Alliance League title with an emphatic victory over nearest rivals Cefn Druids on their own ground. This was not quite the end of the season though as, whilst the league had been well and truly won there was still the exciting prospect of having the ‘double’ to play for, with the side having also reached the league cup final, which was to be the final match of the campaign.

There was no chance at all however that Iwan and his squad could take a breather before the attempt to pick up a second piece of silverware as they still had two league fixtures to play before facing Flint in Conwy and the first of these was a tough looking encounter with Holywell Town.

World of Sport's Wrestling Banter made a return at the Oval....

Everyone who reads this blog regularly will know what I think of the Wellmen and their manager and, if there’s any team you’d prefer not to play two days after winning a league title, they’d be amongst the frontrunners! They are a seriously competitive side, playing an abrasive in your face style and John Hasseldin knows how to push his player’s buttons. I’ve recently come to the conclusion that has more than a touch of the pantomime villain about him and this was re-affirmed when he and his team afforded the Cofis a guard of honour prior to kick-off. As most of our supporters will know, he is never slow at having a dig at us on social media but credit where it’s due, this was very classy of him. Of course, he was back to his usual touchline antics during the match but even that was more ‘World of Sport wrestling banter’ than anything else. 

Messi.

The match itself was no classic but it seldom is between these sides, although Town ran out comfortable winners in the end. It had been a workman-like performance in the opening half but, once Darren Thomas opened the scoring a minute before the break, there was only ever going to be one conclusion. Holywell were dogged throughout, but Town have shown throughout the season that we can more often than not find a way to get a positive result, and there is none better than the Cofi Messi at providing the spark that makes something happen out of nothing. Like every other supporter I was thrilled to see him return to the Oval after a brief sojourn with Aberystwyth and, whilst Jamie Breese, Jay Gibbs and Danny

Brookwell have, quite rightly, been enjoying the headlines during the season, Darren has been his usual, sparkling self, igniting the team in his inimitable style. The goal was typical of him, showing a cool head when the goalkeeper stopped his first effort and, despite being surrounded by three defenders, he found time to go past two men before finding the net from twelve yards. He also popped up with an assist for the second goal when he headed the ball across the six yard area for

Jamie Breese.

Breesey to finish off and it was left to Jay Gibbs to have the final say, the midfielder scoring from an impossibly acute angle, although the Holywell players claimed they had stopped playing due to an injury to Jamie. It’s a shame the referee failed to notice their efforts for the game to be stopped but it didn’t change the outcome of the match and the only downside to an enjoyable afternoon was the injury to our number nine. If there was a silver lining to be had as he limped away from the ground, it was that, with the title already in the bag, Jamie had twelve days to recover before the cup final, so was still in with a chance of taking part.

Caersws provided our final test of the league campaign and, where the Holywell encounter had been more of a war of attrition, our match with the Bluebirds was anything but! The afternoon started well when the players were welcomed onto the pitch by players and staff of the club’s Academy, who stood in the circle centre to acknowledge the team’s success. The first team players seemed as pleased by the reception as the youngsters and if ever there’s been an example of the ‘One Club’ ethos Iwan is pushing through at the club, this was it. It was excellent to see the first team and  Academy players and staff lining up for a photo, and it’s definitely been one of the highlights of my time supporting the Cofis. Brilliant stuff!

The players are welcomed onto the pitch by staff and players of the club's Academy. 

Celebrating Danny Brookwell's opener against Caersws.

The match started with a bang, as Town got out of the blocks faster than John Terry when there’s a trophy to be lifted and photographed with. The Cofis surged into a four nil victory inside eighteen minutes and, at that stage, the team was playing as well as I’d seen them during the season. Uncharacteristically, the players seemed to switch off for a few minutes and this let Caersws back into the match, as they fought back to trail by just 5-3 at half-time. Typically, the players got back into the groove after the break and found the net three more times before the final whistle. Darren Thomas had undoubtedly been the star of the show and he hit an excellent hat-trick to cap off a fine display.

The league's representatives began proceedings immediately after the match by presenting Iwan with his manager of the month award for March, which was richly deserved after his side's 100% success rate of five victories, in which they scored seventeen goals and conceded just two. 

Iwan receives his Manager of the Month award for March.

The league trophy was then handed to Grahame Austin in front of the home supporters at the Clubhouse End of the ground and that ‘One Club’ ethos shone through for the second time on the day as the players celebrated with the supporters. It was an excellent way to round off the title winning campaign and, from a personal point of view, I loved every minute of taking photos of the players with the fans, and individually with the cup. It was a memorable afternoon in every way and my big  hope now is that Iwan and the team can repeat the feat next season so that we can finally get back into the Welsh Premier League. Five hundred and ten supporters walked through the turnstiles to see the match and there aren’t many, if any, teams that can match that in the top tier. The team and the supporters deserve to be there and the club’s Board simply has to make sure that we’re in a position to get there as soon as possible, with the 2017/18 season unquestionably the objective!

The Canaries Club held their presentation evening for the players immediately after the match and it was the perfect way to celebrate the team’s achievements. I’ll be writing a report on the event for the club’s website soon but must mention here how good it was to see the club’s former chairman, Arfon Jones, in attendance. He was rightly given a standing ovation when he took the microphone and was his usual forthright self when addressing everyone. I’ve been on the club’s Board with Arfon for six years and no one has worked harder than him in dragging the team from obscurity to where it is now. The club’s been a massive part of his life, especially during the time of his stewardship of the Canaries, and I certainly hope we’ll still see him at the Oval and on our travels next season. In the meantime, he can practise his swing on the golf course and, from what everyone has told me, he desperately needs it!

Whilst on the subject of the presentation evening, it was great to see Caersws staying on at the supporters club for the duration of the awards and I thought it was a great gesture by them. Of course, Iwan played for the Bluebirds last season and from what I gather is friends with their manager Graham Evans, so I’m sure it would have meant a lot to our manager that is former club  made the effort to hang around.

The 2015/16 Huws Gray Cymru Alliance League Champions.  

I had intended to include the League Cup final in this blog but, as it’s probably already overlong, I’ll include it in the next entry, which may also include some recent news, including Iwan’s never-ending appetite to improve the team, both on and off the pitch.

Un Clwb.