Wide Lens, Hearts on Sleeves and the Scariest Voice in Football.

In stark contrast to how I have felt about pre-season friendlies for most of my football following life, these days I quite enjoy them. I wrote about this very subject in the blog last summer, and mentioned then how my involvement in the club had given me a new perspective on the pre-season fixtures.

These matches can of course provide the manager with opportunities to look at different formations, at promising youngsters in the ranks and at trialists, whilst helping members of the first team squad attain match fitness. So, it’s all good on the playing side whilst, off the field, the extra revenue generated by hosting pre-season fixtures can make a huge difference to every club. As a supporter I had never really thought about the financial side of football, and how much needs to be done behind the scenes to merely carry on.

Most football clubs, especially at non-professional level, rely on the income generated through the turnstiles to survive and, with bills to pay for twelve months of the year, the close season can be a difficult, and tricky period for every club. So, in addition to the aforementioned playing reasons the pre-season fixture list is an important part of the game today and, it seems to me, is becoming increasingly so with each passing year. 

As has been the policy since Iwan joined Caernarfon two years ago, he has again been solely responsible for arranging this year’s warm-up schedule and once more has managed to come up with a varied, and entertaining looking programme. So, how has it gone thus far?

Rhys Roberts.

The first run-out of the summer saw us travelling to Llandudno to face the Welsh Premier League side in a testimonial match for Lee Thomas, who has been with the Seasiders for thirteen years. I always enjoy my visits to their ground, which is always in great nick, and we were given a great welcome by the hosts. Having captained Llandudno in the past, our manager still has a lot of friends at the club and with their former assistant manager, Sean Eardley, having recently joined us it all added up to a friendly and enjoyable occasion.

The match itself was competitive, especially in a first half that saw two strong sides take to the field. For the Cofis, it was good to see recent signings Ryan Williams and Rhys Roberts making their first appearances for us and I was impressed by them both. I’ve seen Rhys play on numerous occasions and he’s a proper centre half, big and strong, and excellent in the air, whilst Ryan looks a real class act, full of football and technically superb. The teams were level at half-time but the line-ups that re-emerged after the break looked a lot different to the starting eleven, as former team-mates of Lee Thomas joined him for the second period whilst a handful of Caernarfon’s Over 35 side managed to squeeze themselves into the yellow and green kit for a run out. Someone had warned me beforehand to try and get hold of a wide angle lens for the veterans but I didn’t have to as they all did well and, despite a few mistimed tackles and plenty of red cheeks, they just about got away with it! For the record, the score was 2-1 to the hosts at the final whistle but at least we saw a great finish by Jay Gibbs, the midfielder having been set up by Iwan, who may have been wearing a Llandudno shirt, but was definitely playing for us! I also wish to point out that I hope the management team of Iwan, Sean Eardley and Richard Davies have a much better plan in place for defending corners that the one they implemented late on in the match (see photo above). 

Winner of the Laziest Corner Flag of the Year Award

Before moving on, I am delighted to say that the match provided me with the recipient of the inaugural award for the 'Laziest Corner Flag of the Year', which I am sure you will agree with me after seeing the photos of the winner, is full deserved!

The next first team fixture was the Grahame Austin Appreciation match, where the Cofis played against one of Aussie’s former teams, Llangefni. Grahame has, of course, been a highly respected and highly successful player in the Welsh Pyramid system and when Iwan and Canaries Club chairman Phil Jones first suggested the idea of celebrating his career, the idea was what I believe is called a no-brainer. Grahame has been with Caernarfon for four years and captained the side superbly for three, during which he led us to three cups and the Cymru Alliance league title. He was also successful during his

Owner of The Scariest Voice in World Football. 

stint as Llangefni’s captain a few years ago and therefore it was great that the clubs got together for this fixture. I saw Aussie before kick-off and was surprised when he told me that he started his playing career as a left winger before moving into midfield and finally dropping back to defence where he proved himself one of the best centre halves in the area. Having only seen him play at the back I can’t imagine Grahame blazing a trail up and down the touchline but from what I’ve heard since, he was pretty good at that too! In addition to his footballing talents our former captain can undoubtedly stake an untouchable claim for possessing the ‘Scariest Voice in World Football’. The match itself was a thriller, and the Cofis eventually won it 3-1, but only after a tough challenge from the visitors. Grahame made a cameo late on and thankfully refrained from sharing one of his scary ‘ear-busters’ but, having assured me that he will continue to visit the Oval to support the Cofis, if ever our loudspeaker system breaks down (again), at least we now know Aussie would be able to provide a decent, and louder, replacement!

Next up was a visit to Maes Tegid to face Welsh Cup winners Bala Town in a testimonial for Steve Fischer. Steve played for the Canaries a few years ago and so it was great to see him again. The Welsh Premier League outfit were quick out of the blocks and two goals up inside five minutes. To be honest, at this point I feared the worst but the Cofis dug deep and, despite being down by four goals immediately after the break, strikes from Gareth Edwards and Nathan Craig gave a fairer reflection on the match. No team wants to lose, whether it is a friendly or not, but looking at the whole picture it was a pleasing performance from us. Bala are an excellent side and, having already played competitively due to their Europa League adventure, their preparations for the new season were obviously at a much more advanced stage than our, and it showed in stages. Fischer and our manager are close friends and so it was good fun to watch their second half cameos as they both tried to get the better of each other, although I believe our manager came out on top, courtesy of Steve’s poor attempt at hiding his handball in the area that resulted in our late penalty!

 Ttown and Bala line up with Steve Fischer.

This had been my first visit to Maes Tegid and I enjoyed it immensely. There was a great atmosphere at the ground and club officials I spoke with were very friendly and accommodating. I was slightly surprised by how spartan the stadium is, with a small stand behind one goal and three or four smaller stands running along one side of the pitch, but it all looked tidy and I believe they’re an excellent example of how clubs can achieve big things in such a short space of time. The Lakesiders gained promotion to the top tier just eight years ago and have come a long way since then and whilst I understand people saying it’s a club we should try and emulate I believe we should set and achieve our own targets. Their manager, Colin Caton, was very complimentary towards the Cofi Army after the Welsh Cup semi-final and he was right when he said we’ve got the best supporters in the country. With this in mind, we should be striving to match the fans in all aspects of the club, and be the best on and off the pitch. A lofty target but one I’m sure we can achieve one day. 

Jay Gibbs in the match at  Bala. 

Penrhyn arrived at the Oval three days later and, despite going two goals down early on, they proved to be a decent outfit, although Town were too strong for them and eventually ran out 5-1 winners. Jay Gibbs and Jamie Breese found the net within six minutes and the latter secured his brace half way through the first period, whilst Jamie Roberts also got on the scoresheet before an own goal completed Town’s total. To be fair to the visitors, the Cofis played really well on the night and, although it’s still early days, the squad seems to have improved a fair bit from last season.

Looking at the summer additions who have played thus far, Gareth Evans, Ryan Williams and Rhys Roberts have started well at the club and we still have Mike Griffiths to welcome, the striker still working hard to get over an injury in time for the league season.

Recent igning Ryan Williams has impressed.

Evo Stick North League side Ramsbottom United were next up at the Oval and the match was a real cracker! The Rams finished last season in mid-table, which is no mean feat when considering the standard they play at and are therefore obviously a very good side. This fixture was one of the two I had been looking forward to the most pre-season and I was not disappointed. Matches against English non-league sides always remind me of the club’s days in the Northern Premier League when I first started frequenting the Oval and Saturday was no exception. There was a different type of atmosphere at the ground on the day, and it was exciting to see the Canaries facing new opposition.

The sides were evenly matched but I felt Caernarfon had the edge, certainly physically, and looked sharp and very competitive. A number of strong challenges early in the encounter raised the competitiveness somewhat and it all added up to a very entertaining affair, with the Cofis battling back from a goal down to win. Jamie Breese levelled things after Ramsbottom’s opener and Ryan Williams found the top corner of the onion bag in the final minute to give us the victory.

Breesey was the recipient of more than one strong

challenge against Ramsbottom.

Although Iwan had originally not planned for the squad to play too many of the midweek fixtures, he decided that some of the players needed more minutes on the pitch and so sent them out again on the Tuesday to face Llanberis. Suffice to say the Darans were up for the challenge and played their part in another entertaining match, although I felt Town were much stronger, which is to be expected. When watching the action I was reminded of matches between the sides just four years ago and the red-hot atmosphere we always felt when visiting their ground. There was one particular encounter during the treble season of 2012/13 when we had to play them in the run-in to the league title and, spurred on by one particular striker who loved to score against us, things got quite heated between players, supporters and, later on, just about everyone else, especially on social media! I am hesitant to say those were happy days but, seeing as we won the match 3-2 and clinched the league title just a few days later, they certainly were, despite everything! 

These days, matches between the sides are confined to pre-season warm-ups and so it was a much less volatile atmosphere at the Oval on Tuesday but an enjoyable one nevertheless and the Cofis came out on top by four goals to one. Breesey got another brace and there were also strikes from Gareth Edwards and Darren Thomas, whilst former Town reserve player Llion Jones netted their consolation goal.

Hearts on Sleeves.......

And so there we have it, a quick review of the first team’s pre-season action so far, which has proved both enjoyable and promising. As already mentioned, the new players have settled in well and look to have improved the squad whilst on the management side our new assistant manager, Sean Eardley, looks as if he’s been here for years, never mind just two months. When Iwan mentioned he was bringing Sean in, he told me that he is a bubbly and infectious person who we’d all take to, and he was right. I’ve spoken, albeit fleetingly, with Sean on a few occasions and he seems a perfect fit for Iwan and the club. From what I’ve seen, he wears his heart on his sleeve, and that will do for me!

Before finishing, I have to mention the brilliant support the club has had over the summer months from members of the Cofi Army, who have been at the Oval to carry out essential maintenance work on a weekly basis. Their paint work will be obvious to see to everyone who visits the Oval but there is a lot of other work they’ve carried out that, whilst not as obvious from the terraces, has been absolutely essential and the club will benefit from this for years to come. I know there are exciting plans ahead that the Canaries Club will be heavily involved in and the end result of this will make an enormous difference to the players and the club itself.

For now, however, we have lots of football to look forward to, three matches in the next week to be precise, beginning with this Saturday’s match with Telford United and, whilst it’s going to be another tough test for the team, it’s one they’ll be up for!