It’s been nearly three months
since I last added a blog and so, with 2018 coming to a close, I thought it
might be time to try and squeeze in one final entry before the new year
arrives. Of course, a lot has happened in and around Caernarfon Town Football
Club since the last blog and to try and catch up in the same format at usual
would be a daunting job, not just to write but also for you to read. Therefore,
I’ve decided to put together a few highlights and comments to cover the three
months, and will close with the inaugural Oval Ways Alternative End of Year
Awards. So, brace yourself for a whirlwind recap to cover the last twelve weeks
from where I was standing….
October.
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Rambo explaining to Gwyn Derfel how he and his defence
kept two clean sheets against the Nomads.
|
Although the Cofis failed to win
a match throughout the month, there was only one defeat, a 0-3 reverse at home to an excellent Newtown
side. The other three matches were all drawn and the pick of the bunch, in my
opinion, was the goalless encounter with Connahs Quay Nomads. Followers of the
Welsh Premier League will be aware that Andy Morrisons’ side are battling TNS
and Barry Town for the league title and so to keep a clean sheet against them
for a second time this season was an impressive achievement.
I missed the match at Abersytwyth
due to a combination of illness and not wanting to risk life and limb by
travelling through Storm Callum for two hours. I’ll be honest and say that I
believe the Welsh Premier League should have cancelled the match on safety
grounds of those braving the atrocious weather. I received two photos from a
friend travelling to the match and believe the club requested a cancellation in
plenty of time before everyone started their journeys but the message was clear
that the fixture had to be played. Thankfully, everyone got back home safely
but this is certainly something that needs to be looked at in the future. I
understand that we are now playing in the Welsh Premier League, but people’s
safety is obviously the priority and common sense needs to be used in such
circumstances.
November.
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| Defeat at Carmarthen but Nathan was back with a vengeance! |
A long trip to Carmarthen was
first up and it was a first visit to Richmond Park for me. I opted to drive
down, and thankfully, my mate Bob was also up for the journey, as otherwise I
fear I would still be driving around the country lanes looking for the ground!
The weather was atrocious, again, but we began well and when Nathan Craig put
the Cofis ahead with a free kick I thought we’d go on and win the match.
Unfortunately, football is not that straightforward and the hosts did well to
get back in the match and eventually ran out 4-3 winners. Although the
post-match interviews the players gave me later showed how frustrated they
were, I still think the team had done enough to get at least a point. However,
a huge positive to take away from the afternoon was the return of Nathan, who
scored a hat-trick and showed, once again, how important he is to the side.
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| Job done at Park Hall. |
We travelled to England six days
later, in atrocious rain(again), to play The New Saints. I’m not sure how many
people gave us a chance of gaining anything against the champions but the
players were confident and the Cofi Army was there, so it was game on! Having
defended well in the first half, the Cofis fairly dominated the second period
and Nathan gave us a deserved win with a penalty late on. Suffice to say it was
a pretty special victory for Caernarfon and, oddly enough, I neither saw nor
heard the previously loud TNS contingency on the way out of the ground! It had
been an enjoyable first visit to Park Hall although I did find it quite a
peculiar set-up, having to enter a sort of childrens’ play area and café/bar on
the way to the football ‘arena’, which I was surprised to see only had two
half-stands containing seating areas. But still, what a great win for the
Cofis! Incidentally, Noah Edwards was our man of the match and deservedly so,
as he was excellent throughout.
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| Gaz celebrating his goal against Cardiff Met. |
The players backed up the TNS
victory by beating Cardiff Met 2-0 in front of the Sgorio cameras the following
week. Gareth Edwards and Noah were jointly named man of the match but, in
truth, all of the Caernarfon players could quite easily have been given the
accolade. In my opinion, the performance was our best of the season up to that
point as Met are a very good side and yet, we bossed the action and had the
opportunities to win by a much more handsome margin.
December.
A 2-2 draw in Llanelli was
followed by a tough looking trip to Prestatyn in the Welsh Cup. Despite taking
a wrong turn near the ground and ending up halfway to Rhyl, we managed to make
it before kick-off and whilst I cannot say hand on heart that I enjoyed
standing in the bitter cold wind for ninety minutes, I did rather enjoy seeing
the Cofis beating Neil Gibson’s side by three goals to nil. The last time we
had played at Bastion Road, the Seasiders beat us on their way to the Cymru
Alliance title and so it was nice to turn the tables on them this time around.
They’ve had a very tough couple of seasons but it seems that the recently
returned manager is slowly turning things around and the addition of players of
the calibre of former Town player Ben Maher is a positive sign that he’ll do
just this.
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| Cai whips in a cross at a windy Prestatyn. |
We were back to league action the
following week, and another bumper crowd enjoyed a sensational performance from
the players, as the Cofis beat Abersytwyth 4-0. Nev Powell’s side had been on a
great run of form leading up to the encounter, being unbeaten in eight matches,
but they were no match for Caernarfon on the night, as Nathan Craig (2), Sion
Bradley and Darren Thomas got on the scoresheet to see us closing the gap on
Aber in the race for the top six. Sion was named man of the match and it’s been
brilliant to see how well he’s taken to the top flight this season.
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| Messi opened his account for the season against Aberystwyth |
The decision to put back
Caernarfon’s match at Barry Town on December 22nd to 7:35pm was
unfair and totally uncalled for in my opinion. I understand that Sgorio wanted
to show the encounter live but more consideration should have been given to
what time of year it was, and the travelling involved. In the WPL, teams can
request evening matches against opposing teams that are within a hundred miles
of each other, which generally means that our encounters with sides in Mid-Wales
will usually be played on Friday evenings. So, how was our four-hour trip to
Barry ever sanctioned for a 7:35pm kick off? Again, the powers that be need to
seriously reconsider such requests in the future as it’s not reasonable to ask
players and supporters to travel coast to coast for an evening kick-off. The
match itself was a cracker, and I felt the Cofis were unlucky not to have got
at least a point. Unfortunately, and not for the first time, one or two missed
opportunities cost us at least a point but the players could hold their head
high after a super performance against a very strong outfit.
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| Interest was high and Sion Bradley was on fire against Llandudno |
In recent years we have become accustomed to welcoming
Porthmadog to the Oval on Boxing Days but this year, of course, there had to be
a change of plan and, with our near neighbours from Nantporth now playing in
the second tier, our natural opponents for the festive season was Llandudno.
Obviously, matches between the sides will never be derbies in the true meaning
of the word but, with our former manager in their dugout to add some spice to
the occasion, it certainly made for an interesting looking fixture. There was a
bumper crowd at the ground but Scottish Power struck early in the first half and
a power shortage resulted in an abandoned match at half-time. The teams faced
up again three days later and again.
Another 1300 plus crowd
walked through the turnstiles and
we were all treated to an absolute cracker, which ended at 3-3. I don’t want to
dwell too much on other teams but Llandudno impressed me on the day and,
knowing how their manager operates I find it hard to believe they are bottom of
the league at this stage. I’m sure they’ll add to their squad in January and
will get out of trouble but still, I’m surprised by their present predicament. Sion
Bradley was our man of the match in the draw and what a player he’s proving to
be for us!
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| Danny Brookwell in action against Llandudno |
So, as I write this, the team stands
sixth in the league with three matches to play. We’re level on points with seventh
placed Aberystwyth but have a superior goal-difference and a game in hand so
have a chance of securing a top six spot at the half-way stage. That would
guarantee both our place in the top tier next season and a European Play-off
spot! I don’t want to add to the pressure on Eards and the players, but how
exciting would that be? Anyway, there’s still lots of football to play and our
final three fixtures of the first phase, against Llandudno, Carmarthen and
Bala, are all going to be tough.
Now that I’ve finally caught up
with our fixtures, I’m delighted to introduce the Oval Ways Alternative Awards
for 2018. There is one point I am very keen to make clear at the outset which
is there are no actual prizes for the winners so I don’t want anyone catching
up with me looking for their silverware. Hopefully, the fact that they’re
winners will be enough for them!! So, here goes……..
Egg on Face Award.
If I’ve learned anything since starting this blog,
it’s that there are plenty of people who are more than ready to criticise and
get personal if they don’t agree with what I’ve written, even if most of it is
lighthearted. The worst case has been after questioning Owain Tudur Jones’s dismissive
comments about Caernarfon early in the season. The former Welsh international
footballer was not personally responsible for the social media criticism I
received, but certainly some of his friends or acquaintances were. Despite this,
I have absolutely no qualms in giving the Sgorio analyst this year’s Egg on
Face award, which he so obviously deserves, for saying the Cofis were favourites
for relegation.
The Blatter.
To be fair, Tudur Jones has been much more
complimentary about the club in recent weeks and has even thrown a compliment or
two our way, which has been both surprising and humorous. With this in mind, I
am therefore pleased to announce him as this year’s recipient of the ‘Sepp
Blatter Backtracking Award’. Huge congratulations to Owain on his double
success!
Most Accommodating Staff.
This is shared between security staff at Connahs
Quay and the canteen staff at Carmarthen. The Nomads ground may seem a little
quiet and soulless but the staff were great, and even helped me put on my media
bib, although it might have been more through pity than anything else! The
ladies providing refreshments down in Carmarthen were bubbly, friendly and gave
us a free cheeseburger, so they too also deserve something for their
efforts!
Best match official.
Cheryl Foster was the only person in the running
for this one. Ms Foster has refereed the Cofis on a number of occasions in the
past three seasons and been excellent every time. I recall her officiating a
Caernarfon Town match at Gresford in 2016/17 and was impressed with how she
discussed matters with the players and tried to let the action flow. This seems
to be her preferred way of officiating and her common-sense approach puts her
head and shoulders above everyone else in the Welsh Premier League.
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| Paul Daniels time at the Oval.... |
The Clive Owen Award.
Readers of a certain age, mostly over forty I would
guess, will be familiar with the name Clive Owen, a high-profile Welsh referee
from a bygone era, who seemed to love nothing better than court media attention
aroused by his latest contentious decision. This is the feeling I get with some
match officials in the top tier, who brandish more cards out than Paul Daniels
in the seventies. There are some decent officials in the league and so this
award goes to all the usual suspects who you just dread seeing park up at the
ground before the match. You’ll know the ones I mean.
The Sinatra.
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| The Holy Dean showing his allegiance |
The legendary Frank Sinatra was renowned as much
for his comebacks from retirements as for his singing and so our old friend
from up the A55, Johnny Haseldin, is this year’s recipient of the best, and quickest comeback award. No
sooner had the Holy Dean announced he was leaving Holywell that he seemed he was back
there in his usual spot in the dugout. In all seriousness North Wales football
needs managers like him and, despite the Wellmen’s average season thus far, it
won’t take long for Johnny to turn things around there.
The Neville.
If there was a best right-back in the Welsh Premier
League award, Joe Williams would be the winner by a country mile. Unfortunately
for Joe, ‘the Neville’ relates not to the former England international’s
footballing career, but rather to his punditry work for Sky. He may have been
good at hiding Manchester United’s goal from opposing strikers but one thing Neville
has yet to master is hiding his dislike of his team’s arch rivals, Liverpool. Therefore,
the Gary Neville ‘Can’t Hide my Colours’ Award goes to Marc Lloyd Williams, who
always seems so gloomy whenever the Cofis manage a decent result. Marc was an
excellent striker in his day in the WPL but old habits seem to die hard.
Best Book.
As Connor Macleod of the Clan Macleod frequently said
(from yet another bygone era?), there can be only one, and the winner here is
Alex Philp’s ‘Cmon the Town’. I’ve known Alex since our school days and he’s a genuinely
nice guy, who has now written two excellent books concerning the club. In this offering
he reviews ten memorable seasons in Caernarfon Town’s history and it’s a
treasure trove of information and photos that will entertain both Cofi fans and
football fans in general. A great read!
The Magnet.
This is another no-brainer as the best magnet winner
has to be the one used when picking out teams for the fourth round of the Welsh
Cup. Who would ever have guessed that our neighbours at Nantporth would be
handed a home draw against Caernarfon? Having said this, the Cofis have a
decent record on the banks of the Menai Straits so we’ll be going there quietly
confident of a positive result.
The Bishop.
It’s common knowledge amongst Caernarfon supporters
that Scouse comedian John Bishop played for us many years ago and so it’s only right
that the award for Best ‘Stand-Up’ Moment is named after him. It will come as
no surprise that Sean Eardley is the front runner for this accolade and, having
thought long and hard about his various ‘Bishop’ moments in 2018 I have decided
that his Christmas Gifts for the Players routine was his stand-out moment! This
all came about after our recent match with Aberystwyth and I was carrying our
post-match interviews with Nathan and Eards. I also wanted a one-off video
where we could have some fun with Sean and so suggested he could go through his
Christmas list for the players. Quick as a flash, he told me to give him five minutes
and left the room for some props! It was all unplanned and off the cuff but Sean
got it done in one take, and you can see the winning stand-up moment by
following this link on the club’s official youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjxGGkz6qIw
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| Eards in full flow during his winning stand-up routine. |
Special Awards:
Above and Beyond: Gareth Edwards taking time off a
family break to make a three hundred mile round trip to play for the Cofis
against Llandudno.
Best Comentator: Malcolm Allen, for being fair and
honest in his assessments and usually getting his pre-season predictions spot
on!
Best Chippy. The one in Caersws, end of!
El Hombre Bala Award: Nathan Craig. Nathan is the
best player in the league in my opinion and anyone who saw Roberto Carlos from
dead-ball situations will know why our captain wins this award.
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| El Hombre Bala |
Biggest Impact: Sion Bradley. It’s hard to believe
this is his first season in the Welsh Premier League and indeed his first year with
us, but he’s been a revelation since joining and I can’t wait to see how he
develops with us in the future.
Finally, thank you to everyone who has read the
blog during the past twelve months, and also those who follow the twitter @OvalWays
and facebook accounts. Also, huge thanks to the Caernarfon Town management,
players, volunteers and supporters for giving me something to write about. I
may not be a prolific blogger, I don’t always get it right, but I hope that at
least some of the stuff I post is worth reading.
Blwyddyn Newydd Dda i chi gyd!
Happy New Year!
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