Elton John, Dean Martin and Owzat?

The final two weeks of pre-season have been a mixed bag. Two victories, a defeat, music police alerts and the new assistant manager masquerading as Dean Martin have all added to an interesting precursor to the real action, which begins this weekend.
I ended the last blog by looking forward to the Telford fixture, which had promised to be a cracker, and that’s exactly how it panned out. The visitors came out on top by four goals to one but I don’t think the scoreline was an accurate reflection of what had been an evenly fought, and very enjoyable encounter. I obviously have a strong bias towards the Cofis but do try to be as fair as I can to the opposition and so whilst I think the Bucks marginally edged proceedings, they certainly weren’t three goals better than us. In fact I thought our performance on the day might have been our best of pre-season and think the main difference between the sides was that Rob Edwards’ men proved much more clinical in front of goal.

The Canaries have been playing a particular style of football over the past two years and whilst we’ve all seen it work against teams in the Welsh Pyramid System, I was encouraged that, in the main, the side was able to impose its style against an outfit that play just two steps down from the football league. The players looked comfortable in possession and created plenty of goalscoring opportunities and, as odd as it may sound after a defeat, the performance bodes well for the new season.

Alex during his goalkeeping clinic with Town's junior stoppers. 

On a personal note, it turned out into an interesting day for me. I arrived at the Oval earlier than usual to record interviews with Head of Academy Haydn Jones and first team keeper Alex Ramsay, who was holding a goalkeeping clinic for the club’s junior keepers in the morning. Having completed both interviews early on I decided to carry on filming a few bits and pieces and first team manager Iwan gave me permission to record his pre-match team talk and, really, to record whatever I wanted around the team’s preparations. My trusted ipod camera was switched on just about everywhere in the ground and I ended up with all sorts of clips, including filmed chats with Iwan, the match officials and the ladies in the canteen. One thing led to another and I ended up putting the best bits together to create a match day video diary, which can be viewed on the club’s official youtube channel. If you’ve already seen it, you’ll be aware that it’s not Spielberg but it was fun to do and will hopefully give everyone an idea of what it’s like at the ground on match day. If you haven’t already had a look, here’s the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rx9bNBZmjd0
Town got back to winning days three days later when a spirited Pwllheli were despatched 6-2 at the Oval and on Saturday the Cofis completed their pre-season fixtures with another tough match, Rainhill Town this time providing stiff and, at times, physical opposition.
To be honest, I don’t know too much about the West Cheshire League side but, having finished fourth in Division One in their first season following promotion last term, they seem to be a club on an upward trajectory and another big test was expected.

Rambo

There was very little to choose between the sides early on and although the Cofis enjoyed more possession, it was Alex Ramsay who was forced into the first save of the match when he did well to get his hand to the ball as it looked destined for the far corner of his goal. Talking of our keeper, I have to say that it was great to see him back between the sticks and in such good form. Work commitments have kept ‘Rambo’ away during most of the close season and whilst we’ve been lucky to have been able to call on the talents of a number of good keepers, I believe Alex is one of the best in the Welsh Pyramid System and to have him back in time for the start of the league season is a massive boost for the side. Whilst on the subject of goalkeepers, as a Caernarfon Town supporter I am delighted that Iwan has added Liam Jones to his squad. The youngster has impressed during pre-season and will provide excellent back-up for our number one, with a view to pushing for the jersey in the future.
Once Darren Thomas poked in the opener and Jamie Roberts added a second two minutes later, the result was never really in doubt, although the visitors did make it interesting when they scored ten minutes after the break. Darren had the last word with a great finish late on and I have a feeling the management team will have been relieved to finish the match without any injuries as the Rainhill players were certainly not shy in the tackle, especially as the match neared its conclusion. One thing the Rainhill management team will need to look at is whether or not their goalkeeper, a Jonathan Hill-Dunt lookalike, realises he’s playing football and not cricket as every time Town attacked his default shout was ‘Owzat’!

Darren Thomas and Jamie Roberts. 

Before the match started, the recent additions to the Canaries’ squad were required to sing an initiation tune in front of the players and, having sneaked into the Board room to record all four songs (on the insistence of the manager, I hasten to add!) I can safely say that we won’t be hearing from Simon Cowell any time soon. Rhys Roberts sang Calon Lan (the highlight for me because it’s a Welsh song and he’s bigger than me), Ryan Williams went for ‘Can’t Take My Eyes Off You’, Liam Jones plumped for an Oasis ditty after failing a Gloria Gaynor ‘anthem’ and Sean Eardley showed everyone why he won’t be able to make a living as a Dean Martin impersonator, although his version of ‘Ain't That a Kick in the Head’ was certainly an improvement on the music blaring from the loudspeaker for most of the afternoon! Three full-paying spectators at the ground complained to me about the music played through the sound system and having been led to believe that Iwan Williams owned the playlist, I confronted our manager our

Sean Eardley. 

manager about it. Iwan was non-committal about the matter but did accuse me of probably preferring something from Elton John than the latest tunes! I think a lot of our manager and decided to let the accusation pass, although to be fair I am partial to some of Elton’s music, so he may have had a fair point!
Behind the scenes, the Caernarfon Town Board and the Canaries Club have been doing their collective best to try and improve things as much as they can. The supporters have worked tirelessly on the Oval itself, maintaining and improving the ground and I believe there are exciting plans afoot that will make a huge difference to the players representing the club in the future.
Our new commercial manager, Tristram Lee, is working hard to bring in the revenue that will enable the club to continue to grow whilst hopefully enabling us to compete on the field and I believe there may be one or two announcements in the near future with news that will help us towards these goals. Those who attended Saturday’s match with Rainhill, or have seen some of the photographs from the encounter may have noted that the team played in our new away kits, sponsored by LiteAccess Technologies, and I’m hoping the club will make an announcement about our partnership with this global company very soon.

Ryan Williams in the side's new 'Lite Access' away kit. 

As always, the week leading up to the start of the new season always sees sports reporters, commentators and supporters sharing their views on who they think will win the league, gain promotion, get relegated and so on and whilst no one can ever know for sure how things can pan out, it’s been nice to see Caernarfon Town amongst a handful of other teams being tipped to challenge for the Huws Gray Alliance League title. Having finished the past three seasons second, first and second in the league it’s not surprising that the Canaries are being talked about and whilst it’s nice as a supporter to read and hear such things, I think it’s worth remembering that it won’t mean a thing once the football starts this Saturday.
I have been saying for the last two years that this league is the toughest, most competitive and most exciting in the Pyramid system and this season it’s going to be even more so, on all fronts! The two sides relegated from the Welsh Premier League, Airbus and Rhyl, will be desperate for a quick return and, in my opinion, should be considered slight favourites for the title, whilst the second tier’s usual suspects, Guilsfield, Holywell, Porthmadog, Caersws, Flint and ourselves will all hope to challenge, whilst Holyhead and Gresford seem to have improved over the summer.

The first team squad for 2017/18.

In my eve of season blog over the past two years I have stated that the upcoming campaign could be our year and I’m sticking to this tradition, although this time with the disclaimer that so competitive is the league that supporters of up to seven other clubs can also rightfully be making the same claim. One thing I can safely claim however is that as a Caernarfon Town supporter I would not change our manager, his backroom staff nor our squad for anyone else. Iwan Williams, Sean Eardley, Richard Davies, Mike Innes, Alex Ramsay, Liam Jones, Joe Williams, Chris Williams, Clive Williams, Rhys Roberts, Gareth Edwards, Ryan Williams, Nathan Williams, Kevin Roberts, Nathan Craig, Jay Gibbs, Jamie Roberts, Gareth Evans, Mark Griffiths, Jamie Breese, Danny Brookwell, Darren Thomas and Aaron Davies-Thomas. They’ll do for me!
And so, at long last, the warm-up matches are over, all the preparations have been completed and we can finally look forward to the start of the real stuff! The Huws Gray Cymru Alliance League is finally upon us and I have no doubt that it’s going to be a cracker of a season!
First stop Penrhyncoch….

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!

One Cup, three signings and business as usual….

A month has passed since the final match of last season and, as always, it’s been a pretty busy time for everyone concerned at the Oval.

Before covering the events of the close season thus far I think it’s worth taking a look at how the season ended and how, despite what some people would have us all believe, the 2016/17 campaign was a success and could yet turn into a game changer for Caernarfon  Town Football Club.  

The last blog finished with the side’s Huws Gray Cup semi-final victory over Holyhead Hotspur and this meant the squad would get the opportunity to retain the cup they won last season courtesy of a narrow victory over Flint Town United. As it happened, the Silkmen would once again be our opponents in this year’s final but, before this latest silverware showdown there were still two league matches to play. Although we had already secured runners-up spot the players now had a cup final place to play for and so the fixtures were, to use a tennis reference, far from being ‘dead rubbers’.

Kevin Lloyd in full flow against Flint.

The first of these saw Flint visiting the Oval and, in all honesty, I thought they were the better team during a difficult first half for the Cofis. Shaun Beck deservedly gave the visitors the lead before Jamie Breese pulled us level just before the break. It was a great finish by our number nine and typical of what we’ve come to expect from him over the past two seasons as he latched onto a pass and rolled the ball past the keeper who, in this instance, was Patrick Kielty lookalike Ben Jones. The second half was a very different affair and Flint had their ‘doppleganger stopper’ to thank for securing their point as he pulled off fine saves to thwart Danny Brookwell , Nathan Craig and Darren Thomas. Meanwhile, Town manager Iwan Williams handed a first Oval start to Alex Crofts and the young keeper did well, looking sharp off his line and secure behind his backline. This was the youngster’s second start for the first eleven and he’s done very well in both matches. Iwan should be applauded for giving Alex these opportunities and whilst I’m no expert on the matter the experience he will have gained in both matches can only be a good thing and it will be interesting to see how long it will take Alex to start pushing for a regular start.

The side ended its league campaign seven days later with another home fixture and, with visitors Buckley Town still in with a slim chance of avoiding relegation I had expected to see a tough encounter. However, after an end to end start to the match, the Cofis turned on the style and overwhelmed Terry Ingram’s side, finding the net six times without reply.

Breesey bagged a hat-trick in the final league match.

The star of the show was Jamie Breese, who bagged a hat-trick and, to me, looked as good as he has ever done in a yellow shirt, full of confidence and, of course, goal! Not far behind him was Darren Thomas, who decided to finish the season off by unlocking his ‘special goals box’, setting off on a mesmerising run from his own half that saw him waltz past three opponents before finding the net.

The squad finished the league season off in style. 

It had been an excellent performance by the team that, in many ways, was reminiscent of some of last season’s performances. The football was fast-paced and the side looked powerful all over the pitch. It had not always been this way throughout the campaign, but the Cofis certainly saved one of their best performances until last this time around. As an added bonus, the manager gave a first team debut to sixteen year old Academy player Fhinn O’Doherty and, at the final whistle, the team included another two of the club’s promising youngsters, Aaron Davies-Thomas and Joe Vousden. I can’t think of many other managers in the vicinity, with clubs who play at this level or beyond, that would take this approach and yet it rarely seems to get noticed outside the club. Maybe one day, they’ll all cotton on?

And so, all our thoughts now turned to the Huws Gray Cup final and a third visit of the season to Conwy’s Morfa Ground, also known these days as ‘the three-quarter ground’, owing to the continuing closure of the impressive looking stand at the far end of the stadia. This is something I’ve mentioned after each visit to Conwy over the past two seasons and everyone who has been to the ground will know how odd it is to be unable to sit or stand behind one of the goals during a match.

Now that I’ve parked the only negative of the day to one side I can concentrate on the many positives from another memorable afternoon for the club. The first thing that needs saying is that Conwy Borough Football Club has now firmly established itself as the Huws Gray Alliance League’s Champion Burger Seller. The first stop upon arriving was the canteen and the cheeseburger I bought my son Iwan looked superb! I decided against getting one for myself due to an endless self-delusional quest to being a healthy eater and was sadly proud I didn’t relent, although it’s one of the hardest things I’ve ever done! Iwan didn’t have to tell me how good the burger tasted as, despite being of mammoth proportions, he made it disappear in mere seconds!

Jay Gibbs celebrates his goal with Chris Williams.

The match itself was a vast improvement on last year’s static final between the sides and the Canaries turned on the style from the off, looking very strong against a good Flint side. The players were on top of their game, with Nathan Craig and Jay Gibbs for me being the stand-out performers on the day. Chris Whitley’s men enjoyed a lot of possession at the start of the match but I felt we seemed comfortable and happy enough for them to pass the ball around in their own half. The difference between the sides was that the Cofis looked better in possession and much more exciting on the break, with Darren Thomas and Danny Brookwell causing panic and problems on the flanks.

It was from a lightning break that we scored the opener, Darren Thomas bursting out of his own penalty area and linking superbly with Jamie Breese before feeding Brookwell, who finished well in front of the travelling Cofi Army. It was a high quality move and finish that obviously stunned Flint and Town took full advantage by doubling the lead just two minutes later, Gibbs arriving late in the penalty area to get on the end of a Brookwell cross. Although we were just seventeen minutes into the match I felt quietly confident that the the Cofis had more than one hand on the cup even at this stage and so it proved, with Kevin Lloyd putting the final touch after the break, scoring from close range following more good work by Messi.

Danny Brookwell. Scorer and provider in cup final.

Winning a final is always exciting and, quite apart from the joys of the day, I was especially pleased for Iwan and the players. Retaining the Huws Gray Cup is an excellent achievement in itself but, after the disappointment of losing the league title from an earlier than expected stage of the season, the players rolled up their sleeves and went on an impressive run of results, which included that wonderful run in the Welsh Cup and it would have been a shame to see them finish the campaign empty handed.

I know that Iwan and everyone connected to the squad wanted promotion above all else this year but I think it’s important to remember that we’ve still had a successful season. Runners-up in the league, semi-finals of the Welsh Cup and retaining the League cup is a pretty good return after nine months of football and in many ways, the 2016/17 campaign proved just as exciting as the previous year. The club received more media coverage than it has for many years due to the Welsh Cup exploits and I believe it’s helped firmly establish us as one of the country’s highest profile clubs. As a Caernarfon Town supporter I’ve naturally always believed we’re one of the top clubs in the country but, realistically, we needed last season’s exposure to prove that we are.

Nathan picks up his man of the match award.

As an added bonus to winning the cup, it was also great to see Nathan Craig lifting his first trophy as captain. And, just in case anyone apart from our stakeholders noticed, the starting line-up included nine local players, with another two coming on as substitutes, including seventeen year-old striker Aaron Davies-Thomas. There's a theme here isn't there, and I wonder how many other highly rated teams in the Cymru Alliance League can match this?    

The final signalled the end of the season but, of course, didn’t mean that everyone at the club stopped working. In reality, the final match of every campaign merely signals the start of the next one and, as expected, Iwan has been busy making plans on how to regain the Cymru Alliance title. One of the managers’ favourite words is ‘obsessed’ and, just to prove that he is, even before setting off for home after the match at Conwy, he mentioned that he’d soon contact me to announce new signings!

True to his word, it didn’t take long for Iwan to announce that Sean Eardley was joining us as his assistant manager. I’ll be honest and say that I don’t really know much about Sean but, from what I’ve read on social media after the news broke, he seems very highly rated by people involved in the game, and promises to be a massive asset for us.

Job done for Iwan and Nathan.

I’ve since had the pleasure of announcing three new signing on the club’s online outlets and all of them are great additions to the squad. Gareth Evans has a great track record in the Welsh Pyramid and I believe it augers well for us that he is prepared to drop down a league to play for the Canaries. Rhys Roberts is a defender I know a little more about as he’s played against us so many times, for Porthmadog and Holyhead. He’s a tough tackling defender who has always played well against us, and I’m sure our strikers will much prefer having him in our team than against us. The latest signing, Mark Griffiths, is a real netfinder and it’s fair to say that his goals helped secure Caersws’ position in the league.

In a recent interview I posted on the club’s official youtube channel, Iwan mentions that there may be another signing very soon and, with so many new faces arriving, it’s going to be interesting to see how the squad shapes up for next season. How many players will be retained, who will start our first competitive match in August, and will Joe Williams get a starting berth in the side after failing to include the manager in his five a side team, as mentioned in our recent Oval Ways interview?
These are all questions we’ll have to wait a few more weeks to get the answers to but, until then, there’s still plenty of work to do at the Oval….

No Ordinary Joe.

One of manager Iwan Williams’ first signings when he joined Caernarfon Town was Joe Williams, who arrived at the Oval from Llandudno. In the two years he’s been with the club, Joe has been one of the side’s most consistent performers and has become a firm favourite with the club’s supporters. A full-back who loves to push forward, he also enjoys a tackle and, in the two years since he joined the Cofis, he’s proved that he’s no ordinary Joe.

I’ve seen all but two of Joe’s matches for Town, and whilst he is always ready for a chat, and I know Joe to be a really nice man, I knew very little of his footballing background and thoughts on the game, his team-mates and his time at the Oval. With this in mind, I felt Joe was the ideal candidate for the latest exclusive Oval Ways interview and I’m really pleased that he agreed to it.

So, a big thanks to Joe for taking the time to answer all my questions and I'm pretty sure everyone who reads the interview will enjoy it as much as I have. 

    

OW: Can you tell us about your football career up to your time at Caernarfon please Joe? Which teams have you played for, from your school days up to the present?

Joe: “I started off playing for Glan Conwy from the age of about five or six and stayed there till I was 19 I think after we won the FAW trophy. Joined Conwy with Paul Moroney winning the Welsh alliance and played for the tangies for 3 years before I moved to Llandudno winning the Cymru Alliance in my final season there. Since then I've been a Cofi and couldn't be happier at the club.”

OW: Have you always been a defender and if so, why?

Joe: “As a kid I played on the wing and believe it or not I used to score quite a few goals but as I've got older I've slowly moved back towards my own goal and I've ended up at right back.”

OW: Who have been the biggest influences on your career?

Joe: “I'd never tell him but my Dad was probably the biggest influence on me. He always taught me to work hard and never give up and that's something that's always stayed with me. Others that have influenced me were people like Paul Moroney (the scariest man in football!), Alan Morgan and Deiniol Graham. All are great managers and coaches in their own way.”

OW: Which professional team do you support and why?

Joe: “I've always supported Manchester United simply because that's who my dad supports.”

OW: Who was your favourite player when growing up and why?

Joe: “David Beckham was my idol, and he’s probably the coolest man on the planet even now. I had his boots and hairstyle but just didn't have his technique unfortunately.”

OW: Who is your favourite present player and why?

Joe; “Obviously Ronaldo and Messi are just ridiculous. I've got a few players I enjoy watching now though, players like Toni Kroos, Sergio Busquets, Xabi Alonso and Michael Carrick. All are very underrated in my opinion but the vision they have, the positional awareness and the ability to see danger before others do and nullify it is top drawer and often goes unnoticed. Dani Alves is another one I enjoy watching play.”

OW: How did your move to Caernarfon come about?

Joe: “Iwan had been pestering me for about two months to sign and was doing my head in. He turned up at my gym in Rhos on Sea with a signing-on form, a pen and a bottle of red wine so I signed just to shut him up. But he still does my head in even now!!”

OW: Was it an expensive bottle of wine Joe, or was it just a token gesture from the manager?

Joe: “It should have been an expensive bottle the money he's on but the worst thing is I don't even like wine!”

OW: What did you know about Caernarfon Town before you joined us?

Joe: “Obviously before signing I knew Caernarfon was a huge club with a huge fan base but I didn't realise at the time just how big. It's a great buzz playing in front of the Cofi Army every week and games like the ones last season at Cefn Druids and Bangor, and against Bala, Rhyl and Camarthen in the Welsh Cup this season are all games I'll never forget.”

OW: Had you ever played at the Oval before joining us?

Joe: “I had played at the Oval many times before signing and had some memorable wins but also some heavy defeats. I always remembered it being a very difficult place to come to.”

OW: Who would make your five a side Caernarfon Town line-up and why?

Joe:  "That’s a very, very tough question and I’m not sure I can just choose five so I'll pick a 5-a-side squad.

The goalkeeper is easy. I’d have Alex the Cat Rambo with Mike Innes a distant second choice.

Me, because it's my team.

Nathan Craig because he’s simply the best player I've ever played with.

Darren Thomas who is again one of the best players I've played with. He can do things most players can't and is a very clever player.

Jamie Roberts. I really rate him and think he's one of the best young talents I've seen in a long time. He’s technically outstanding.

Jay Gibbs, because he'd be fuming with me if I didn't choose him.

Leigh Craven because he said I had to put him in or he wouldn't invite me to his wedding.

Our water boy would be Kev Bach, our physio would be Mair Williams and our cheerleader would be Richard Davies.

I have to apologise to my good mate Gareth Edwards for not picking him but you can't head the ball in 5-a- side!”

OW: Who do you least enjoy playing against in your training sessions?

Joe: “I love training with the boys and I enjoy it all. I play against Brookwell quite a lot in training as he's a left winger and you've always got to be on your toes against him. Jamie Bach, Nathan Craig, Chris Williams, they’re all quality but that can be said for everyone in the team.”

OW: If you were given the managers’ job for a day, would Iwan get into your side?

Joe: “No.”

OW: Who do you think is the most skillful player in the squad, and who is the fastest?

Joe: “Danny Brookwell is rapid and Breesy isn't far behind either. The most skilful I'd say is Clive "Rabona" Williams, he's 100% after Breesy's number nine shirt!”

OW: Were you surprised at how the team did in your first season with the club?

Joe: “Surprised, no. When Iwan spoke to me about signing for the club he told me from the off that his aim was to win the league so anything other than that would have been a huge disappointment. A club the size of Caernarfon should always be challenging for titles and it'll be the same again next season. We're not here to make up the numbers that's for sure.”

OW: What were your highlights from that first season and were there any disappointments?

Joe: “The victory at Bangor was a massive highlight. That game made me realise how important this club is to the fans, the atmosphere was amazing. I can't forget Druids away though either, again the fans were just unbelievable.”

OW: How did the club’s failure to achieve the domestic licence affect you?

Joe: “Obviously I was hugely disappointed, especially after the season we had. I more than feel the squad we had then and the one we've got now is more than capable of competing in the Welsh Premier league and without a shadow of a doubt that will be our aim next season.”

OW: Following up that league and cup double was always going to be hard. However, finishing runners up in the league, reaching the semi-final of the Welsh Cup and winning the League Cup was still a fantastic achievement wasn’t it?

Joe: “It's a season I'll never forget. Some massive highs in the Welsh Cup and winning the League Cup but also the disappointment of finishing runners up was a bitter pill to swallow. Fair play to Prestatyn though they more than deserved it. They beat us both home and away so I've got no complaints and I wish them all the best next year.”

OW: Did you believe that the team could go on a long run in the Welsh Cup, especially bearing in mind that we needed a penalty shoot out to beat Llangefni in the first round?

Joe: “I think when I look back at the Welsh Cup I forget about the earlier rounds but credit to Llangefni they gave us a tough test that day and the result could have gone either way. During the Welsh Cup you just take it one game at a time but after the Carmarthen victory you could definitely feel within the squad that the momentum and belief was there and it was such a buzz to be a part of. I'd love another Welsh cup run next year that's for sure.”

OW: Do you think the players felt they had something to prove against Welsh Premier League teams in the Cup?

Joe: “I think we know that we can mix it with the teams in that league, on our day we're more than a match for anyone. To be fair to Iwan and the coaching staff, our preparation for all those big games was bang on. We all knew exactly what to do so we had no excuses really.”

OW: What was the highlight of the run for you?

Joe: “The highlight for me would probably be the semi-final. Although we lost it was a great day and I just think in the end with us having so many players cup tied and suspended that took its toll on us as we just ran out of steam. Credit to Bala though, they were a very strong physical team and I was very pleased to see them go on and lift the trophy.”

OW: Iwan has signed three players in the last few weeks. What do you know of Gareth Evans, Rhys Roberts and Mark Griffiths?

Joe: “I've known Evo for years and played with him for a season at Llandudno when we won the league. We built up a good relationship down the right hand side so I'm looking forward to seeing him in training. Mark has always been a prolific striker and has always been a very tough opponent so I'm glad I won't have to play against him next season. Rhys is a no nonsense defender, tough in the tackle and great in the air. I've seen him try and bully Breesy a few times when we've played against Holyhead so I'll enjoy winding them both up.”

OW: Have you played or worked with Sean Eardley before Joe?

Joe: “I don't think I've played with him but I definitely remember playing against him a few times. If it wasn't for his dodgy ticker he'd 100% be making a living from playing football because he was absolutely quality. He's a great character also so I'm looking forward to his changing room banter,  he'll give Kev Bach a run for his money!”

OW: What will be the team's objectives next season and what do you think you can achieve?

Joe: “Obviously our main objective is the league. Bottom line from last season is our league form simply wasn't good enough so we'll be doing all we can to win it again, but it'll be very, very tough. The likes of Airbus, Rhyl, Flint, Holywell to name just a few will all be going for it so we'll have to stand up to the challenge.”

OW: Finally Joe, do you have a message for the Cofi Army?
Joe: “Just to say thank you for your continued support and dedication. I can assure you we'll be working harder than ever over pre-season and we'll all be looking forward to seeing you at the Oval for the start of next season. Best fans in the world!”

Tale of Two Cups and Changing Perceptions.

The words Caernarfon, Welsh, Cup and Town do not have the slightest bit of history of appearing in close proximity to each other. The Canaries have never won the nation’s premier knockout cup and the FAW’s engravers last spell-checked our name twenty nine years ago, when we enjoyed a rare run deep into the latter stages of the competition.

The club has a rather more interesting history with the Football Association of Wales however, ranging from court hearings to exile to hand-slapping, none of which I’ll get into here but all of which you’ll find on the internet without too much difficulty. In all, I would surmise that the relationship has not always been the best example of what it should be between a football club and its governing body!

However, the team’s exploits over the past few months seems to have changed perceptions somewhat regarding both matters as the Cofis made a very rare appearance at the business end in the cup and, in addition to giving all the club’s stakeholders an exciting run to the semi-final, the players and supporters even seem to have impressed the powers that be at the FAW! More of that later….

So, what of the semi-final itself and was the big day against Bala all that it had promised to be? In short, I believe the answer is an unequivocal yes and, for once, not even a heartbreaking late defeat could spoil the experience, although some of us are still probably analysing the match and trying to fathom why the Lakesiders were able to field a full complement of players after the break. That’s another one for later….

After what felt like an eternity between the quarter final victory at Llanfair and our opportunity to shine once more on the national stage, the big day was upon us and, as if I was not already nervous enough, I kicked off the day by saying a few words about the match on Radio Cymru’s ‘Ar y Marc’ show. I’ll be honest and say that, as much as I enjoyed looking forward to discussing the impending encounter I also had a hidden agenda. Having read so much stuff on social media about how Bala were the overwhelming favourites and that Caernarfon were to all intents and purposes there to make up the numbers, it was nice to get an opportunity to remind everyone that, whilst Colin Caton’s men are a good side, the Canaries are also a pretty decent outfit. It seemed to me that many people had forgotten our record under Iwan in all competitions and also our victories over Carmarthen and Rhyl in earlier rounds so it was nice to remind everyone.

The venue for the tie was Rhyl’s Belle Vue, presently known as the Corbett Sports Stadium and, as I haven’t been there for a few years I was immediately transported back to the late nineties as I approached the ground. I can’t remember for sure when I last walked through those turnstiles but I do recall that it was a midweek match, Town lost and I felt utterly deflated on the way home! The journey had actually been a much more enjoyable experience as my less than sober passenger proved to be a rather amusing raconteur!

The first thing that struck me as I walked into the ground was that it is still very much a real football stadium, with a traditional feel to it. I’m not too keen on all these identikit stadia that seem to pop up in every town and city these days and so it’s always nice to visit a proper ground! The Oval has the same ‘feel’ to it although if anyone prefers their matches to be played in a modern, generic stadium there might be one not too far away from us. I was lucky enough to be able to visit the 'home' dressing room and was very impressed with it. Spacious with lockers, fridge, large television, it certainly looked professional and shows what can be done worth more traditional buildings. This is certainly something for us at Caernarfon to look ponder as we continue to work on the ground.

The match itself was a real thriller and, for most of it I felt we were going to get the victory that many outside the club had assumed was beyond the Cofis. Bala had enjoyed plenty of early possession but Town’s defence seemed to cope well with everything, although Joe Williams headed a Stuart Jones effort off his line whilst Alex Ramsay pulled off a super save to thwart a Jones piledriver from close range. Town were in the ascendency after the initial period of Bala pressure and Darren Thomas and Nathan Craig both went close to opening the scoring before the former forced an own goal after causing havoc in the Lakesiders defence with a trademark run off the flank. The Cofi Army were in fantasy land as Messi and his team mates celebrated in front of them and Bala looked shaken as Town took the match to them, Nathan Craig going agonisingly wide to doubling the lead with a volley from an acute angle.

Kevin Roberts.

The only real flashpoint in the whole match occurred when the referee was getting ready to signal the end of the half and Kevin Roberts found himself on the end of a really poor looking challenge from Chris Venables.  The man in the middle was well-placed to see the incident but decided that a yellow card was sufficient punishment for the Lakesiders’ playmaker. I believed at the time that he was lucky not to have been given his marching orders and, having watched the incident a few times since, I am even more convinced about it now. Like most people I’ve spoken to about the incident, I think the referee was rather too lenient with this particular decision.

There was a shift in the balance of play after the break as Caton introduced Lee Hunt to the fray and, as Caernarfon’s backline found themselves under increasing pressure, the striker proved his quality,  finding the net twice as Bala eventually clinched a 3-1 verdict.

It goes without saying that the defeat was heartreaking, especially considering that Caernarfon were ahead with just fifteen minutes to go. In my opinion, although Bala were dominating possession in the latter stages, they were also looking desperate in their search to get back on level terms. To be fair to them, they deserve huge credit for finding a way to breach Town’s excellent backline and going on to win the match and I was pleased that they beat the New Saints in last Sunday’s final. With all due respect to TNS, seeing another team win one of the game’s two major trophies to break the New Saints’ stranglehold on Welsh football must be a good thing for the game in Wales and it goes to prove that favourites don’t always come out on top.

With regards to the Canaries, no amount of credit seems enough to give Town’s management, players and supporters for their performance on the day. Iwan and his backroom staff had prepared the team exceptionally, the players had shown they can live with the Welsh Premier League runners-up and the supporters showed what everyone at the club already knows, that they’re the best in the country, and by a long way!

I heard a Welsh football podcast recently and one of the speakers said words to the effect that the Cofi Army had sprinkled some magic on this season’s Welsh Cup and how right he was. The official match attendance was eight hundred and twenty seven and you can be sure that six hundred of those were backing the team in yellow and green, and what an atmosphere they created! My son is twelve years old and decided to stand behind the goal with the Cofi Army and he absolutely loved it! There were young kids and the not so young in full voice and doing their best to push the side on and together, they very nearly did it! For anyone asking why we have our One Club ethos, and what it actually means, I’d advise them to take a look at a video of the match!

Colin Caton showed a great deal of class when speaking in front of the cameras after the match when he said the Caernarfon fans are the best in Wales and, if anyone had any doubt about it beforehand, the opinion of such a well-respected manager should go far in dispelling those doubts.

Welsh Cup Outstanding Contribution  Award.

Of course, everyone at the club already knew it and, after our amazing Welsh Cup run, it seems that even the FAW has finally acknowledged it. The governing body invited representatives from  Caernarfon Town to the Welsh Cup final on Sunday and presented the club with a Welsh Cup Outstanding Contribution Award. The inscription on the award sums it all up really (see photo) and I was made up that Iwan received it on the club’s behalf. He’s been the main reason behind our success in the past two seasons and it was great to see him being presented with the award by national team manager Chris Coleman. I’ve heard many people saying over the years that one of the best things about being a footballer is that there is always an early opportunity to bounce back from defeat, however heartbreaking it may have been. The old saying proved to be true for the Cofis as seven days after the Welsh Cup exit, the players had had another semi-final to play, this time against Holyhead Hotspur in the Huws Gray Cymru Alliance Cup.

Just two days prior to our trip to the New Stadium, the club received the excellent news that we had achieved the FAW’s Domestic Licence. As everyone with even just a passing interest in Welsh football will know, our failure to get the licence last summer cost us promotion to the Welsh Premier League and we as a Board promised Iwan that we would do everything we could to achieve it this time around.

I may be on the Board but I can’t lay claim to being part of the work that went into gaining the licence and, whilst many people have helped along the way I think it’s fair to say that vice Chairman Marc Roberts, Board member Darren Billinghurst and Iwan himself have been the main players in the successful process.

Now that we have it, there is no way we can let the club fall back into the position of not achieving the licence in the future, and I know the Board is determined to not only ensure this but to also push the forward and reach other targets that will put us on another level again.

So, Holyhead Hotspur stood in the way as we looked to book a third Huws Gray Cup final in four season and, if I’m being honest, I don’t think they ever seemed like upsetting us on the day. Iwan stuck to the same line-up that started against Bala and was rewarded with a thoroughly professional performance from his players.

Jamie Breese scoring

the winner against Holyhead.

The player who so blatantly got Alex Ramsay sent off in the league match between the sides in January was on the field again but this time thankfully Lee Harvey Oswald decided to stay at home and Greg Louganis-lite managed to stay on his feet, which was a real bonus for us. Jamie Breese put the Cofis ahead early on and apart from a few half-chances near the end of the match, the hosts rarely looked like getting back on level terms thereafter. It was an excellent finish by Jamie and needed to be, as former Town stopper Paul Pritchard played well against us for the third time this season. As a bonus for me, I also managed to capture a decent shot of the goal, and I was pleased that the master of North Wales sports journalism, Dave Jones, used it in his online update. Great stuff!

Jay Gibbs.

There were many stand-out performers for Town on the day and whilst Kevin Roberts was named the supporters man of the match I also felt that Jay Gibbs did really well when he came on as a second half substitute. Jay is one of my favourite players and his workrate in the latter stages of the match was a vital factor in keeping Holyhead from finding space to create an equaliser. There was one worrying moment in the second half when Nathan Craig was forced to leave the field because of injury but thankfully he was back in action seven days later. 

There was a surreal moment in the second half when one of the home supporters began talking about the match with us and slipped into the conversation that Caernarfon Town are paying player wages of over three thousand pounds a week. It was an odd statement to make and way, way off the mark but it does go to show how some supporters see other clubs, and how wrong most of them are.

A very happy manager.

All that was left for me to do before setting off for home was carry out a post-match interview with match winner Jamie Breese and, as always, he obliged. Jamie is quite reserved and I know he doesn’t enjoy going in front of the phone camera but, as always, he was excellent and put my ramblings to  shame!

I bumped into a smiling Iwan on the way out of the ground and he looked understandably happy. His players had responded superbly from the Welsh Cup exit, and in so doing, had booked a place in the league cup final. They had also proved a point by exorcising the memory of their last visit to the ground. No wonder the manager looked happy!

Un Clwb.