Canaries aiming to make it eleven games unbeaten
COFIS COME BACK FROM THREE DOWN TO EARN POINT AGAINST AIRBUS IN EARDLEY’S FIRST TEST
CAERNARFON Town will aim to stretch their unbeaten run in the Huws Gray Alliance League to 11 matches when they host fourthplace Holywell Town at The Oval this Saturday (2.30pm).
The table-topping Cofis looked to be heading for certain defeat at Airbus last weekend when they trailed 3-0 at half time, but in new manager Sean Eardley’s first game in charge, the visitors produced a fantastic comeback to secure a 3-3 draw.
This was the proverbial game of two halves as the Wingmakers totally dominated the first period and scored three within the first 21 minutes.
They took a fourth-minute lead when a clearance from visiting keeper Alex Ramsay rebounded off Leo Riley and into the net.
In the 16th minute Ramsay saved Kristian Platt’s header from a free-kick but Steve Tomassen hammered home the rebound.
Alfons Fosu-Mensah then scored a superb individual goal to make it three.
Caernarfon re-emerged for the second period with a change of shape and a different mindset.
Aided by interval substitutes Jay Gibbs and Gareth Edwards, the Cofis simply outplayed their hosts and provided the travelling Cofi Army with a barnstorming half that will rank among the best seen for a long time from a Town side.
Edwards was unfortunate not to reduce the deficit early on when he met a corner but saw his headed effort cannon against the bar.
Caernarfon continued to push forward and when keeper Andy Coughlin spilled the ball after getting his hands to a Nathan Craig free kick in the 63rd minute, Edwards won the foot race before lashing into the net.
Airbus were visibly struggling to keep pace with Town’s slick football and it came as no surprise when the travellers pulled another goal back just two minutes later, Breese setting up Danny Brookwell, who made no mistake as he found an empty net.
An equaliser was almost inevitable, and when it did finally arrive, star of the show Gibbs provided it.
When the visitors were awarded a free kick 30 yards from goal, there was only one man who was going to take it.
Craig was shown the red card by referee Alex Livesey for pointing out the nearest Airbus player was not fully 10 yards from the ball, and he was still making his way to the dressing room when Gibbs strode up and struck the sweetest of free kicks through a crowded penalty area and into the bottom left of Coughlin’s goal.