Cofis flying high after crucial win
FIFTEEN matches into their comeback season in the Welsh Premier League, Caernarfon Town manager Sean Eardley is more than happy with his team’s progress.
The Canaries are currently on 22 points and lie seventh in the table, bubbling under the all-important top six with seven games to go until the league splits into upper and lower half in January.
Town were on cloud nine after making it back-to-back wins for the first time this term when they beat Cardiff Met 2-0 at The Oval last Saturday.
The victory came eight days after the Cofis produced one of the performances of the campaign to beat champions The New Saints 1-0 on their own ground.
Caernarfon’s record stands at six wins, four draws and five defeats.
Eardley said: “You look back at the draws we’ve picked up; if we’re picking up the odd win instead it’s a different story, but you can always look back on seasons and it’s ifs, buts and maybes, but 22 points? I’d probably would have snapped your hand off (at the start of the season).
“We’ve now got to hit December with both feet on the ground and go full steam ahead - there’s some great games ahead and we’re relishing the challenges.”
Caernarfon flew out of the blocks last Saturday in front of the live S4C cameras.
Jamie Breese found the net in the 10th minute, but was harshly adjudged offside.
Caernarfon kept pressing and took the lead in the 19th minute with a beautifully-worked goal.
Good work on the right by Gareth Evans led to him slipping the ball to Noah Edwards, who played a onetwo with Cai Jones before drilling in a lovely finish.
Adam Roscrow went close for Met before The Oval lit up when Darren Thomas produced a Messitype run, then fired goalwards with his left boot. Met keeper Alex Lang failed to hold the shot and the ball was scrambled behind for a corner.
Town deservedly went two-up a minute before the break when Nathan Craig’s cross from the right was met by the head of Gareth Edwards, whose effort was fumbled by Lang, and the big defender followed up to force the ball home.
Caernarfon could have killed the contest early in the second half.
Craig’s perfectly weighted pass into the box found Evans, whose shot lacked power. Thomas then swung over a sublime cross, but an under-pressure Breeze blasted over.
Met responded with spells of heavy pressure, Kyle McCarthy’s free kick tipped over by Alex Ramsay, but, for the most part, the Canaries restricted the visitors to few clear chances.
A miserable evening was completed for the students when Dylan Rees was red-carded in added time.
Eardley said afterwards: “That was a massive shift by everybody. To keep a clean sheet against Cardiff Met is an accomplishment because they’ve got good attacking players, but I thought our back-five did tremendously.
“It’s a great win and, more importantly, I think it’s a crucial win in the grand scheme of things because (fifth-place) Aber got a fantastic three points at Bala and we needed to keep on their tails and have done. My lads were magnificent from minute one.”