Cavalier Cofis down New Saints to move to third
CAERNARFON Town extended their unbeaten run in the Cymru Premier League with an impressive victory over reigning champions The New Saints, writes PAUL EVANS.
Sean Eardley was without three key members of the squad for the match and the side and formation he used certainly did not hide his intentions, with no less than five strikers lining up against the visitors.
The Cofis showed their cavalier intent from the start, with Nathan Craig blasting just over the bar in the first minute, whilst Blaine Hudson denied Danny Brookwell with a last ditch block three minutes later.
Craig threatened again in the eighth minute when he blasted a free kick from 25 yards just wide of Paul Harrison’s upright, whilst the visitors first forage upfield, in the 10th minute, saw home keeper Alex Ramsay get his first touch of the ball to tip it away from the onrushing Byrne.
Harrison was fortunate not to put the ball in his own net in the 12th minute as he failed to hold on to a Craig cross and saw the ball kiss the upright before going behind for a corner.
The Saints quietly got into their stride after Town’s quick start and began moving the ball around, although it must be said that most of it was across their backline as the hosts gave them little space to play in midfield.
Caernarfon’s ‘front five’ were looking dangerous whenever they had the ball and Brookwell was giving the Saints’ left-back a torrid time as he regularly beat him for pace.
During one typical run from midfield, the Town flyer beat three men on the way to the box before his low shot was blocked.
Harrison got down well to deny Jamie Breese in the 35th minute after Gareth Evans had dispossessed Hudson in the penalty area.
The Cofis again looked the sharper outfit at the onset of the second period and they were camped around the TNS penalty area for the first few minutes of the half.
Such was Caernarfon’s dominance at this stage that Darren Thomas had no less than four attempts blocked by visiting defenders, as they struggled to keep the ball out of their box.
The champions weathered the early storm, however, and soon began enjoying the lion’s share of possession, although again they failed to make inroads up front.
The nearest they got to breaking the deadlock arrived in the 55th minute when Dean Ebbe fell under the challenge of Ramsay in the box but the referee waved play on as the Cofis cleared upfield.
The action was fast, sometimes furious, as Caernarfon worked hard to press every New Saints player who had the ball and they were rewarded for their endeavours in the 71st minute.
Thomas picked the ball up on the edge of his own area and found Brookwell with a wonderful pass that the winger ran onto before finding Breese in the box and the in-form striker expertly despatched the ball past the onrushing Harrison.
The victory sees Caernarfon jump up to third in the Cymru Premier League and, on the evidence of this performance, they have every chance of making the top six again at the end of the campaign.