Saturday’s Cymru Premier fixture between Barry Town United and Bala Town will be another historic milestone match for Bala Town boss Colin Caton.
At Jenner Park, Caton will be heading into the dugout for the 700th time as manager of the Lakesiders – ironically the same location where he made appearance 600 back in 2018.
Nineteen years into his Bala Town career, planning has already began for season number 20 with a new contract already penned for next season for Caton who has seen plenty of success during his time at Maes Tegid.
“The Chairman at the time approached me for advice on how to try to bring a new manager into the Club. A friend introduced me to him, he pestered me so I took the job on a basis that I would do it until he found someone else and I’m still on that agreement I think as we’ve never spoke about it since” Caton told DW Kickoff earlier this season when he featured in a documentary about the longevity of football managers.
When Caton took the helm back in 2003 after finishing at Colwyn Bay where he spent twelve years, Bala were plodding along in the Wrexham Area Premier League but a complete rebuild of the squad saw the Lakesiders earn promotion to the Cymru Alliance and win the NEWFA Challenge Cup in his debut season at Maes Tegid.
The next five seasons saw Bala make waves on and off the pitch under Caton’s leadership. As Maes Tegid’s infrastructure improved, so did things on the field of play with Town ending up in ten Cup Finals, winning six of those and finishing respectively fourth, seventh, twice runners-up and ending as League Champions in 2008/09 earning themselves promotion to the Welsh Premier League for the first time in their history.
Fast forward twelve years and the Lakesiders are now part of the furniture in the top flight of Welsh football. Steady progress led them further and further up the table and eventually into European competitions after finishing 2nd in the table in two consecutive seasons and that famous Welsh Cup win against The New Saints.
He has rubbed shoulders with people such as Newport County manager Mike Flynn and Arsenal legend Thierry Henry who famously analysed Town’s Welsh Cup win during their time on the UEFA Pro Licence in 2018.
However, it all hasn’t been rosy for Caton who has experienced lows during the Europa League with heartbreaking defeats against FC Differdange and FC Vaduz which could’ve brought the end to some managers’ determination to continue.
But 2020 became another year of history as Caton and his Bala Town team overcame their first round hoo-doo to progress into the 2nd Qualifying Round following an incredible win in Malta against FC Valletta.
“During the game, I thought we were outstanding, the chances we had were excellent and chance for chance wise we had four brilliant chances where they had only one and the penalty was never a penalty. The scenes and the occasion was something that’ll live with me forever” he said earlier this season when discussing his Europa success in the Mediterranean.
Behind all the success there’s been countless hours of hard work, planning and graft which fuels Caton’s drive to continue. He is known for his strict, no-nonsense tough exterior pitchside but the man off the pitch is much to the opposite of his matchday persona. The team ethic and family-feel in the dressing room makes Bala Town unique with players having to buy into what Caton and the Club stands for or they are sent back out of the door as quick as they arrive.
Like all the great managers, not everyone is a fan of Caton with rival supporters ready to shout expletives on the touchline and play down his achievements by saying it couldn’t have been done without the investment thrown into the Club. There’s no doubt that some of those achievements wouldn’t have happened without the money behind the scenes, but to achieve and continue this success consistently for 19 years at Maes Tegid he deserves the upmost respect and is to be admired – even begrudgingly by those who aren’t his fans.
The journey from the Wrexham Area into the Europa League is nothing short of fairytale story which could be documented as a Netflix special, the only thing missing from his trophy cabinet is a JD Cymru Premier title and a Champions League appearance. The question is, can the Lakesiders make history once more and make it a clean sweep?
Like him or not, Caton will go down in the history books as one of Welsh football’s greatest managers of all time.
(Featured Image: Colin Ewart)
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