How Colin Caton’s son played key role in Dave Edwards joining Bala

Bala Town have secured the signing of former Wales international Dave Edwards and plenty are wondering how the move came to fruition.

The 35-year-old is joining a Cymru Premier that now boasts three former Welsh internationals, who all featured at EURO 2020.

But how did the Lakesiders pull off such an impressive signing? They have Charlie Caton, son of Bala manager Colin, to thank!

Charlie stood on the terrace at Maes Tegid for years, watching his fathers side qualify on multiple occasions for Europe, as well as a Welsh Cup win.

His physical support for Bala is on hold however as he has recently become a first-teamer at Shrewsbury Town and most recently signed a two-year contract.

As Charlie was signing terms to remain at the New Meadow, David Edwards who is 17 years older than him, was ready to leave Shropshire for a second time.

The two would cross paths in training sessions and Charlie would receive words of advice from Edwards, who made just under half a century of appearances for the Welsh national side.

And from some brief discussions between the two, a line of communication was established to put the wheels in motion one of the Bala’s biggest signings.

In the revealing of Edwards, Colin Caton said: “He’s been great with Charlie since he’s been at Shrewsbury and asked him a couple of questions about the Cymru Premier before the end of the season and asked about Bala, he was sort of deciding then whether he was staying full-time or part-time.

“I spoke to Dave on a couple of occasions while Charlie (My Son) was training with Shrewsbury, we had a couple of good chats but never thought he’d be interested in the Cymru Premier”

“He’s been great with Charlie since he’s been at Shrewsbury and asked him (Charlie) a couple of questions about the Cymru Premier before the end of the season and asked about Bala, he was sort of deciding then whether he was staying full-time or part-time.

“He was obviously interested in playing part-time so I sent him a message earlier after the season had finished to give him time to think about it.”

So there we have it, as we hope to see Charlie’s career excel now after signing professional terms, there are two reasons to celebrate for Colin Caton.

His son is making his way in life in football and he has also helped him sign a player who will offer plenty of experience ahead of their UEFA Europa Conference League campaign.

(Featured Image: Steindy (talk) 16:17, 10 November 2016 (UTC))