Caernarfon overcome dogged Airbus to maintain 100% home record
Caernarfon Town produced a very good second-half display to overcome a dogged Airbus UK side 3-1 to maintain their 100% home record this season.
The defeat leaves Airbus still without a point after a fifth consecutive defeat. Caernarfon lifted themselves to second in the table and gave Huw Griffiths the exact sort of reaction he was looking for defeat at Newtown and a poor first-half performance tonight.
Caernarfon started with new signing Lloyd Marsh-Hughes while Harold Essien and Alec Mudimu made the bench while Airbus went with the same side that lost against Flint
Airbus suffered a blow in the first 10 minutes as Joe Palmer had to go off with a hamstring injury. He was replaced by The New Saints loanee, Beau Cornish. However, the change didn’t seem to affect them that much due to the fact Caernarfon weren’t at their best.
The quality was lacking for most of the first half and Airbus produced the moment needed to take the lead five minutes from the half. A Jake Phillips free-kick was whipped deep to the far post and headed back across goal and skipper Steve Tomassen was on hand to prod the away side into an unexpected half-time lead.
Caernarfon entered the second half looking like a different team altogether. Their passing was much sharper and there was a lot more urgency in their play. Just five minutes into the second, the home side were level after Sion Bradley headed home a Darren Thomas cross. That goal certainly lifted the home crowd and Huw Griffiths’ side were looking to pounce straight after however were wasteful with the final ball. On the hour mark Rob Hughes was introduced in place of Marsh-Hughes as Caernarfon looked to win the game
Ben Wynne should have scored his fourth goal in a week but he couldn’t capitalise on great work from Darren Thomas and Sion Bradley who provided the set up. As the home side looked to roll the dice and find the winner, Harold Essien and Alec Mudimu were introduced. Former Cofis skipper Gareth Edwards produced a fantastic block to keep Airbus in the game as the home side looked to apply more pressure
But it was the afformentioned Rob Hughes who struck to put the Cofis 2-1 ahead. A perfectly timed pass by Darren Thomas which was equalled by a perfectly timed run by Hughes saw the midfielder beat the high line of the away side. A composed finish followed as he calmly slotted the ball under Jones to give Caernarfon exactly what they deserved.
Caernarfon looked to turn the screw and kill the game off. Efforts from Darren Thomas and new signing Mudimu were off the mark and 16 year old Osian Evans was unlucky not to get the better of veteran Gareth Edwards as he looked to go in on goal.
The home side finally killed the game off just as we entered added time. Sion Bradley was put through on goal after a hopeful long ball. His touch nearly betrayed him as Michael Jones came rampaging out of goal, but the Caernarfon man got his effort off but was also taken out by the visiting keeper and a penalty was awarded.
Bradley stepped up to take the penalty. His spot kick was poor and saved by Jones but luckily for the winger, he was able to gather himself and strike home the rebound to give Caernarfon their third goal of the game and their third consecutive home win of the season.
Huw Griffiths will have been delighted with his side’s reaction to a sub-par first half as they went through the gears to seal all three points. Caernarfon are making The Oval the fortress Huw Griffiths and the fans want it to be. That win takes them to 2nd place. Next up for Caernarfon is an away trip to The SDM Glass Stadium to take on Penybont.
It’s five defeats in a row for Steve O’Shaughnessy’s side since promotion. The only side in the league without a point and they’ll know they need things to change if they are not to be cut adrift at the bottom. It’s Cardiff Met next up at The Hollingsworth Group Stadium and some sort of points will be a must in that one.
