Caernarfon Town’s first ever European opponents will be Crusaders of Northern Ireland.
The first leg of their UEFA Conference League match will take place on Thursday July 11th at Bangor’s Nantporth Stadium, with the second leg taking place on Wednesday July 17th in Belfast.
We take a closer look at Crusaders, and what Cofis fans can expect.
History
Nicknamed The Hatchetmen, Crusaders are one of Northern Ireland’s most historic clubs, having been founded all the way back in 1898.
They have always been a formidable side, but there are three defining eras in the club’s history. The first came under Brian Johnston, who was in charge between 1971 and 1977. Under Johnston, the club won four major honours.
The next era defining manager was Roy Walker. As soon as he finished playing for the club, Walker took on the role as manager, and he did a fine job. He departed the club with six major trophies as manager, a role he had between 1989 and 1998.
But perhaps the most successful period came under manager Stephen Baxter. Similar to Walker, Baxter finished his playing career and stepped straight into the manager’s hot seat in 2005 and stayed there until 2024.
Under Baxter’s tenure ship, Crusaders reached new heights. The club failed to win any major trophy since Walker left, but with Baxter at the helm, the club won 14 major trophies. He only left the club at the end of last season, so this game against Caernarfon will be the first for Crusaders’ new manager.
Stadium
The game in Northern Ireland will be played at Crusaders’ home stadium, Seaview.
Located in the north of Belfast, the ground, which has a 4G pitch, has been the home of The Crues since 1921.
It holds 3,383 supporters.
Embed from Getty ImagesManager
It’s never easy being the man after the man, but that’s the job Declan Caddell has on his hands.
Like many of the club’s great managers, Caddell has played for the club, and was a player under Baxter.
He’s been promoted to the role of first team manager after spending time coaching in the Crusaders academy, and this will be his first time managing a senior first team.
Players to Watch
Perhaps unsurprisingly, most of the Crusaders squad is made up of players from Northern Ireland.
The spine of the team is perhaps their strongest attribute. At the back you’ll find Daniel Larmour. A centre back who has been at the club since 2021, he is always a presence at the heart of the defence. In front of him there’s Philip Lowry. Lowry is an incredibly experienced central midfielder, who has played his entire career on the island of Ireland.
Up front, Crusaders have Adam Lecky. Lecky knows where the back of the net is, especially in Europe. In Crusaders’ four European games last season, Lecky netted in three of them.
European Pedigree
When it comes to history in Europe, not many clubs at this level have a more storied history than Crusaders.
Under the likes of Johnston and Walker, Crusaders rubbed shoulders with some of Europe’s most iconic teams. Dinamo Bucharest, Valencia and Liverpool have all visited Seaview in the past. The Hatchetmen never got the better of any of those opponents. They also failed to get the better of Newport County in the European Cup Winners’ Cup in 1980.
In more recent times, Crusaders have played the likes of Wolverhampton Wanderers and Basel, but again, couldn’t progress past those teams.
Last year in the Conference League, Crusaders got past Haka of Finland in the first qualifying round but fell in the second round to Norwegian side Rosenborg.
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