“Hungrier” – Caernarfon and nine-goal Cymru Premier star out to prove a point

Caernarfon Town’s flying start faces its next test with Zack Clarke and the Canaries looking to maintain their push towards the top of the Cymru Premier against Ammanford.

The Cofi’s head south on Friday for their Novira Cymru Premier fixture against Ammanford, in a tie that could have huge ramifications at both ends of the table.

Caernarfon currently sit fourth in the Cymru Premier, and after a scintillating start that has made them joint-top scorers in the league with 18 goals, they could well find themselves at the top end of the table by the end of the season.

Caernarfon’s inspired goalscoring can be attributed in no small part to the performances of Cymru Premier Player of the Month winner Zack Clarke.

Clarke has netted nine times in seven games so far this season, after returning from a lengthy spell on the sidelines.

“My goals are helping us win games, and that’s the most important thing.”

Clarke only made nine appearances for Caernarfon last campaign, because of an ACL injury that saw him sidelined for the best part of a season.

The 23-year-old has taken no time to get back to finding the net, having scored in all but one of his seven appearances this term.

“I’m really happy with how it started, but I think it’s just an accumulation of the amount of work I’ve put in behind the scenes.”

“I want to keep providing for Caernarfon because my goals are helping us win games, and that’s the most important thing.”

Caernarfon suffered a disappointing defeat in their European qualifiers, losing 5-0 in both legs to Estonian side FCI Levadia, but Caernarfon’s talisman believes that the result has spurred them on to start the season in emphatic fashion.

“As soon as we lost by such a big scoreline, you hear mutterings of, ‘Have they signed wrong?’ ‘Are they doing this wrong?’ ‘Are they going to be the Caernarfon that they were?’ It makes everyone hungrier to make sure that we start this season right.”

The ex-Stockport County man believes that it would be a different story if the Canaries were to face a European qualifier in their current red-hot form.

“It would have been nice to play Levadia now, because I feel like the team we are now and the team we were at the very start of the season are two different teams.”

“This is what we’re expected to do now.”

The Canaries, given their start, are set to be one of the favourites to be fighting it out in the European Playoffs this season, but the club’s ambition is to push on further.

“We always knew what the aim was. Now we’re producing on the pitch, this is what we’re expected to do now.”

“We’re a club with such ambition, and it was made clear from day one, our ambitions of wanting to be as close to the top as possible.”

“I think we should be up there, and that’s what all the lads think as well.”

Clarke made no bones about the level of competition the league offers, none more so than reigning champions and serial winners TNS.

“They’re their own entity, they’re full-time and they’ve got great players. It’s just focusing on ourselves.”

“We know we’ve got a big job on our hands to try and maintain being up there, but it’s a good feeling in the camp. Hopefully, we can just keep on going.”

“It’s a good feeling in the camp”

Caernarfon boast a home crowd that is among the largest in the league, and their away following, although smaller in number, are sure to be making a racket on Friday night.

“Everyone knows they’re the best fans in the league, and it’s an honour to play in front of them and deliver for them.”

Caernarfon’s number nine is hoping the fans will help them overcome a potential banana skin at the Ammanford Recreation Ground.

“We know, especially when we score first, you get the Cofi Army behind you and they’re keeping you going. It gives you that extra yard that you need.”

The Cofi Army make the trip to Ammanford, who are still waiting for their first win in the league and have conceded 16 goals in seven games.

Clarke is assured that his team won’t see the game as a ‘gimme’.

“We’re not taking anyone for granted.”

“We’re not taking anyone for granted in the league. They’re in the Cymru Premier for a reason, so we’ve just got to make sure that what we’re doing is right, that we stay focused and that we try and produce a result.”

The current Cymru Premier top scorer is not taking Friday’s affair as a guarantee that his name will be on the scoresheet again either.

“Going into every game, I’m wanting to score in as many games as possible, but I won’t be going into the game thinking, ‘We’re going to smash these.'”

Ammanford face a tough task against Caernarfon, but Clarke is expecting nothing less than a battle.

“They’re going to defend, they’re going to be good at what they do. They’ve now had seven games to adjust to the Cymru Premier as well.”

“It’s just about when we get there, making sure we do everything right, and then, if I’m in the right position, I can grab a goal.”

The game kicks off at 7:45 pm on Friday in Ammanford, with both teams hungry for a win for very different reasons.