Five-star Caernarfon celebrate first win of season in great style!
BETTY PICKERING CUP GROUP 1
Caernarfon Town 5 (Elan Evans 29, 45+2 & 59, Brown 34 & 86)
Denbigh Town 0
Former Liverpool FC junior and FAW Girls Academy player Elan Evans scored a magnificent hat-trick and gifted youngster Amber Brown added a double on the day it all came right for Caernarfon.
After seven straight defeats in all competitions this season, Owain Bryn Jones’ side fulfilled their potential at Treborth Road.
In what was seen a must win game, the Cofis delivered a convincing performance in this Betty Pickering Cup tussle.
The first 20 minutes saw both sides test each other’s resolve before Denbigh’s Kathryn Jones slalomed past two defenders into the box before being halted by a last-ditch tackle from a covering defender.
Caernarfon’s first effort came from Elan Evans, whose 20-yard shot grazed the top of the goal net.
A minute later came a dangerous run from Denbigh’s Ceri Purvis down the left, surging into the box before being brilliantly held up and stopped at the point of shooting by captain Elin Jones, showing determination to block the experienced attacker from opening the scoring.
On the half-hour mark came the breakthrough. Malan Hughes picked up the second ball and found Elan Evans, who with her back to goal outside the area turned her defender and unleashed a smashing shot from 20 yards to find the left corner and gave the keeper no chance.
With the Cofis increasing in confidence from their goal, they started to turn the screw and were now attacking down either flank at will.
Having forced a corner on minute 35, the ball found its way with Lisa Jones on the far left wing, who beat her marker before finding the feet of Amber Brown in the box. The 17-year-old expertly turned her oncoming defender to fire the ball to the bottom right corner.
Despite leading 2-0, the home defence still had to be wary of Denbigh threats as Jones and Purvis were always dangerous from the middle and Vanessa Hodgeson on the right wing made a couple of great runs which tested left back Beth Pritchard.
Just on half time though, the third gave Caernarfon the cushion they needed came as Elan Evans found herself in a very similar position to the first goal following a free kick.
She swivelled her defender to set herself some space before unleashing a rapid shot into the left stanchion from 20 yards with the keeper having no hope of reaching it.
Entering half time satisfied, the Cofis knew the game was far from over, having knowledge of their previous encounters with Denbigh and the experience they possess in the team.
Denbigh always play hard till the last whistle and one goal from them could start to turn the tide.
HALF-TIME: 3-0
The second half started as expected. Denbigh came at Caernarfon with bodies up front and overloaded the box in search of their goal but this due to their necessity, fell straight into the Cofis’ hands as more space would open up for them on the counter to express themselves.
And on the hour, deputising keeper Christiana Naziris found Llinos Hughes with a chipped pass on to the halfway line. Hughes turned and perfectly picked out the run of Elan Evans in between defenders and the youngster made no mistake for her first senior hat-trick for the Cofis as she powered through into the box and placed the ball past the onrushing keeper.
Denbigh continued in their pursuit of a goal as the Morris sisters started crossing from deep, earning their side several corners, and on one occasion Catrin Davies finding space in the box to give herself a snap shot that fizzed narrowly wide.
Brown and Evans went close twice before Town found their fifth and final goal.
One more Denbigh surge forward found the ball in the hands of Naziris, who released the attackers one-on-one with their defenders and found full back Pritchard on the left. She pushed it forward to Lisa Jones, herself clipping the ball into Evans’ feet and she flicked an inch-perfect delivery to the well timed run of Brown, who surged forward, noticed the keeper off her line and smashed it in from 35/40 yards,.
Manager Jones said: “Delighted we got the win today. The pressure was on us to get a result to stay in with a chance of progressing and we did that with a convincing win.
“We had a game plan and stuck to it throughout which was really pleasing to see. When we play like that with the quality we possess up front we are a danger to anyone and we feel a result like this was only a matter of time with some of the performances we have put in this season.
“The opposition players handed Elan Evans the WoM for the Cofis, well deserved with a brilliant performance I might add, getting her first hat-trick and assist, but today it could have easily gone to any one of her team-mates and there would have been no qualms about it as the standard of performance was exceptional from all.
“We have a fortnight break till our next game now which is another big tie against an inf-orm Llanystumdwy side who have started the season well.
“We will use this time to recover having sustained some injuries and hopefully we can also welcome a few more players back into the fold following their time away.
“I would also like to wish Denbigh Town all the best for the rest of the season, always a competitive team on the field and put 100% into everything they do, but once the game is over, Ellen and her team are as good as gold off it always – and that’s how it should be.”
CAERNARFON TOWN
Christiana Naziris
Bethany Pritchard
Jasmiine Leigh Hughes
Amber Brown
Llinos Hughes
Malan Hughes
Manon Evans
Elan Evans
Elin Jones (c)
Lisa Jones
Kaitlyn Bearman