FLASHBACK – 10 years ago: Jay Gibbs wonder goal wins day for Caernarfon Town

Huws Gray Alliance – Saturday, 27 December 2014

CPD Porthmadog 1 (Stuart Rogers 62)
Caernarfon Town 2 (Darren Thomas 61, Jay Gibbs 71)

Report: http://www.porthmadogfc.com

Ten years ago this week Caernarfon Town edged a 2-1 victory at Porthmadog in a keenly contested game which was a credit to the Huws Gray Alliance.

It provided tremendous holiday entertainment witnessed by a bumper crowd of 537.

Overall it was a very even contest with Caernarfon holding the upper hand in the first half but in the second period it was the visitors’ turn to defend as Port took the game to them.

Fittingly, given the quality of the play in difficult conditions, it needed a quality goal to win the game and Jay Gibbs supplied this for the Cofis with a superb 71st minute strike.

Both teams had early scoring opportunities with Caernarfon’s leading scorer Jamie McDaid twice denied in the early stages, first by a superb Gruff Williams tackle and then by an excellent Richard Harvey save.

In between these two saves Cai Jones for Port set up Josh Davies for a shot well dealt with by keeper Paul Pritchard.

Harvey remained the busier of the two keepers and when Darren Thomas burst into the box he was quickly off his line to produce another good save.

Soon after McDaid was again in the action with a low cross from the right which was just out of Carl Owen’s reach.

Though Port were having a good share of the possession and responding with some find build up play they were unable to really test Pritchard but one slick move ended with Cai Jones firing wide.

After 23 minutes at the other end, Darren Thomas forced Harvey into a tremendous stop down at his right hand post.

Cofi defender Grahame Austin did get the ball into the net after 26 minutes only for it to be disallowed.

The nearest the game came to a goal in the first half was a quickly-taken Caernarfon free kick which freed Ywain Gwynedd down the right and his far post cross was met by Austin whose header cannoned off the bar.

Towards the end of the half Harvey was again in the action, saving from Ywain Gwynedd.

HALF-TIME: Porthmadog 0 Caernarfon Town 0

From the start of the second half Port took the game to their opponents with strong attacks down the left.

The home side should have gone ahead in the 59th minute when Cai Jones had his close range effort blocked on the line.

Two minutes later, and against the run of the second half play, Caernarfon opened the scoring.

It was a trademark Darren Thomas goal, the type he has often scored in a Port shirt. The Cofi Messi cut inside from the left along the edge of the penalty area searching for a gap and when he found one, he fired low just inside Harvey’s right hand post.

Port had an immediate response with a fine goal of their own. Josh Banks won the ball on the left and burst forward into space making ground deep into Caernarfon territory before squaring into the run of Stuart Rogers in the box and he struck a fine angled shot past Pritchard into the corner of the net.

Both sides now pushed forward looking for a winner and the goal which decided the game caught everyone by surprise.

Gibbs won the ball in midfield and with nothing very much on he unleashed a 30 yard effort which rocketed into the net just inside the right hand post with Harvey left scrambling vainly to get across.

Port piled on the pressure in a bid for a second equaliser, but to no avail.

PORTHMADOG: Richard Harvey, Gwydion Ifan (Josh Stadnicki 86), Josh Banks, Ceri James (Rob Evans 55), Iddon Price, Gruff Williams, Iwan Lewis, Stuart Rogers, Cai Jones (Dave Edwards 77), Josh Davies, Eilir Edwards. Unused subs: Dilan Lomas, Josh Hartrick.

CAERNARFON: Paul Pritchard, Chris Williams, Nathan Craig, Grahame Austin, Gareth Edwards, Jay Gibbs, Kevin Roberts, Ywain Gwynedd (Cory Williams 82), Carl Owen (Steve Kehoe 73), Darren Thomas, Jamie McDaid (Matty Hurdman 85). Unused subs: Jamie Bell, Damien Bialozynsky.

Attendance: 537

WHAT HAPPENED NEXT?

• Caernarfon Town finished runners-up in the Cymru Alliance behind champions Llandudno in 2014-15. Porthmadog ended up in sixth place.
• Caernarfon won the reverse league fixture 1-0 and beat Port 4-0 at The Oval in the Welsh Cup.