Davies proud of Caernarfon's Euro history makers

Richard Davies succeeded Huw Griffiths as Caernarfon Town manager in 2023

Richard Davies is “immensely proud” to be the first manager in Caernarfon Town history to lead the club into Europe.

Caernarfon, one of Welsh football’s most famous clubs, have qualified for the Europa Conference League, fulfilling a long held ambition of the club and its large fanbase.

“We made history,” Davies said, reflecting on the Saturday afternoon in May when they secured European qualification.

The Canaries beat Penybont 3-1 in the Cymru Premier play-off final in front of a crowd of just under 2,000 at The Oval.

“It was a fantastic occasion with all the fans and the raw passion you saw at the end, with all the kids and even the older generation joining in, captures what we’re about as a club," Davies added.

“They’ve been here through thick and thin. We’re very much a community club so it was a very proud moment.

“You talk about 13 years ago - they were close to closing the gates and a few of the fans came together to get the financial package to make sure the gates didn’t close.

“I’ve had 50-year-old men saying that we’ve made their dream come true, so it’s nice to give them something back.”

As Davies suggests, Caernarfon have been through some difficult times, which culminated in the club dropping down into the third tier of Welsh football in 2010.

They would go on to spend three seasons at that level.

But Caernarfon have now established themselves in the top-flight Cymru Premier, finishing in the top six last season before winning the play-off final.

Qualifying for Europe will not only provide a financial boost, but will also be a foundation for the club to build on.

“It gives us stability for the next couple of years at least,” Davies added.

“What you hope to do then with the money is to try and get into Europe again in the next two or three years.

“That will be the aim for the club now – we need to build, we can’t stand still and think ‘we’ve got into Europe, that’s it.’

“We’ve enjoyed the moment but you get a taste of it and want more.”

Caernarfon’s first European trip will be relatively short, as they head to Northern Ireland to face Crusaders.

“It’s a tough one, they’re a full-time outfit,” Davies said.

“We’ll definitely be the underdogs and they’ll be expected to beat us. We’ll do our homework on them and we’ll rise to that challenge.”

Caernarfon’s home, The Oval, does not meet Uefa requirements so Nantporth Stadium, the ground of traditional rivals Bangor, will host the home leg.

The club's decision to play in Bangor rather than at New Saints' Park Hall stadium, in Oswestry, has paid off with Thursday's game a sell-out.

“It gives the fans more of an opportunity to get there,” Davies said.

“For me as a manager it’s a grass pitch so I think that will help us.

“We’ve got to look past some of the other elements as such and just concentrate, first and foremost for us as a club, on trying to progress. Anything else is just background noise."