Subdued Flint suffer third straight defeat following restart

Following the plaudits of their performance against champions Connah's Quay on Tuesday night, this was very much back a step backwards for Flint, with the side struggling to create chances, and all too often being guilty of gifting possession away due to unforced errors, especially in the first half.
The game started with a swirling wind making conditions difficult, and players struggling to keep their footing on an awkward playing surface, which had been deluged with overnight rain. It was Caernarfon who got to grips with the situation the quicker, and they carved out a succession of early chances.
On seven minutes, as Flint struggled to clear, a rebound fell into the path of Jake Bickerstaffe, who ran into the area, and Jon Rushton was called upon to block his shot. Then, Noah Edwards struck a free kick from the edge of the box, which curled just wide of the post. A minute later, Sion Bradley cut in from the right, unleashed a shot but Rushton got down to save on his near post.
Flint had been forced into an early substitution after only 9 minutes, when Jordan Buckley had to leave the field with a thigh strain. His replacement, Conor Harwood, had the Silkmen's first chance on 20 minutes, following a corner. Ben Nash met the ball, and powered a header at goal, but Josh Amis was unable to get a vital flick, and instead it was cleared off the line. As it came back out, Harwood got a glancing touch to direct it back towards goal, and the ball seemed to brush the base of the post, as it went just wide of the target.
Caernarfon were getting most of their joy from attacking down the right, and Bickerstaffe came in from that side on 23 minutes, rode a challenge, and hit a shot that Rushton had to smother at the foot of his post.
The rest of the half petered out with neither side creating any serious chances on goal.
At the start of the second half, Flint finally sparked into life, and began to play with more urgency, and put together some nice passages of play. On 50 minutes, some nice one touch passing released Harwood, but Cofi's keeper Josh Tibbetts together with the help of a covering defender, thwarted the Flint man as he broke through on goal. The game was now increasingly being played in the Caernarfon half, but despite the pressure they were exerting, clear cut chances for the home side remained few and far between.
A rare foray forward from the visitors just after the hour mark, resulted in a corner, from which they opened the scoring. Paulo Mendes and Gareth Edwards both went up for the ball, as Flint's defenders stood off, and Mendes looked to get the final touch with a header into the corner. That proved to be a bitter blow for the Silkmen, and just a few minutes later, they conceded again. This time, a throw in on the right was flicked on, and the ball was quickly played into Sion Bradley, who was allowed too much time and space in the area, and he slotted the ball past Rushton.
It could have got worse for Flint on 71 minutes, when from a free kick delivered into the box, Edwards headed onto Kenny, who in turn headed against the bar,
Flint staged a late rally with ten minutes remaining, and created some half chances, but the Cofi's defence stood up to the test and on each occasion either cleared their lines or blocked the efforts. Goal scoring remains something of a problem for the Silkmen, and this is the third successive game they have drawn a blank.

Line Ups:
Flint Town United - J. Rushton, B. Nash, E. Clarke, B. Maher, E. Gumbs, K. Edwards, R. Hughes, R. Foulkes (c), J. Amis, J. Buckley (C. Harwood 9), C. Bratley. Unused Subs - R. Woods (GK), S. Hart, R. Weaver, T. Kemp, J. Hampson
Caernarfon Town - J. Tibbetts, G. Edwards (c), S. Bradley (S. Jones 83), P. Mendes, N. Edwards, R. Williams, T. Williams, M. Parker, J. Kenny (C. Jones 83), J. Bickerstaff (M. Hayes 72), M. Cleworth. Unused Subs - L. Kondjo, D. Thomas, C. Evans

Flint MOM - Ben Nash (did lots of good work both offensively and defensively)