CAERNARFON Town continued their preparations ahead of the new JD Welsh Premier League campaign with a pair of friendly fixtures against Greater Manchester outfit AVRO.

The Canaries were able to utilise each member of the senior squad and give some promising youngsters a taste of first team action against the Hallmark Security League Division 1 North outfit, with the first encounter finishing 1-1 after a highly entertaining affair.

Recent signing from Prestatyn Town Ben Maher marked a lively appearance with a fine effort shortly before the break to open the scoring, but the Cofis were pegged back after the break courtesy of a Ryan Hanson strike to ensure both sides had something to show for their efforts.

The second clash saw the home side emerge victorious 2-1, with club talisman Darren Thomas putting the hosts ahead thanks to a deft finish from just inside the area on 51 minutes.

Another draw looked likely when the visitors levelled matters after 86 minutes, but pacey forward Danny Brookwell popped up with a sensational individual effort in stoppage time to give his side the win.

Manager Sean Eardley, said: “Saturday was beneficial as every first-team player got 90 minutes.

“Credit to AVRO for making the journey and providing tough, competitive games. The games and training have been excellent and the boys are looking really sharp.

“The people off the field deserve massive credit, a lot of things are being put in place and I can’t wait to see the end results.”

Eardley also moved to alleviate fears surrounding a concerning looking injury to skipper Nathan Craig, who was stretchered off in their first outing, but the Cofis received good news as the midfielder has suffered only soft tissue damage and is expected to be back training in ten days.