Caernarfon Town defenders Phil Mooney and midfielder Paulo Mendes have both reached the significant milestone of 100 first-team appearances for the club. The pair hit the landmark in recent weeks, as reported by Grassroots North Wales, with the Canaries currently sitting 5th in the Cymru Premier with 12 points from their opening six games.
How did the players reach the milestone?
Phil Mooney, the 34-year-old defender, brought up his century after coming on as a substitute in Caernarfon's 3-2 defeat against The New Saints. Mooney joined the club at the start of the 2023-24 season, having previously played for Cefn Druids and represented Widnes in England. He has been a consistent figure, featuring in all of the club's European matches against Crusaders, Legia Warsaw and Levadia Tallinn. Remarkably, the defender has also contributed 13 goals from the back.
Portuguese central-midfielder Paulo Mendes, 33, reached his 100th appearance slightly earlier. He hit the mark in Caernarfon's 2-0 victory away at Trefelin on August 21. Mendes is currently in his second spell with the club, having returned at the start of the 2024 25 season. His journey to this point has been extensive, taking in four clubs in Portugal before moving to Welsh football with Brymbo in 2013.
What is their history with Caernarfon Town?
Mendes's career in Wales has been particularly well-travelled. After his initial stint with Brymbo, he played for Buckley Town, Nantwich Town, Vauxhall Motors, Colwyn Bay, Brackley, Oxford City, Airbus UK Broughton, Redditch and Darlington. He returned to Wales with Aberystwyth Town for the 2019-20 season before his first spell at Caernarfon in 2020-21. He then switched to Connah’s Quay Nomads for two seasons and had a year at Bala Town in 2023-24 before coming back to The Oval.
Like Mooney, Mendes has also been involved in European adventures, playing in the Europa Conference League ties against Crusaders and Legia Warsaw. He scored in a Nathaniel MG Cup victory over Newtown and, in a curious coincidence, has also netted 13 goals for the club. Both players have become integral figures in a squad that has scored 15 goals this season while conceding nine.
Where does the club stand now?
Caernarfon Town's current campaign is showing promise. They hold 5th place in the Cymru Premier with a record of four wins and two losses from six matches, putting them six points behind leaders Barry Town. Their recent form reads LWWWL, and they boast a solid +6 goal difference. This strong start provides the context for these personal milestones, achieved while the team is competitive at the top end of the table.
Manager Richard Davies will be looking for the experience of both centurions to help maintain this push. The next challenge is an away trip to face Airbus UK, who are 9th in the table, on October 30. Fans can track the build-up to that match on our fixtures page and view the full squad details, including these two stalwarts, on our squad list.
What does this mean for the squad?
Reaching 100 appearances for a single club is a notable achievement in the modern game, especially within the Cymru Premier where squad turnover can be high. It speaks to the consistency and value both Mooney and Mendes have provided. Their versatility and experience will be vital as Caernarfon aims to close the gap to the summit and challenge for European qualification once more. The club's current standing, detailed in our standings section, shows they are well-placed to do so.
For Phil Mooney and Paulo Mendes, the next target will be to add to their tallies and help Caernarfon Town secure a positive result against Airbus UK at the end of October.
