CAERNARFON Town kicked-off their JD Cymru Premier campaign with a 1-1 home draw with Pen-y-Bont at The Oval.

It has been a summer of significant change for the Canaries after former manager Sean Eardley departed for Llandudno and a host of squad members opting for moves elsewhere, but Huw Griffiths’ new-look side dug deep to secure a share of the spoils after going behind.

This gets the Cofis’ on the board ahead of a busy week that sees them travel to Newtown on Tuesday night before making the long trek to Barry Town United on Saturday.

A cagey opening to the contest brought little in the way of chances, with talisman Darren Thomas creating the first opening of the game on 12 minutes when he fed striker Mike Sheridan, who saw his shot steered to safety.

The home side were dealt a blow when Iddon Price and Jack Fleming were both forced out of action through injury in the first half, which meant a change in formation following the introduction of physical forward Asa Hamilton.

Paulo Mendes was next to go close for the hosts when he headed into the keepers’ hands from a Sion Bradley corner, which was the final action of note in the first period.

After the break saw the visitors come out with a renewed sense of purpose and they were rewarded on 71 minutes when Mael Davies picked the ball up midway in the hosts’ half and rifled in a superb effort into the bottom corner.

This provoked a strong response from the home side, who managed to get back on level terms through a well-worked move that was finished off in style by Sheridan, who demonstrated his clinical finishing with a powerful drive from the edge of the box.

The Cofis’ might have snatched all three points late on when Bradley and Noah Edwards both spurned good chances, with referee Cheryl Foster waving away to strong penalty claims to ensure both sides had something to show for their efforts.