Climbing Mount Starbeck

An irate club official (not from the clubs involved in the match reported here) was once heard to say to a referee, "I marked you as 1 [out of 10]. I wanted to give you 0, but I could not, because you had the correct equipment." Having the correct equipment matters for the photographer too, and these pages often mention a forgotten item that makes life more difficult. For a visit to Harrogate Railway Athletic, there is a check list: ropes, crampons...

On arrival in a sunny Harrogate, Richie, our leader in beer and pub choices, led us to the Coach and Horses, at which point the party split, with some heading to Muckle's Sports Bar next door, which was offering a well kept Leeds Pale Ale, amongst other choices, and the chance to watch Everton v Liverpool on the large screen. I was also keeping an eye on Sheffield Wednesday v Huddersfield Town on the smaller screen to see if former Dulwich Hamlet striker Daniel Carr was playing.

The hill towards Harrogate and the houses behind the ground were already casting a full shadow over the pitch by the time of kick off, with just some reflected sunlight on the fencing where the old clubhouse used to stand.

Isaac Kusoloka

The absence of cloud probably gave us half an hour more of natural light than we had on the last couple of Saturdays, with the floodlights coming on towards the end of the first half. Here is James McCulloch in the last image I used from the half: Movember is coming along nicely!

I mentioned a few weeks ago that I had a spot of bother with my computer - it turned out more than a spot, to the point the cost of repairs looked like it may not be much less than a new machine, so I replaced it. One welcome change from the last time I bought a computer was that I did not need to buy much software, there is now a good open source option for most of the tasks I use it to perform. The only exception was Photoshop Elements, and had I been making a planned change, or one out of the season, I would have looked around more to see what was available, but I needed to get pictures out without time to learn a new package.

I moved from version 8 on my old computer, to version 12. There are improvements, it is a bit quicker, and the lighting adjustments seem more powerful. The most useful addition is a grid in the crop window, making it easier to adjust where I have not been holding the camera straight. Take this photo of Enzo Benn - this is how it came off the camera, with just the lighting adjusted.

When we crop the picture, the grid is useful for lining up against the corrugated iron fence in the background, which we know is true and vertical.

The end result has the horizon correctly horizontal, and captures the slope that is a feature of the ground.

Something less than an improvement is the position of the tool options, such as the aspect ratio for cropping. In version 8, these were in a narrow bar along the top of the screen. In a time when most new computer screens are 16:9 widescreen, some clever person thought the best place for this was in a large frame at the bottom of the screen, shrinking the area available for the picture you are working on (and the application does not allow you to move it), when there is plenty of room at the side, so it is a lot of extra clicks to keep showing and hiding it.

As for the game, having conceded a penalty, we thought that if we were able to equalise, we could probably build on it and go ahead, but this was not to be, Rob Doran scoring the only Cables goal of the game, with Nathan Cartman putting Harrogate ahead.

Rob Doran

Most of the Train Crew headed home after the game, but I made my usual visit to a rather busy (but still with a corner for me to curl up with my post match refreshment and paper) Blind Jack's in Knaresborough.

The rest of the pictures from the game can be seen here.

Final score: Harrogate Railway Athletic 2 Prescot Cables 1 (Doran)

Ee ba goals

Prescot Cables did not have the best of weeks prior to the visit of Wakefield at the weekend. The disrupted journey and defeat at Kendal Town were followed in midweek by a 6-0 defeat to a clinical Skelmersdale United in the Doodson Sport Cup. The League Cup is of more value for Skelmersdale than for us: it gives game time for squad players, and a good run, with the Final near the end of the season, can boost confidence if they reach the playoffs or are making a push for the title, as Dulwich Hamlet found in their two League Cup Final appearances in the last three seasons. Not that the people in the announcers' box will be keen to see Skelmersdale's away kit, whose numbers did not provide much contrast with the kit colour in low light.

John Beattie and Rob Doran get the ball away from Skelmersdale's Matty Hughes in low-vis

The question was how our team would respond. Wakefield are competing with us to avoid relegation, and these are the sides we need to beat, with points gained against higher flying sides being a bonus. Would they take their example from Skelmersdale in clinical finishing and punishing errors, or would they have been disheartened by the scale of the defeat?

Whatever the answer, it was clear that the record would be a grainy one, as the light was the worst of the season, to be expected in November, with low, thick cloud: the lighting conditions were similar to those at Kendal the previous week, where the game took place half an hour later under lighter cloud.

The question of whether the team would bounce back received its first answer on 16 minutes, via Phil Bannister.

Phil Bannister shoots for goal

That was the only goal for the first half, but the second half showed it was just a start. The lighting was such it may as well have been an evening game.

Ged Murphy had a go, briefing Antony Shinks on what he had in mind ...

... Antony takes the free kick ...

... and delivers the ball with pinpoint accuracy, with Ged heading just wide.

Shortly after, the ball came to Rob Doran in the goalmouth.

This picture made it into the slide show on the "a goal is a goal" principle: to be a good photo, I would need an unobstructed view.

A few minutes later, Wakefield goalkeeper Shaun Penn successfully dispossessed Sean Breen ...

... but found himself at the mercy of Connor McCarthy, who has a knack for taking advantage of a goalkeeper in difficulties.

Both Rob and Connor were substituted quite quickly after their goals, which can at first sight seem strange, but of course it is more likely to be a result of the manager's plan - have the player go flat out for a goal, knowing he will only be playing 20 minutes of the half.

The fourth goal came from the returning Joe Evans, making his first appearance of the season - a goal I unfortunately did not capture.

Joe Evans

This performance not only pulled us ahead of Wakefield, keeping the right side of a point per game average, but goals from four different players and a clean sheet will hopefully also build confidence after 4 defeats in a row.

The rest of the pictures from the game can be seen here.

Final score: Prescot Cables 4 (Bannister, Doran, McCarthy, Evans) Wakefield 0

The bell ringers' snug

A number of our party for Prescot Cables' visit to Kendal Town decided to make a weekend of it, and departed from Liverpool by car at the same time as the rest caught our train. Unfortunately, there was a lorry fire on the M6, where the options for travelling further north narrow into the M6 or driving through Lancaster. Those of us on the train made sure to give a cheery wave to the tailback. On arrival, we made ourselves comfortable in Burgundy's Wine Bar.

Modern communications meant we could keep tabs on the progress of the team coach in the traffic, and therefore did not need to go out in a hailstorm only to arrive at the ground before the team. Back in the nineties, we would all have been standing around at the ground wondering whether they were going to make it. Kick off eventually took place just after 3.30, with the grey skies meaning that the floodlights were on from the start.

Elliot Ashurst

As we made our way behind the goal, our way was blocked by a large steward, who seemed unwilling to let even individuals from our group pass. It transpired that it was only the drum and trumpet carried by our musical section that had to stay by one corner, on the side of the ground by a warehouse rather than the houses on the other side, although I am not sure what actual effect this had on noise abatement.

Preparation and warm up is an important part of the game today. Gone are the times when the players would breeze in, kick a ball about for a few minutes and start the game - drills and exercises are carefully planned to make the best physical and mental preparation for the game. The fact that our preparations were necessarily curtailed seemed to have an effect in the first half, as a somewhat disjointed performance left us three goals down at half time. To make matters worse, Antony Shinks was injured as he took the ball awkwardly for the last kick of the half - he was able to walk off, but only after some minutes' treatment on the field.

Antony Shinks

A black and white kit is something of a mixed blessing for the photographer: providing a good degree of contrast ...

Rob Doran with Kendal's Jack Smith

... but the trend for plain backs (as opposed to a panel for the number) means low visibility, and I wonder how many passes in low light are accidentally directed to the referee.

Callum Hoctor is challenged by Kendal's Ross Lloyd

That aside, I never worked out why the teams appeared to be wearing each other's socks.

One advantage of black and white is that it is easy to have your pet in club colours.

I think this chap is wondering why the players are running about all over the place, when he could have them in a group following a figure of eight round the centre circle and penalty spots, ending up neatly penned in one of the goals.

By the second half, we were past sunset, so the lighting was similar to an evening game, and I took up position near the half way line.

Enzo Benn

The team seemed to settle after the late start, and played much better, keeping the scores from the half level, with the aid of a penalty save from Adam Reid.

Adam Reid

After the game, those who were staying checked in to their guest house, and a couple of us joined them for drinks before getting our train.

The thoughts of the away support turn to post match refreshment

The Good Beer Guide gives some assurance of beer quality in a new town, but the number of entries a CAMRA branch can nominate is based on population, so there are plenty of good establishments not in it, especially in a market town like Kendal. We found one such in the Ring o' Bells, next to the parish church, and home of the snug of the title. Not that it seemed that snug, being a draughty antechamber, which I assume reminded the ringers of their belfries, unlike the cosy public bar, with a log fire and excellent local beers.

The rest of the pictures from the game can be seen here.

Final score: Kendal Town 3 Prescot Cables 0.

A coach load of Bavarian tourists

For Prescot Cables' game away to Mossley, the regular Train Crew and pharmacologists were joined by our friend Michael from Bavaria, and four of his family who had joined him to watch Everton's game against Tottenham. Due to the size of our party and to engineering works, we hired a minibus and driver for only a couple of pounds more per head than the train fare. Richie, our leader in beer and pub choices, booked a table for an excellent meal at the Cross Keys in Uppermill. The sat nav took us along a scenic, if narrow, route, not the glories of the Alps that our guests were used to, but rather the austere charms of Saddleworth Moor.

In Mossley, curtains seemed to be unknown: fortunately one resident did not spot that his somewhat premature miniature Christmas tree came under close inspection from our vehicle. We arrived to find kick off delayed by 15 minutes, due to some of the home team having been delayed, which I have not encountered before. The attendance was 111: had I known that during the game, I might have been tempted to take a lead from cricket and stand on one leg.

The floodlights are among the better sets in the Division, having been installed a couple of years ago. There is a deep strip of shadow down the middle of the pitch, which is odd for an arrangement with three heads per pylon, it is common with two, whereas three gives you more opportunity for an even spread.

Preparing for a corner in the Mossley goalmouth

Some of our team are participating in Movember, with James McCulloch and Dave Dempsey the first to sign up. We were only five days in, so results were not too apparent.

James McCulloch

Dave Dempsey

More players have since joined, so we should see the results through the month. You can donate through the players' page here.

Both sides served up a competitive game for our visitors, although the only goal in the first half came from a penalty to Mossley. Rob Doran made the scores even at the beginning of the second half, but Mossley bounced straight back.

Rob Doran

When I was at school, my Physics teacher, Mr Cook, was an eccentric man, with the appearance of an Old Testament prophet, and memorable explanations of physical laws, including whirling the board ruler round his head to demonstrate angular momentum. Even he may have been puzzled by how our second goal, from Ged Murphy on 80 minutes, found its way into the net. Here is it after Ged has dispatched it.

... and here is everyone looking surprised at where it ended up.

Out hosts' ability to match anything we did was the theme of the night, as they restored their advantage within a minute. The coup de grâce was administered in the 90th minute, after Adam Reid had gone forward for a corner. I would reserve this tactic for knockout competitions, but I can see it may be worth risking the goal difference for the possibility of a point. In this case, a quick clearance resulted in an almost open goal at our end.

Mossley is one of the more scenic grounds, although the advantage is seen during the day. As most of the view is of the moorland, the lights in the distance are mostly out of view on the lower slopes. As it was Bonfire Night, we had hoped the night might be enlivened by some fireworks, but these too seemed to be limited.

Final result: Mossley 4 Prescot Cables 2 (Doran, Murphy)

Up the wall

As this blog is unlikely to be called upon to photograph a fixture in the Eton Wall Game, Dulwich Hamlet's game against Leatherhead seemed the next best thing.

There are many reasons why animosity can arise between clubs, some shrouded in the mists of time. Visiting Mangotsfield United in 2002, we found a shared dislike of Gloucester City, in our case arising from their only visit to our ground nine years previously. Relations between us and Leatherhead deteriorated last season, after part of their pitch perimeter wall collapsed in the 85th minute of our League fixture. Their officials tried to blame the dozen or so of our schoolboy supporters who were leaning on it celebrating a goal. Their players crowded round the referee as he inspected the pitch for debris, and celebrated the abandonment as though they had won the game, in which we had been leading.

Having secured the Championship despite losing the replayed game, we were not expecting to meet them again for a while, but we reckoned without the draw for the FA Trophy.

Peter Adeniyi

Although the day was mainly dry, there was a heavy shower whilst I was on the way to the game, so I headed in to Sainsbury's. This was not just for the driest sausage roll I have had in a long time, but I had forgotten to pack the rain cover for my camera (serves me right for being so smug in midweek), and the plastic bag might have been needed as an emergency replacement.

A few minutes before the game (thirteen to be precise), a smartly dressed gentleman scurried past me carrying a large kit bag. I believe clubs are fined if they arrive less than 45 minutes before the game is due to start: I am not sure if anything equivalent applies to the match officials.

The sun was shining for the first half, where we were attacking the Greendale end. The sun is behind this end in the afternoon, and there are three tall trees behind the ground.

These ensure that, when the sun is shining, we can encounter just about all lighting conditions, usually within a few yards. We go from full sunshine ...

Billy Crook

... through mixed shadows ...

Nyren Clunis

... lit foreground against background shadow ...

Matthieu Boyer

... and vice versa ...

Erhun Öztümer

... although the low angle of the sun meant few shots were completely in shadow.

This was my first sight of the club's new kit. The shade of pink is better for the camera than on the previous kit, which sometimes came out nearer to purple. I would have preferred the player's number on the front of the shirt or, as with the previous kit, on the shorts (although the latter makes more work for the kit man matching shirt and shorts). In their absence, I rather hope I have got the captions right on the pictures above.

By the second half, the sun was almost completely below the trees, so the light was more even.

Dean Lodge, immediately before he was fouled for a penalty

We finish after sunset at this time of year, especially as the second half did not start until 4.10, which seemed late, with only a couple of minutes delay to the start and another couple added on in the first half. The floodlights became more significant for the lighting as the game went on.

Lewis Gonsalves

The end result was a satisfying progression to the next round, in front of the lowest crowd for a Saturday game this season, although I still got some decent crowd shots.

The rest of the pictures from the game can be seen here.

Final score: Dulwich Hamlet 3 (Daly 2,Öztümer) Leatherhead 0.

No walls were harmed in the making of this report.

Here be tigers

A Tuesday night visit to Prescot Cables has its intimidating features. The wind that always seems to be whipping across the pitch, the stand towering up out of the darkness, and the uncharted wilds of the gasworks side, where only the hardy tread at night.

Oddly, the visit of Lancaster City last week was the first time this season anyone has experienced these pleasures, in our first midweek home game. We have in the past entertained a Hollyoaks XI in aid of our local Willowbrook Hospice, although on this occasion some clearly felt The Only Way is Essex.

I started taking pictures in front of the tea bar, and for the second time in a row, my view was not blocked, as it normally would be, by an assistant referee. Referees at this level have a choice of diagonal, unlike in higher levels, where the left diagonal for the referee is compulsory. Use of the less common arrangement has the advantage of providing firmer footing for the assistants.

Phil Bannister, captured from the stand side

After a few minutes I joined our visiting photography student (whose name I have been told, and therefore feel embarrassed to ask again) on the gasworks side. Had I stayed put, I would probably have got a better view of our goal, from Rob Doran.

Rob Doran

At half time, I asked my fellow photographer how he was finding our floodlights. He reported that he had his ISO settings at 3200, which he did not even use indoors photographing gigs. Even at livelier gigs, the performers probably do not move as much as on the football pitch, so need slower shutter speeds. I thought use of flash may be a difference too: although flash photography is no longer prohibited by the Laws of Association Football, if it is powerful enough to make a difference, it is powerful enough to distract players and match officials. However, many entertainment venues prohibit flash, as it may induce seizures, particularly in combination with house lighting effects.

He also made an observation that illustrates the superiority of human senses over the machine, in that the light was perfectly fine to see, but less so for photography.

We thought this game might not take place: the north escaped the winds of the St Jude Storm (St Simon & St Jude surely), but it still deposited a quantity of rain the previous day. However, this day had been dry - until half time. I had looked behind the cloudy icon on the Met Office app, and spotted the 40% probability of rain, so I was prepared with my cover, whereas my colleague had used the BBC forecast, and had to put his coat over his head and camera.

James McCulloch in the rain

This turned out to be the last game of Jamie Menagh's short stay. Chester FC, with whom he had a trial in pre season, are strengthening their squad, and snapped him up, with some justification, as he impressed in his appearances for us. Dr Phil the Pharmacologist spotted the report on the Chester Chronicle site was illustrated by one of my photos: I was able to reassure him I had supplied it to the Echo (and they used in the Merseymart), and the Chronicle is part of the same Trinity Mirror stable.

Jamie Menagh

The rest of the pictures from the game can be seen here.

Final score: Prescot Cables 1 (Doran) Lancaster City 2.