Last train to Ossett Albion

It is not often you visit a ground knowing it will be for the last time. We often anticipate not seeing clubs for some time: because we or they are on the way up, down or sideways. However, we knew Prescot Cables' trip to Ossett Albion would be our last, as they are to merge with Ossett Town, eschewing the name of Ossett T'Albion for the more sensible Ossett United, and will play first team games at Ingfield. My first visit to Dimple Wells was ten years ago, when they were in the division below Prescot, the season before we were relegated to join them.

Ossett Albion v Bridlington Town 1st March 2008

This was also the end of an institution, the 1022 Liverpool to Scarborough. Our Train Crew has declined in recent years due to illness, moving away, work and family commitments, but the 1022 started of some of our more memorable away days. In May, the Liverpool to Leeds service becomes half hourly at 26 and 56, and, depending which split the league choose, we might not visit Yorkshire at all. Frank, Dr James and I assembled for the train to Dewsbury, with Frank disappearing for a few minutes to exchange the ticket he had been sold to Shrewsbury.

On arrival, we adjourned to the West Riding Licensed Refreshment Rooms, where I downloaded a bus ticket, and informed my companions a day saver was £4.80, forgetting the 10p discount for using the app. Scenes with loose change ensued when we got on the bus.

My Ossett pub of choice has been the Tap, but I have meant to visit the Old Vic, which looks quite a bit further away on the map, but is only about five minutes' walk. We found it furnished to the standards you expect from Ossett Brewery, and quieter than the Tap. There is a 50% chance I am a quarter Canadian (in 1941 their army was in Surrey fraternising with the locals), and I thought I would see the last ten minutes of Canada's bronze medal game in the Olympic ice hockey on the large screen, only for it to be switched to the national anthems for the rugby union.

Josh Klein-Davies

At the ground, a dilemma awaited. I have given up red meat for Lent, but this was the last chance for one of Albion's hot pork pies, a Yorkshire delicacy. I sent a quaeritur to my theologian friend Matthew to see if there were any exceptions for a final visit to a sports ground on the Second Saturday in Lent, but decided to be naughty and have one anyway.

This was not a game to set the pulse racing, with neither side looking able to create any meaningful chances. Afterwards Frank asked me how I would get any pictures. I referred to my second principle of sports photography*.

The quality of the pictures bears next to no relation to the quality of the action.

A tense game with inch perfect passes, runs timed to perfection, and the lead changing hands, on a wet afternoon in November, can leave me struggling with focus and motion blur. A game (from both sides) of runs that never quite go anywhere, passes intercepted by the opposition and the referee thinking dropped balls and free kicks are interchangeable, played under fine late winter sunshine, on the other hand ...

The shadow from the stand is smaller than at home, so I used shutter priority for most of the first half. Unlike the sports mode, which starts closing the aperture when the speed goes above 1/1000s, this keeps it open and the depth of field shallow, with a sharply focused player against a nice soft background.

Valter Fernandes

Being responsible for a number of profile pictures on social networks, the question arises, "quis photographiet ipsos photographes?". Albion's resident snapper caught me in action.

Harry Cain returned to the bench after surgery. The plan was to give him 20 minutes' play, but plans do not always survive contact with the opposition.

Harry Cain

For the second half, I used the sports mode.

Reece McNally

For the last quarter of an hour, I moved to the side of the pitch, and was rewarded with a few shots in the golden hour (the hour or so before the sun sets).

Jordan Southworth

On my way out, I snapped a couple of pictures as the sun dipped behind Emley Moor television transmitter.

The rest of the pictures from the game can be seen on the club website here, and on Google photos here.

Final score: Ossett Albion 0 Prescot Cables 0

* The first principle is, "If in doubt take a picture of it. Then take another picture of it, just in case".

The 90 degree goal scoring opportunity

Last weekend, Prescot Cables entertained Ossett Albion, who had not enjoyed a good start to the season. The weather was not particularly pleasant, with intermittent rain. I took up position on my polyethylene cushion, and turned those thoughts that were not on the game and avoiding being accidentally clattered to the desirability of new kit, namely waterproof trousers.

Programme editor Gareth Coates asked if I could crop a couple of pictures of club captain James McCulloch with a bit of extra space above his head so one could go on the cover for the following week's programme, marking his 300th appearance, which, all being well, would take place at Bamber Bridge in midweek. Fortunately, as he pointed out to me waiting in the tunnel, he was sporting a smart new haircut.

James McCulloch

We were attacking towards the Safari Park End. Once again, we scored before I was ready, with a goal from Alan Burton. Even when I tried to get the celebration, everyone was heading back to our own half.

Alan Burton

We looked to be having the better of the game until Marcus Burgess fell to an occupational hazard of goalkeeping, being sent off for handling outside his area.

Marcus Burgess in his area

The Laws of the Game are quite specific: the goalkeeper outside his penalty area is subject to the same handling restrictions as other players, so should only be sent off if handling denies a goal or obvious goal scoring opportunity. Leaving aside the question of whether the handball was deliberate, for which my view was obstructed, the foul occurred next to the goal line at the edge of the penalty area, so if anyone scored from there, Ossett Albion's goal of the season committee could pack up for a few months, knowing their work was done. Even a yellow card for handling to break up a promising attack would have been stretching it. Visiting goalkeeper Brett Souter clearly agreed, as he trotted over to shake Marcus' hand as he left the field.

Most teams at this level do not keep a goalkeeper on the bench, as such a player would go for weeks without playing Saturday football. An outfield player will need to go in goal, and the lot fell to Lloyd Dean.

Lloyd Dean in his accustomed position ...

... and in goal.

A player who is not keeping goal regularly will take time to get used to the position, and whilst our defence protected well, we could not avoid the hosts scoring just before half time. We seemed more confident in the second half, with Lloyd growing in confidence and making some good saves in a Roanza Truck and Van Man of the Match winning performance.

I split my time in the second half, about half in front of the covered standing at the Eaton Street End, from where I seem to get a lot of good angles...

Josef Faux

... and the rest in the more lively position (with balls and players flying in my direction) in front of the fence on the Gasworks Side.

Tunde Owolabi

After some good play at both ends, we secured a point from a game that looked precarious half an hour in.

The rest of the pictures from the game can be seen on the club website here (Pitchero displaying the most recent first again, grr), and on Google Photos here.

Final score: Prescot Cables 1 (Burton) Ossett Albion 1

Rhubarb, rhubarb, rhubarb

On the weekend of Prescot Cables' visit to Ossett Albion, Wakefield was holding its annual rhubarb festival. I am not sure whether Ossett is in the rhubarb triangle, where they grow forced rhubarb in darkened sheds, a sort of living dead of the vegetable world (the result is fruitier that way). I was unable to participate, as other commitments meant I took a late train. My bus from Dewsbury called itself Max, and offered e-leather seats and "Grand Yorkshire Connections". All that was missing was an advertisement for the local chewing delicacy, Ee Ba Gum. King George V once explained the secret of handling the physical demands of his duties, "Take every chance to take the weight off your feet, and never pass up the opportunity to relieve yourself". Today one might add never decline free electricity, and charging sockets were available.

On arrival at the ground, I procured another local delicacy from the tea bar, hot pork pie with gravy. There was a good turnout from the visiting supporters: in addition to those who had made their own arrangements, the team coach was full, with some intending travellers having to be turned away.

Speaking to the Liverpool Echo during the week, Brian Richardson had warned against complacency after our convincing win against today's hosts a couple of weeks ago, as they would be looking to restore their advantage. The programme said, providing statistical evidence, that they do not enjoy a good record against us, which came as a surprise, as I always thought of it as a difficult place from which to come away with anything. Perhaps I have just been to the wrong games.

I am not sure that complacency was the cause of our performance, which had me pondering going to see if there was any of that rhubarb left. It was undoubtedly poor, with even our most reliable performers having a bad day at the office. We were not helped by the referee, who was ever alert for offside...

Dominic Marie

... but less observant of minor fouls.

Jordan Wynne

The day was more successful photographically, with the sun breaking through the light cloud.

James McCulloch

With the balance of play as it had been in the first half, I stayed at the same end for the start of the second to get some closer shots of our defence.

Ben Cartwright

We had some more forward movement with some fresh legs, with Dominic Reid, Harry Cain and Andy Scarisbrick looking to stake a claim for a start.

Andy Scarisbrick

However, the coordination was still not there, and we succumbed to a deserved defeat. There was, however, a photographic good point, as, unlike the forced rhubarb, we enjoyed natural light throughout, this being the first day of the year we had not needed floodlights. With sunset at 5.20, the last few minutes of the game fell squarely within the golden hour.

Dominic Reid

Leaving the ground, I am always surprised to find the gate leads onto the cricket club's outfield, so I am not sure if they have a local rule when the seasons overlap regarding a departing football spectator stopping a ball reaching the boundary. From the position of the coach and the tyre tracks, I think the outfield may not just be used for foot traffic.

The rest of the pictures from the game can be seen on the club website here, and on Google Photos here.

Final score: Ossett Albion 3 Prescot Cables 0

Did you get the goal?

Prescot Cables' game against Ossett Albion was preceded by a minute's applause for Dennis Bellairs, who had been volunteering for the club for the best part of 50 years, and who died before Christmas. The simplest way to describe his activity was to say he did whatever needed doing: ranging from organising working parties for ground maintenance, through managing the kit, to serving in a number of board positions, including club secretary.

James McCulloch carrying the floral tribute to Dennis Bellairs

Dennis was photographing for the club when I started, and there are examples of his work on display in the board room. Unlike those of us who have only worked in digital, he understood the economy of film: looking for one or two images in a game, he developed an eye for a goal. Knowing I have not always managed to emulate that, he often asked at half time, "Did you get the goal?". He had a wicked sense of humour, and was not above asking the question when there had been no goals, enjoying my slightly confused look - asking just often enough to get me every time.

I had arrived early, to take pictures of the newer players for the website. Some were in their red training tops, rather than the black and yellow, but Dennis warned me when I first took the team photo that if I could get the players to stand still for long enough to take their pictures, I should regard it as a result.

Valter Fernandes

I captured everyone who had played already, but missed one new starter.

James Doyle

The same problem of getting everyone standing still comes with the mascots (today from Belle Valle JFC Under 8s, coached by Andy Scarisbrick) lining up with the players for the handshakes before the game. I aim to provide a souvenir photo for the children and their parents. The last players are often still lining up as the first is shaking hands with the referee.

Andy Scarisbrick

This was a game we needed to win - whilst it is good to surprise top teams by depriving them of what some may have thought was an easy win, league survival will come from doing better against the teams around us than they do against us. I did not have to wait long for a goal, with Chris Almond scoring after five minutes.

We put the game to bed in the few minutes before half time, starting with a goal from Dominic Marie.

When I uploaded to Google Photos, I spotted an issue with sorting - when two pictures have the same timestamp (in whole seconds), it displays them in the order they were uploaded. This is the opposite to that in which you select them, so the sequence above was displayed with the second and third pictures the wrong way round.

Another goal from Chris Almond, taking advantage of Ossett's Brett Souter dropping the ball on the edge of the penalty area, ...

Chris Almond watches his shot go past a stranded Brett Souter

... and another from Dominic Marie made for a decisive finish to the half.

The second half was more evenly matched, but we were still looking for goals, and, with the league as tight as it is, the more we score the better.

Taking the player pictures before the game, I had to ask one for his name (whatever happened to being introduced?). If there is one thing that helps me to remember, it is a goal, and Dominic Reid duly obliged.

Dominic Reid

Some visitors were already thinking of being back home in the warm in Yorkshire.

The rest of the pictures from the game can be seen on the club website here, and on Google Photos here.

There are also video highlights here. in a new venture from the league website. The limited training provided meant Glyn the camera operator was going live on his first attempt - when I started taking pictures, I took at least 6 months before I let the results loose on the public.

Final score: Prescot Cables 5 (Almond 2, Marie 2, Reid) Ossett Albion 0

Thwarted at the last

We had mixed feelings ahead of Prescot Cables' game at home to Ossett Albion in the Preliminary Round of the Buildbase FA Trophy. We have endured a poor run of form in the league, but anything can happen in a cup, and there were encouraging noises from a friendly game at Skelmersdale United in midweek. We also had a new signing, also from Skelmersdale: Dale Wright, a popular player six or seven years ago before moving onwards and upwards, who has played most recently for Stalybridge Celtic in the National League North.

Dale Wright

We started with a minute's applause for Les Birchall, a long standing supporter who had died suddenly: we were joined by his widow and his son Gareth, a committee member at Padiham FC.

It has been a mild autumn so far, with this being the first afternoon game of the season to which I have worn a coat, but I would not have been uncomfortable without it. The light follows a more predictable course. There was intermittent cloud, but even when the sun was out, it was weaker even than last week. This is the light in which the sports mode on the D5300 comes into its own, increasing ISO once the shutter speed gets to 1/1000s...

Rob Doran - 1/1000s f/4.8 ISO720

... then taking the shutter speed down once it gets to ISO 800...

Bram Johnstone - 1/800s f/5.6 ISO800

... going back to increasing ISO once the speed is down to 1/500s.

Andy Paxton retrieves the ball for Jacob Jones to take a quick throw in - 1/500s f/5.6 ISO900

Whilst we made some good moves towards goal, from the pictures it looked as though we spent a lot of time inside our own half.

We came out with more bite in the second half, and thought we had been rewarded when James McCulloch put the ball in the net. However, the goal was disallowed, we think for a foul on the keeper. I caught a sequence, so readers can decide for themselves, and ponder whether still photography proves very much sometimes.

Ossett's Brett Souter gets a hand to the ball

The ball is now loose

James McCulloch puts it away

James McCulloch celebrates while Brett Souter appeals for a foul

The crucial point is between the first and second pictures - from my recollection and the planted position of James McCulloch's right foot in the second picture I think the ball slipped out of Brett Souter's hand as he tried to gather it in, but I can see how the referee concluded that it was kicked whilst he had control of it.

There was no doubt a few minutes later when Dale Wright marked his return with a goal from the edge of the penalty area.

It was a nervous time for the next few minutes, and it looked as though we had made it, until the visitors scored from a goalmouth scramble half a minute from time to secure the replay.

The rest of the pictures from the game can be seen on the club website here, and on Google Photos here.

Final score: Prescot Cables 1 (Wright) Ossett Albion 1

Shooting raw

I do not often make significant changes to the way I work at a game: I have had the same kit for some time, and know most of the features I need. However, I have always saved my pictures on the camera as jpeg files, and have been generally satisfied with the results. Think of a jpeg file as like a print, but one you can edit. The camera adjusts things like white (or colour) balance, brightness and noise, then compresses the file. The alternative is to save as a raw file, a bit like a film negative. You get all the information from the sensor, which gives much more control over exposure and lighting, and changes are saved to a separate file, so you always keep the original without having to make multiple backups.

Last week, I was feeling curious, and wondered how much extra work was involved processing from raw, and realised the answer is - not much. Photoshop Elements can open files from most cameras, so it is just a couple of extra steps. I then went to take some pictures of general subjects for test files, and quickly decided the extra control for non sports work is well worth it.

For sports the equation is more balanced: as I process about 100 - 120 images from a game, even a minute or so per image can add an hour or two to the job. I decided it was worth a try at Prescot Cables' game at home to Ossett Albion.

My SD card was a bit old and slow, and I was only going to get a new one if the test was successful. When shooting frames in raw in quick succession, a fast card avoids having to stop for the buffer to empty. I was doing just that, and missed the first goal, from Lloyd Dean.

Lloyd Dean

Once I got the images on the computer, adjusting the white balance required some practice to avoid making the players look puce, or, failing that, green. After a short while, I started to get usable images, and as there was even cloud cover throughout the game, once I had got it right, I could stick to the same settings.

James McCulloch

I continued my experiment from the previous week, and spent some time behind the goal, before going to the gasworks side, ending up at the half way line.

George Mannion

In a couple of pictures, the players seemed particularly sharp - you can judge for yourselves whether this survives the conversion on the computer and upload to Google+.

Joe Evans

We went a second goal ahead just before half time through the good offices of Rob Doran.

In the second half I went to the half way line again, which was probably a good position, as the half was quite evenly matched until the balance fell decisively in our favour 10 minutes from the end with a second goal from Rob Doran. There were some good saves from Marcus Burgess, never easy to capture, even standing closer to our goal than I am accustomed.

Marcus Burgess

With only moments to go, Rob Doran completed his hat trick, and I got a decent sequence. It is all very well knowing the technology, but you still have to capture the action.

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

Final score Prescot Cables 4 (Dean, Doran 3) Ossett Albion 0

Showers, heavy at times

For Prescot Cables' game away at Ossett Albion. I had something to do in the morning, so I took a late train to get there just before kick off. There was a police presence between Huddersfield and Dewsbury, although not I suspect for non league supporters attending an inter county fixture, but more likely keeping an eye on what can sometimes be an unruly rail based pub crawl.

Although I was not on one, Arriva's shiny new vehicles with leather seats and WiFi came in handy. The construction of Dewsbury Bus Station approaches a Faraday cage, as I found out when I could not get a mobile signal to validate my m-ticket. The solution was to sidle up to one of the new buses and use its WiFi footprint, hoping it would not depart before I had finished.

At this time of year we are usually past the season for postponements, but there had been heavy rain overnight. One postponement was Warrington Town v Darlington 1883, the decision taken early to avoid the away supporters making a long wasted journey. Errr...

Arriving in Ossett, I was greeted by what might be called a drying wind - one of the few occasions I thought a monopod might be useful as I was being buffeted by the strong crosswind. Watching the players warm up, and able to shelter behind a wall, it was, however , pleasantly warm. The game started in bright sunshine.

Neil Prince

The home goalkeeper took an early knock gathering the ball at the feet of Jack Phillips, who did his best to jump out of the way.

Jack Phillips is unable to avoid colliding with Brett Souter

The weather was not to last: the forecast predicted light showers, but what came down in the last 20 minutes of the first half was anything but light and a bit long for a shower. The photo effects were good but I was glad not to be playing in it. There is cover at the clubhouse end, even if the wind was blowing the rain through the small gap between the stand and the groundsman's shed.

James McCulloch

When it is windy and raining, you can usually find a wall behind which to shelter, which I did, aided by a tree. Our club solicitor, Peter Kneale, was reminiscing about when he first visited the ground in the eighties with his father, and it was open on the cricket club side, rather than the current rather narrow terracing.

The rain eased off for the second half, and we were soon back in sunshine.

Liam Dodd

It was a frustrating half, we were unable to make an attack count, and fell to a goal from the hosts in the last ten minutes - a disappointing result after playing so well and nearly securing a point against Salford in midweek.

Leaving the ground, there is a vestige of the days Peter was referring to, as the exit gate takes you straight on to the cricket club's outfield.

After refreshment in the Tap, I caught the bus back to Dewsbury. Travel apps are improving all the time, but I have yet to find one that is completely reliable. In West Yorkshire, nextbuses.mobi based apps give real time information, not just timetables. You might think the operator's own app would be up to date, as they want to know where their buses are, but that did not seem to be so with Arriva. I have found them previously to be a couple of minutes behind real time. This time, the bus was 10 minutes late, correctly recorded by nextbuses.mobi, whereas Arriva had it as running on time, and then disappearing from view altogether.

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

Final score: Ossett Albion 1 Prescot Cables 0