Counting the cars on the Rock Ferry bypass

About 20 years ago, when I went to visit a friend who was working in the United States, I took the overnight coach from Liverpool to London to catch my flight. It took a rather circuitous route, including via Chester. A few minutes in, an ear worm planted itself, substituting the Rock Ferry bypass for the New Jersey Turnpike in Simon & Garfunkel's America, and has remained there ever since.

On May Bank Holiday this year, I went to the EvoStik League Division 1 North Playoff Semi Final at Cammell Laird (as I found out when I visited for an evening game, if you cross the Rock Ferry bypass, you have missed the turning for the ground). Mossley were the visitors, and on the basis of both sides' performances when Prescot Cables played them earlier in the season, I was not surprised to see either in the playoffs.

Cammell Laird's Steve Ferrigan challenges Mossley's Adam Mathers

Mossley were unhappy with the extension of the League season, as they felt it gave a disadvantage to clubs (like themselves) who had been able to keep their pitches playable through the winter. That may have missed the point of the extension, that unforeseen snow wiped out of almost a full week's programme at the end of March, leaving little room to rearrange fixtures without pushing clubs into three or more games per week. It delivered one advantage to the clubs, as the game was on a sunny bank holiday, rather than a Tuesday night, with a crowd of 336, considerably more than Cammell Laird's average home gate for the season of 56.

Observing the playoffs when your team is not in them can lead to conflicting feelings: a wish to see a team you like doing well, against the desire to be rid of a disliked away trip. In this case, I have been happy with both trips, and I have no particular feelings for either club, so I went with the local interest, the team that finished second and therefore would have gone up in the old days, and the side containing a few former Prescot Cables players, and started photographing at the end Cammell Laird were attacking.

We have looked before in these pages about how to convey the impression of players rising up to take a header. I commented on that occasion that few photos of a header without anyone round them make it in to the collection, possibly as there is no reference point, in the shape of other players' feet on the ground, to show how far the players involved have jumped. That post was written on a cloudy day: on a sunny day, we can use the players' shadow as a reference to indicate the ground.

Cammell Laird's Craig Cairns and Mossley's Jason Gorton challenge for the ball in the air

For the second half, I was unsure whether to stay in the same position to see the Mossley attack, or to change ends and stay with Cammell Laird. As the sun was shining across the pitch, and the weather people tell us the sun at this time of year is as strong as in August, I decided to change ends, and toast the other side. This gave a better view of some of Cammell Laird's ex-Prescot players.

John Couch

Michael Grogan

With both sides seemingly unable to find the net, extra time was beckoning, when Joe Holt scored for Cammell Laird in the 3rd minute of injury time.

Joe Holt scores the only goal of the game

Mossley seemed very unhappy with the referee. I thought at the time this was because of the amount of time added on, although there had been a lengthy stoppage near the beginning of the half for treatment for 2 players after an accidental collision. However, reading the report on the Mossley website later, their dissatisfaction arose from a throw in awarded to Cammell Laird, which led to the goal, and which they thought should have been a free kick to Mossley.

Mossley then rather strangely made a substitution, which I would have thought was more likely from Cammell Laird, to run the clock down, unless they thought they could gain some seconds by completing it more quickly than the 30 seconds normally added by the referee.

I had not expected there to be a presentation of medals to the Cammell Laird players after the game, this was after all a semi final, although they may have been for finishing as runners up in the regular season. I missed the presentation, as I went to catch my bus. Not that I need have rushed, the bank holiday struck again. Having contended with no Arriva timetables having been uploaded to the Traveline database on the way out; a member of staff from the Stagecoach garage reported there were delays on their route to Liverpool, with one driver having returned 2 hours late due to traffic in the vicinity of Chester Zoo, so I let the train take the strain.

My initial supposition about the likely attendance at an evening game may have been incorrect, 622 people attended the Final on Friday evening. This was won by Trafford on penalties, so the Cables Train Crew will have our opportunity to visit Gallagher's Pub and Barbers again next season. I had thought the reason for holding the Final on a Friday evening was to avoid a clash with the FA Cup, but it may have been that the League were (rightly) expecting a large attendance at the Premier Division Final on Saturday, where a Hednesford Town side including former Prescot Cables striker Aaron Rey beat FC United of Manchester in front of 4412 spectators.

Aaron Rey plays for Prescot Cables in the 2009-10 season

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