One hump or two?

After Prescot Cables' game against Cammell Laird on August Bank Holiday the question many of us were asking was how the game avoided degenerating into a fight. It had the hallmarks at 10 minutes, when our captain, James McCulloch, was pushed to the ground about three feet in front of the referee, who had stopped play to speak to another player. I do not normally comment on the match officials, apart from when they look a bit glum, but even if the referee was writing in his book, you might expect him to notice out of the corner of his eye and consult his assistants. His failure to do so suggested he had lost control of the game.

Between ourselves and Cammell Laird traffic in players feels (not entirely accurately) like it has been largely in one direction over the last couple of years. Absent from the Cammell Laird lineup were Joe Gibiliru Jnr, Liam Hollett (at the ground but injured and suspended respectively), and Michael Grogan (work commitments). John Couch, who has been saying that he is playing his last season for a couple of years now, was playing for Lairds, as was Jack Webb.

Rob Doran keeps John Couch at bay

I was chatting at half time to Mr Webb, Jack's father, who joked that there would be no pictures of Jack this time. Jack is a good player, and very mobile, so made it into a few pictures, but his father understood my purpose for the afternoon, concentrating on our players so they can look good for their family and friends.

Jack Webb chases James McCulloch

Referring to Mr Webb as such reminds me that I am from the last generation that, as children, did not know, and certainly did not use, their friends' parents' first names, and even in our forties refer to them in formal terms. When the players were of my generation, logic suggested the courtesy be extended to their fathers, but I should remember I am of the fathers' generation now.

It is quite common at our level of the game not to include a substitute goalkeeper on the team sheet. Most clubs do not have the funds to pay a player likely to be a spectator, and take the chance with an outfield player if the goalkeeper is injured or sent off. However, in the games I have attended this season, most clubs have been naming a goalkeeper amongst the substitutes. Cammell Laird followed suit, so, when goalkeeper Kevin Atherton went off injured, there was no chance to test a non specialist, as he was replaced by Andrew Mills, on loan from Macclesfield Town.

Andrew Mills saves at the feet of Connor McCarthy

With our going a goal down before half time, the game could have gone either way in the highly competitive, but better behaved, second half.

Ged Murphy rallies the troops, with Ryan Eiselt and Rob Doran

However, we were still less than clinical in our finishing, for which we paid when we fell to what we have recently been successful in avoiding, a couple of late goals. The Cammell Laird bench seemed to enjoy them, particularly the second: the goal difference may be useful at the end of the season, but you would hardly have thought they had only taken a two goal lead in the fourth game of the season.

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