Back to the routine

Prescot Cables have an able and willing band of volunteers to handle jobs around the ground, and they come into their own over the close season. For the first pre season game, the ground looks neat and tidy, with a coat of paint here, a repair there. The weather has played its part this year, mainly warm and dry, with rain every few days to ensure the ground is neither saturated nor baked, which has worked wonders for the pitch. The departure of AFC Liverpool and their replacement with our own Reserves means less games, and more control over what we can do in bad weather, which should help maintaining its quality over the season.

Regular users of the 10A bus will not be surprised that, on my journey to the ground, one chap was greeting a number of people, including the driver, with "Alright George, how's your Dad?". They responded, so it is quite possible a larger than average number were called George, and their fathers were known to him.

Our first visitors were Runcorn Linnets of the North West Counties League. For these games, it is usual to bring out kits from storage that would not be used during the regular season due to advertising the wrong sponsors, etc. For this game, Prescot were playing in the rather smart 125th Anniversary kit, from the 2009-10 season - having referred to sponsors, it is worth mentioning that PMB Tools continue to support the club. I prefer a continuation of the pattern all round with a panel for the number rather than a plain back, but the number is enough of a contrast to avoid an accidental pass to the referee.

It is quite normal at this time of year for us to meet last season's players turning out for the opposition, as they are free agents until they have signed registration forms.

Richie Mottram in goal for Runcorn

There was no team sheet, so, although some faces were familiar from Saturday, the process of putting names to them is yet to begin. A couple more familiar faces made their first appearance, including Ciaran Gibson, who was on loan at St Helens Town for most of last season.

Ciaran Gibson

Having led by example in adding himself to the score sheet on Saturday, player-manager Neil Prince conducted operations from the dugout.

After a pleasant evening in the setting sun, we completed the game without recourse to the floodlights, although the exposures were getting a bit dark towards the end.

The first 70 minutes were encouraging, using what I suspect was the first choice of those players who are currently available, to establish a two goal lead. Substantial changes for both sides midway through the second half significantly altered the balance of the game, with the visitors able to score three in reply.

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

Final score: Prescot Cables 2, Runcorn Linnets 3

It's a fair Coppull

A club's pre season programme will depend in a large part on the manager's preferences and ideas on what makes for the best preparation for the season. So, with Neil Prince, who led Bootle to the Liverpool Senior Cup the season before last, taking the helm at Prescot Cables, there is no repeat of last year's well supported trip to Rhyl, or the rather less well supported trip to Kidsgrove the year before.

There are, however, trips to clubs I have not visited before, the first being Coppull United of the West Lancashire League. This is on the Wigan to Chorley bus route, on which Arriva run their new Sapphire buses, with wi-fi, once I had connected to the right service, not the one from the bus in front; power sockets by the front seats, those in what in my younger days was the smokers' gallery are not trusted with electricity; and an information screen, which told you how bright and shiny the bus was, rather than displaying the next stop. Still, the wi-fi was zippy enough to download Mr Google's maps as we went along.

Coppull have a neat, modern clubhouse and natural cover (trees) on three sides. It is the first time I have seen dugouts with doors.

I am surprised more clubs do not do it - even in a desirable area, a large open space on the edge of the village is a magnet for under age drinking and smoking, so without the ability to close the dugouts, they would probably regularly start their matchday cleaning out cigarette ends and beer cans.

The usual reports and rumours about who is staying and who has gone are doing the rounds, but nothing is certain until people sign registration forms. I would be happy for any of the team from Dave Powell's two seasons in charge to return, but I was particularly pleased to see James McCulloch joining the action: his skill and leadership qualities make him a good person to start with when building any team.

James McCulloch

Other familiar faces were Adam Reid, who I believe has spent a few months playing in Australia (I hope they do not send international clearance by surface mail), Phil Bannister and Joe Evans. Also present was last season's top scorer, Rob Doran, hoping to be fit for midweek.

Adam Reid

Phil Bannister

Joe Evans

Taking up position, I was greeted by an elderly gentleman, who enquired if I was taking photographs for the local paper. When I mentioned the Cables website, he replied "Ah, it's good to have a website - thingumibob used to do a website, I do not know if you know him, he went to Skelmersdale".

The weather forecast promised storms, which had mainly passed by the time we started, and although the rain was heavy, the water soaked in, leaving a good quality playing surface. During the first half, I moved under the trees by the side of the pitch, where I was enthusiastically greeted by the residents - mosquitoes who had not had many visitors over the summer, so happily sunk their fangs in.

The rain cleared up for the second half, so I went back behind the goal, where insect life was more benign, and appropriate for the opening weekend of the Big Butterfly Count. I did not take part, as I would have missed some of the game, but I am also not sure how you know whether you have seen a large number of butterflies, or one or two flying round in circles.

Five goals for Prescot showed an encouraging ability of our players to find the goal, with our manager adding one himself.

Neil Prince shoots for goal

After the game, I headed back to the bus. Travelling to games has been made easier by the internet: a few years ago, I would have turned up in Wigan hoping that there was a bus, and using a street atlas to work out when to get off. Online tools for use on the ground can still be patchy: nextbuses.mobi was missing timetables in the Lancashire County Council area, but worked in Greater Manchester, whereas Google Maps, which I thought used the same data, worked - as long as it is not a bus station, when it does get rather confused.

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

Final result: Coppull United 1 Prescot Cables 5

Los Marineros

Although I am not a fan of televised sport, I followed a decent chunk of the World Cup, and supported Chile when there was not much English interest left in the competition. So, that was more or less from the start, then. In a World Cup year, the football I can go and watch starts in the last week or so of the competition. I wanted to get back into practice taking and editing photos (reflexes can go rusty surprisingly quickly), which is easier with no-one expecting output, so I went to watch Marine entertain Chester FC. I was not the only person who had been following the Chileans.

I took up position behind the goal Marine were attacking.

Believe it or not from the pictures, Chester were playing in purple. I always have trouble with this colour on the camera - there are many times I have taken pictures in the countryside or a park and spotted an attractive lilac flower, only to find when I have got it home it has turned out blue. I could shoot in Raw format and tweak the colour grading, which is all very well for a single bloom, but not so practical for getting 60 sports pictures out whilst people still remember the game.

In the early pre season games, team sheets are not as regularly handed around as in the normal season. Managers may not want to alert the competition that they are trying out a player who has not yet signed registration forms. Not that such things are exactly a secret for long, this is an environment where everyone knows everyone else, and we are a gossipy bunch.

Marine have a new manager after last season's brush with the relegation positions, and anyway, I had not seen them play for 18 months, so I was not expecting to find anyone I recognised. I did, however, recognise the visitors' Jamie Menagh, who played a few games for Prescot before signing for Chester.

It looked as though the match officials were from the Conference panel, so they were wired for sound, although the can of foam has yet to reach this level.

In the past referees tended to avoid giving cards in pre season games, asking for a player to be substituted, therefore not attracting fines and suspensions. However, the authorities are more strict these days, and Chester's second half goalkeeper Jon Worsnop was sent off for handling outside the area.

The report on Chester First indicated that this will not attract a suspension, which is fair for a technical rather than violent offence. Former Scottish international Chris Iwelumo went in goal, after a few minutes of amusing attempts to find a suitable shirt and gloves.

Not many grounds provide the opportunity for the players to line up with the advertising boards, although I am not sure this ball would clear the bus.

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

Final score: Marine 2; Chester 4.