The metal working derby

Prescot Cables' game in midweek against Vauxhall Motors was between two clubs with a metal working heritage. Car making still happens in Ellesmere Port, whereas cable manufacturing has been absent from Prescot for some years.

We had to cancel our previous game, a visit from Coalville Town of our league's Division 1 South, due to a heavy downpour a couple of hours before kick off leaving standing water on the pitch, which unfortunately, occurred when Coalville were on their way.

The North West Counties League started their season on the same day: Bootle's game at home to Squires Gate looked a bit wet. The start of the season has got gradually earlier: I remember reading that early in the last century, I think it was Dulwich Hamlet's Isthmian League and FA Amateur Cup winning season of 1919-20, the start of the season, in the last week of August, was delayed by a week due to extreme heat. The North West Counties League now starts in the first week of August, which makes it more difficult to find appropriate opponents for these games.

I did not notice the 7.30 kick off, so arrived a few minutes late. There was a team sheet, so the process of matching numbers and faces could continue - assuming I could see either.

Sean Miller - identified by the boots

The rain at the weekend had refreshed those parts of the pitch that had looked a little scorched the previous week, even after some good growing weather.

Stephen Milne

This blog adheres to the principle of pies before pictures if I have not finished my half time refreshments before play restarts. Some of my best shots have been taken with three fingers controlling the zoom, and the other two holding the last of my pie. However, I do not recommend trying this with a Danish pastry, unless you want to spend the half removing icing from the barrel of the lens.

Vauxhall looked a strong side, which should do well as they look to rebuild their position after resigning from the Conference North last year. With the visitors two goals ahead at half time, Charlie Stoker came on and scored twice to restore the balance.

Charlie Stoker scores his second goal

I believe that technically the game was abandoned with a couple of minutes to go when Neil Prince sustained a dislocated shoulder. This will put him out of playing for a few weeks: whilst a player-manager is primarily a manager, it is always handy if he can include himself in his playing options, and he has already scored some good goals.

Neil Prince

With the pictures from Saturday games, I have a deadline for the Merseymart, and free time in which to meet it, and the online pictures follow from there. For the midweek games, there is no specific deadline, and other things can crop up to delay processing. There is one, however that I try to meet, but did not do so this week - Friday lunchtime, so the players can show their exploits to their colleagues before the weekend.

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

Final score: Prescot Cables 2 (Stoker 2), Vauxhall Motors 2