Scuba in the Betting League

I find it useful in sports photography to give the game in front of me my full and undivided attention. As I do not generally follow any professional clubs to the extent of wanting to know live scores, this is not too difficult. However, this weekend was the end of the season for Ykkönen, the Finnish first division, who play a summer season: imagine the frozen pitches if they did not. A few weeks ago, it looked as though the club I occasionally watch, HIFK of Helsinki, would have had a good season back in the division, but KTP of Kotka were 11 points clear at the top. By this weekend HIFK were only two points behind.

I was therefore combining watching Prescot Cables' game at New Mills with following HIFK on Twitter- in Finnish. Mr Google translates the name of the club (short for Helsingfors Idrottsföreningen Kamraterna) as SCUBA, and Veikkausliiga (the Premier League, sponsored by the Lottery operator) as the Betting League. Readers will gather from the surreal title that a 4-2 win for HIFK and a 1-1 draw for KTP put HIFK in the top division, in which they last played in 1972, having played in Nelonen, the fifth level (equivalent in standard to county league football) as recently as 2005.

At our game, one or two thought our new kit looked very smart, until they realised it was the home team's. Their goalkeeper had a shirt of a similar design, in a slightly garish colour combination.

Goalmouth action in the second half

We welcomed back Antony Shinks, who had briefly been at Warrington Town, and who added experience to the defence, in which we can safely say we have been looking for the best combination for the last few games, particularly with Liam Dodd still injured.

Antony Shinks

As in the past, we were playing downhill in the first half. I am not sure who won the toss on each occasion, and whether the home team prefer this arrangement, but they are well able to take advantage, and make sure that visitors expend plenty of effort chasing the ball uphill.

The weather was better than we were expecting - after a mild and dry September, normal Autumn service resumed literally overnight - the Met Office app showed the temperature dropping at a degree an hour. There had been heavy rain in the morning, but the pitch seemed to have drained well enough. We had been expecting it to rain all day, but the clouds cleared in time for the game.

The trees on the stand side provided some uneven shadows.

Joe Evans

With games in Finland finishing at our half time, I could then concentrate on the game in hand. New Mills had a good chance to score just after half time, which could have delivered a decisive advantage, but they hit the post. After this, we seemed to take more control. Older readers will reminisce about the days you were allowed to score from this situation.

Sam Corlett is denied by Ryan Pugh

My mother always used to say that if you want a job doing, do it yourself. I was never convinced by this, and it is not the best way of thinking in a team game. However, we were pleased to see Neil Prince once again has the option of playing himself, as he scored some good goals in pre season before dislocating his shoulder. He wasted no time in opening the scoring.

Neil Prince sets off for goal

The Laws of the Game specify shin pads as a mandatory part of the player's equipment. I am not aware of any regulations on the strength of materials to be used, or the area to be covered, so there is a variety available, from simple plastic through to something from Isambard Kingdom Brunel. Callam Gardner uses a design that looks as though it provides a lot of protection for a fairly small part of the shin.

Callam Gardner is watched by Neil Black, and by James Cairns supporting the team

Whatever he was wearing, he added to the score a few minutes later to make the result secure.

Although the first half could have gone either way, the second half was a good performance, coming back after the disappointment at Brighouse, and pulling ourselves ahead of or hosts in the table.

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

Final score: New Mills 0, Prescot Cables 2 (Prince, Gardner)