200 up

The Blogger dashboard tells me this is my 200th post on these pages, which started as photo hints and tips. There are only so many of those, so now I write more about following football at the level of the National Game. Not that I attempt match reports: I tried taking notes when Prescot Cables were without a Press Officer, but it was just as well someone stepped forward, as my reports would have been somewhat mechanical. So, I comment on the pictures, and "a funny thing happened on the way to the match". That is easier about away games: we only visit once a year, so there is usually something new, whereas at home, it is only a couple of weeks since we were last there. All human life is on the 10A bus, but it is often the same life coming round again.

Sometimes I have ideas of material before the game that does not survive events. The visit of Ossett Town was on the feast of Sts Crispin and Crispinian, so I could use a few lines from Henry V - it refers to the French, but Yorkshire made a good job of the 'Appen-it's-Grand Départ for the Tour de France, so it is the next best thing. That would have required a win to carry it off, and hopes were high after the win at Salford last week.

This was deflated after a few minutes, when Jonah O'Reilly dealt with an incoming ball, but unfortunately sent it in the one direction we did not want it to go. Sadly, this was to determine the result of the game, as on the whole we defended quite well.

Ciaran Gibson keeps his fellow Yorkshiremen at bay

The match report on the Ossett Town website referred to our putting the ball in the net in the first half, which had me confused, until I remembered Jack Phillips rounded the goalkeeper just as the whistle was blown for offside, so, whilst the ball went into the net, it was already out of play by the time it was dispatched there.

Jack Phillips

Neil Prince opted for a more attacking formation for the second half, replacing Andy Griffiths and Jonah O'Reilly with Mason Ryan and himself.

Mason Ryan

During the half, an aeroplane flew over the ground, trailing a banner advertising a designer clothing outlet. They were not advertising it very well, as everyone on the ground misread what it said. Our Chairman, Tony Zeverona, received a call from someone who had seen the aircraft and thought the banner said "Good Luck Prescot Cables". When it appeared over the ground, having seen it through the 300mm lens, I assured Jon the Pharmacologist, reacquainting himself with daylight after completing his PhD thesis a couple of weeks ago, that it said "Something something Prescot Cables". On closer inspection on the computer screen, I realised it said nothing of the sort, However, if we were fooled, I cannot have caused a rush for a late afternoon purchase of designer clothing.

A light aircraft, a banner and a seagull

We thought we had equalised at about 85 minutes, when Liam Dodd found the net, only for the Assistant Referee to flag for a strongly disputed offside.

Liam Dodd

The pharmacologists are nothing if not scientific, and James, who has refereed in the County Premier League, explained in response to this decision that he often judged offside by looking to see who is in an offside position, and listen for the ball being played. The speeds of sound and light came up, which the assembled group did not think would make much of a difference. As I am nothing if not a pedant, I shall look at the point in a future post - there will be sums, and possibly diagrams.

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

Final score: Prescot Cables 0, Ossett Town 1