Following St Swithun

A couple of Wednesdays ago was St Swithun's Day. In East Grinstead, the main parish church was dedicated to the saint, so we took an interest in the legend that we will enjoy, or otherwise, the weather on his feast for the next forty days. Naturally, about three days later, the weather changed and we forgot about it for another year. The weather here has been fairly dry, so, at Prescot Cables' first home pre season game against St Helens Town, the pitch was looking in need of a couple of days' steady rain.

St Swithun's Day also marked the eightieth birthday of stalwart Cables supporter Harry Thomas.

Harry prepares his team talk

Congratulations are also due to my friend Luke, who was awarded his PhD over the summer. I was pleased to see Dr Luke and Dr James immaculately attired for their graduation: suits (not shirt sleeves) under the robes, polished shoes, and ties covering the top button, just like everyone turned out when I graduated (just a Bachelor's) in ... er ... the year before Luke was born. I expected nothing less: as a referee, Dr James is aware there is a point on the assessment for turning up with the correct equipment.

I do not usually cover two games in one post, but this is pre season, and both were at home, so ...

We have been in competition with St Helens Town since they were re-founded after the Second World War, and they played at their ground in the shadow of Bold Power Station, and we played there for a season whilst Prescot Panthers took over our ground. Sadly, it was then their turn to fall into the clutches of the professionals, and they now ground share at Ashton Athletic.

We all know the referee tosses a coin, and the winner usually chooses an end, but who gets to call? On this occasion the duty goes to the captain with the bushier beard.

There had been a good turnout of returning players in midweek, and most were also available for this fixture.

Danny Flood

The game at Runcorn had felt like something of a training exercise, but this time honour was at stake, so the balance of pictures between "profile picture" shots and action in competition for the ball was back to normal.

Paul Cliff holds off the opposition

The game was a good workout for the team, with league position proving decisive in the final result.

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

Final score: Prescot Cables 3 St Helens Town 1.

For the game last Tuesday hosting Skelmersdale United, the weather forecast had been changeable. The evening turned out dry, but the darkest of the cloud settled over the ground - oddly with lighter conditions visible in most directions - which did not help with shutter speeds.

James Edgar

The sun broke through in patches towards the end of the first half.

Neil Prince

I wondered why the Skelmersdale substitutes were wearing red. The reason became apparent at half time, as the visitors fielded a separate team in each half. They have the strength in depth to do so - players who have gone to Skelmersdale in the past have sometimes found it is not a pathway to a guaranteed first team place..

The visitors' first half team had finished one goal up after a missed communication led to an own goal - something you prefer to happen now than in the first game of the season. Our best opportunity of the second half came as I was walking round to my usual position, with Liam Hollett putting Jonah O'Reilly's free kick just wide.

Liam Hollett

At this time of year, sunset is at about the end of the game, which with the right conditions can mean we can use natural light almost to the end. With the cloud cover, this was not one of those occasions, with the floodlights switched on at half time.

Ben Greenop

This was an encouraging performance against a team a division above, with our holding out for most of the half, until conceding from a free kick a minute or two from the end.

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

Final score: Prescot Cables 0 Skelmersdale United 2

Coming in to land

Prescot Cables' first game of pre season was at Runcorn Town, who play at the Pavilions, although there seemed to be just the one pavilion, an impressive structure.

I consulted Mr Google's maps to plan a route, about 20 minutes from the station. Looking at the Ordnance Survey map later, I realised that navigation apps identify the shortest horizontal route, but have nothing about vertical distance, something that may be of interest on foot. The recommended route was also the best in that regard, had I taken the second route on offer, I would have walked up one side of a hill and down the other. Passing a car park on the way, a group of bikers were relaxing around a trailer advertising itself as a mobile tattoo and piercing studio, but which seemed to be moonlighting by serving light refreshments in the evening.

Seeing the first evidence of a football pitch from the road, I wondered whether they would finish marking the pitch before the players had finished warming up.

I am not sure why this pitch had been abandoned, but there is a new ground behind the pavilion.

On arrival, I joined Jack Phillips and his brother Anthony (who Jack had persuaded to come along with the promise there are always loads of goals in pre season). Jack is currently training with Accrington Stanley, a well deserved opportunity, whether in the shape of a professional contract now, or keeping his name in the minds of professional clubs to keep watching him as he continues to develop.

In the meantime, there were other distractions. The ground is four or five miles from Liverpool Airport under the main easterly flight path. Having grown up three or four miles further from Gatwick, and had the famously noisy BAC 1-11 flying overhead since I was in my pram, I found it amusing when friends from not under the flight path would look up with an air of concern every five minutes as an aircraft thundered overhead. These happy times were recalled when it transpired Jack does exactly the same thing.

The main attraction of these games is to see who has returned from last season's team (non contract players are free agents until they sign registration forms) and to see if we recognise anyone trying out. For a midweek game at this time of year, we had a decent turnout, with about half the starting lineup having been with us at the end of last season.

James McCulloch

A few were trying out from the Reserves.

Sam Gifford

Also from last year's Reserves (and a couple of first team appearances), stepping up a league with the hosts, was Jack Hont.

Jack Hont

Pre season games enable us to get back into our physical routines. Even for lighter activities like photography, coordination becomes rusty when you have not done it for a few weeks. In your forties, the lens in the eye become less flexible. I am not sure whether, using a SLR camera, the eye is focusing at distance on the subject or close up on the prism on which it is projected. Either way, my eye muscles seemed to be out of practice, as I was not completely sure I was in focus for the first five minutes or so, after which everything felt normal, i.e. I could see perfectly through the viewfinder, but I did not stand a chance with the screen without taking my glasses off.

Representing the Train Crew, I was distracted by unloading operations at the chemical works next door. It was not until half time I could identify whether they had a mobile crane, or if the train was moving slowly forwards.

For the second half, I sat in the stand along one side of the pitch. The sun was out by now, with plenty of shadows cast by the stand and the trees behind it.

Joe Evans

Both teams seemed keen to play a game based on keeping possession, which meant I had more individual pictures of players than usual - the sort that have "profile picture" written all over them. Having said that, I tend to crop these pictures closely in portrait format, when I should probably be making them square.

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

Final score: Runcorn Town 2 Prescot Cables 0.