A birthday win

Prescot Cables' game away to Mossley coincided with Dr Phil being back in the country for his 30th birthday. A number of us took our traditional 10:22 to the Station Buffet in Stalybridge. A couple of our party decided the queue looked a bit long, and led us to seek refreshment elsewhere. I was not entirely happy, as I had been looking forward to the selection in the buffet, but, it transpired, this was the only establishment in town that was open before midday.

On our return, we took advantage of the pleasant weather in the outdoor drinking area, the platform now being out of bounds for safety reasons, and awaited those who were coming on other trains. A couple of years ago, pubs on the Rail Ale Trail took measures to avoid being a major destination for stag parties, with some success, as the other customers seemed mainly to be real ale drinking supporters of FC United of Manchester and Stalybridge on the way to their game.

Unusually, there was a cider at less than 4%, so I had an Orchard Pig Marmalade Cider, a pleasant product, with the marmalade not overpowering the apples, although a bit rich for more than one in a session. Once in Mossley, after a more traditional beer in the Commercial, it was time to climb to the ground, a trap for the unwary: one turning looks as though it is not going anywhere, so it is easy to go in the wrong direction. I have done this in the dark, and have now done so in daylight with ten people following me.

Our Dutch friend Thom was with us: he has nearly finished his research in Liverpool, so will return to Nijmegen (and rejoin Dr Luke) thinking football at this level is played clinging to the side of a hill.

We have been fortunate with the weather in Mossley over the last few years, and it was again bright and sunny. We started playing into the sun.

Andy Paxton and Andy Harper

The supporters were in good spirits. Some spectators' attention wandered, being interested in Shane Glean on the wing...

... but less so by a Jonah O'Reilly free kick.

At the risk of sounding like a food and drink post, I was most satisfied with the chips and gravy from the tea bar at half time. In some places the gravy has an at best tenuous connection with meat, but Mossley's left the diner in no doubt, having tasty little bits of lamb floating in it.

This has not been a good hunting ground in the last few seasons, and it looked as though it may be the case again with a good performance not leading to goals. We had maintained a clean sheet, so a point was looking a distinct possibility.

In the 84th minute, Lloyd Dean, in his first game back from Clitheroe, struck for goal.

Lloyd Dean

I was by the side of the pitch, which is usually a good position to capture a goal. I did not get anything on this occasion, but I was in good place to capture the celebrations from the players and supporters.

After the goal we lived dangerously, allowing Mossley to break a bit too often, and looking as though we might come away with just the one point. However, some good saves and good work in defence ensured we kept our lead.

Marcus Burgess

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

Final score: Mossley 0 Prescot Cables 1 (Dean)

Someone else scores some goals

Towards the end of Prescot Cables' game away to New Mills, I thought I might be in what would be a most unfortunate position position if I were just there to take pictures. There had been eight goals, and I was unsure I had a decent picture of any of them. However I was there to support the club, so there was a compensation: we scored seven, which always makes for a pleasant afternoon.

The first goal came from Phil Bannister, which was a relief as it was our first goal this season not to have been scored by Rob Doran. Not that I have any objection to Rob's goals, they are always welcome, and greeted with his trademark inscrutable demeanour. However, you cannot rely on one player to score everything. Rob had no intention of being absent from the score sheet, putting away one of his own a few minutes later.

We had the advantage of the slope in the first half, although that can be a mixed blessing: the hosts are quite good at sending the ball uphill and letting visitors tire themselves out chasing after it. In the circumstances, I felt it would have been a probably decisive advantage to have a third goal before half time. We achieved this when Rob Doran was fouled on the edge of the area, the referee played advantage and Phil Bannister duly obliged, and, as it turned out, I had a photo.

Phil Bannister shoots for goal as the referee indicates advantage

Playing uphill in the second half, we continued to attack with a second goal from Rob Doran after five minutes. In this situation where I have a picture of a player on the run that led to a goal, but not anywhere near the point of dispatching the ball to the net, I find the phrase "sets off for goal" quite handy.

Rob Doran sets off for his second goal

Just as Rob scored, it started to rain. One speaks of rain being of biblical proportions. although one cannot be entirely sure how hard it rained for Noah. This rain sent everyone scuttling for cover, but the duration was less than biblical by about 39 days 23 hours and 55 minutes.

Andy Harper

The hosts scored a consolation goal a few minutes later, although there looked to be little prospect of its affecting the result. Thus matters remained for about half an hour until a goalmouth scramble in which the New Mills keeper made a couple of saves before James McCulloch slipped the ball underneath him, and I managed to get a picture.

A further goal came a minute from time when Danny Flood put in a pass which perfectly found the advancing Joe Evans.

Danny Flood

The final goal came from a Joe Evans corner in injury time.

Joe Evans

The goal was attributed in the record as an own goal from New Mills' Jordan Cooper; however, I have looked at my own photograph...

... and the video from @owy67, taken from the opposite side, and cannot entirely make up my mind whether it was an own goal or was scored by our own George Mannion, but I am tending towards the latter.

This was a morale boosting performance that attracted a fair amount of attention, including being the non League Team of the Day on the BBC Radio 5 Live 606 programme.

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

Final score: New Mills 1 Prescot Cables 7 (Bannister 2, Doran 2, McCulloch, Evans, Mannion)

Dropped points

Last Tuesday saw Prescot Cables at home to Radcliffe Borough. Realistically, the visitors are one of the six or seven clubs with whom we are competing to avoid relegation. They had made a similarly slow start to the season, having yet to gain a point, so the game was an opportunity for our new management to pull ahead of our rivals.

The spectators were joined by two of our players who have moved onwards and upwards, Jack Phillips of Accrington Stanley, and Connor McCarthy, now at Southport. It is always good to see players like Jack and Connor when their clubs do not have a game, as they remind able and ambitious players that a good way to be spotted is to play well at our level.

This was the first opportunity to see how the new kit came out under the floodlights. Sunset was at around kick off time, so for the first few minutes, the lights were supplementing the remaining natural light. I took up position for a short time behind the goal...

Joe Nicholson

... before moving to my usual evening vantage point on the gasworks side.

Joe Herbert

The visitors were in red and black stripes, which did not look as though it would reflect much light. A dark back can have the disadvantage that player accidentally direct passes to the referee: Radcliffe avoid this by having a large white number, stripes on the lower back, and red shorts.

Marcus Burgess makes his second headed clearance in as many games

As I have agreed to contribute photographs to TheNonLeague magazine (not many from evening games unless the editor spots something of interest in the public collection, most of my night photos are a bit too grainy for print), I need to pay attention to opposition players' names. All Radcliffe's players are called Stewart Fell.

As in the Scarborough game, an early goal left us with an uphill task particularly without the injured Rob Doran.

There were more new faces, with Tom Ince starting ...

Tom Ince

... and Sam Staunton-Turner coming on from the bench to replace the injured Joe Herbert.

Sam Staunton-Turner

Unfortunately, Joe was injured near the half way line and slightly closer to the touchline on the gasworks side, so had a long walk round half the pitch to the changing rooms, even though it was plain when he got up after treatment that he would be playing no further part in proceedings.

After a lacklustre first half, we performed better in the second, but were unable to convert this into goals. In the short term, the result hands an advantage to Radcliffe as they pushed us back into the bottom two, but it is early in the season, and the week reminded us we will probably drop points we might have hoped to gain, and pick up others where we were not expecting them.

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

Final score: Prescot Cables 0 Radcliffe Borough 1

Herding cats and repelling seagulls

Before Prescot Cables' home game against Scarborough Athletic, I had been prevailed upon to take a team photograph. In the game, action happens in front of you, you point the round thing on the front of the camera in the right direction and keep pressing the button on the top. Provided you get everything you want in frame, and you are not trying to produce an arty A2 print, the computer is your friend when it comes to cropping. For the team photo, you need to direct the team to where you want them, normally the manager's problem.

The players gather for the photo

You think everything looks symmetrical, then a couple of people join from one side. Add to that it was a sunny day, and I was having bother getting the flash to work (spending my photography time on activities where flash is unwelcome, I forget even the basics). With the assistance of Mr Photoshop sorting out the lighting, I think I produced a presentable result.

The end result

I also did head and shoulders pictures of the players and management, the first time we have done these for the website. 

Andy Paxton

Whilst the players went to warm up, I fortified myself with a Whiter Shade of Pale, from the Melwood Beer Company, and a pie from the tea bar. There is money to be made in some sort of contraption to contain a portion of food and a disposable glass without the need to put the pint down every time you want to pick up the pie.

We were wearing our new kit for the first time. Puma used the ground in the summer for a photoshoot with Mario Balotelli, and the club elected to receive payment in kind. Our colour is amber, which has covered a range of shades over the years: my friend Roger, who first brought me to Cables, reminded me that when I started watching in 1991, it was a pale yellow. This is the orange end of the spectrum, and shows up well in sunlight.

Phil Bannister

For players who like to wear an undershirt, I am not sure about the availability of these in orange, and the trim is probably not enough to make black acceptable to a picky referee.

There were some new faces, some of whom I am fairly sure had not been there an hour and a half earlier. Things move quickly these days.

Ryan Stewart

Warren Bellew

After the good performance at Glossop, which was not quite enough to secure a result, we were hoping to go one better this week. An early goal from the visitors put us on the back foot, but parity was restored before half time by Rob Doran, still our only goal scorer for the season.

Rob Doran

The second half saw some determined pressure from the visitors who, up to this point had a 100% league record. Keeper Marcus Burgess, on loan from Salford, made some good saves, and from the visual point of view made them wearing smart plain black boots. As a traditionalist I approve, although it might make life more difficult if outfield players started doing it, as comparing boots is a handy way to match numbers on backs with the fronts that make it in to the pictures.

Marcus Burgess

After the game, I was contacted by TheNonLeague magazine for permission to use my photos of Marcus Burgess and invite me to become become a contributor, so I will have to pay more attention to the names of opposition players (numbers on the front of shirts, you know they make sense). Not that I needed to do so on this occasion: Scarborough is outside the magazine's catchment area.

A successful second half meant we were able to secure our first point of the season, and were not without chances to take all three points.

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

Final score: Prescot Cables 1 (Doran) Scarborough Athletic 1

Jack drinks his milk

These days, you need to drink your milk to be good enough to play for Accrington Stanley.

After Prescot Cables' game at Clitheroe, I did something I have not done before. Seeing the scores from the Football League, I paused and waited for the Accrington Stanley result, for a reason new to me, I knew one of the players.

Cables player Jack Phillips, who earned a clean sweep of the player of the year awards last season, had signed a short term contract with Accrington the previous day. He is not the first Cables player I have seen go to the Football League: Carl Baker is at MK Dons and Mark Duffy at Burton Albion, although they both went via Southport. Nor is he the first player I have photographed to do so: Erhun Öztümer and Danny Carr from Dulwich Hamlet spring to mind, but you do not make much connection with a player you see four or five times a season. Jack is the first player I have followed for a full season (even if I missed the wet Monday evening at Harrogate Railway Athletic) to progress, and the first from Prescot to move directly for many years.

At the first pre season game last year, I snapped the substitutes warming up. One struck me with not much more than his apparent youth. It was only a couple of games before I noticed he was regularly in my photos, often outwitting a bigger player.

Pre season against Charnock Richard

Three or four games in, I was looking out for the name of Jack Phillips on the team sheet.

Starting the season against Ossett Albion

In the FA Cup against FC United of Manchester

Step forward a year, to the first pre season game at Runcorn Town, and it was good to see Jack as a spectator. By now he was training with Accrington, and it would have been easy to concentrate on that and leave us to our own devices, but he came to watch about half the games.

Jack came to us from Wigan Athletic, about to cease to be eligible for their under 21 team, a birthday that was a surprise to many, who thought he was a lot younger. Many players leaving academies are lost to the game - Jack approached us after not hearing from anyone. A player released by a semi professional club will attract interest. Players leaving academies often need to to find their own club, at the same time as finding a new job or course of study. I suspect you have to be fairly determined to stay in the game to carry on playing. Many will decide it is time for something different, but it would be easy enough for academies to circulate the names of leavers interested in continuing to play to local clubs at steps 1-4.

There are plenty of players, Jack among them, who have the skill to play in the Football League, but, at 21, are not ready physically - take another look at that first photo, and compare it with this from the end of the season.

The last game at home against Brighoouse Town

Both Carl Baker and Mark Duffy turned fully professional at 23 or 24, and I thought Jack would be likely to do the same. However, Stanley manager John Coleman, as well as having long experience of the game at our level, was Jack's teacher at primary school. Much will have changed in his footballing ability in that time, but he will have known of his character. Given that I come away with a positive feeling from even a brief exchange of pleasantries with Jack, I suspect we will miss that as much as his ability on the field.

Celebrating a point saving goal against New Mills

Keeping the Yorkshirepersons at bay against Farsley

This week, Jack made his first team début for Accrington, coming on from the bench and contributing to their goal in the Capital One Cup against Bury. This blog extends its best wishes to Jack for his future success.

Up Ended

For those whose interest in the FA Cup extends only to the Preliminary Rounds, there are things we look for in the draw. Aside from a winnable home tie, an away game should provide a good day out, and be somewhere we would not normally visit. Glossop North End answers the first requirement, being nestled in the Peak District, and in any of the last ten years would have answered the second, except that this year they joined us in the league, so we played them at home last week, and will be visiting again later in the season.

A small but select group from our Train Crew travelled on our traditional 10.22. On arrival in Glossop, the other members of the party had some local hostelries they wanted to try. I went for a walk in the hills, so stayed on the train to Hadfield, and took a circular route taking in the old Woodhead railway route and two of the Longendale reservoirs, rejoining the away support in the excellent Star a couple of hours later.

The ground is one of the more picturesque in the division - provided you keep the chimney out of view, although it helps you see where the ground is from miles around.

This was the first match in charge for Andy Paxton.

Having started the season with three poor performances, there was a feeling that some of the new players were not as good as those who finished last season. Whilst that may be the case for some, of whom we may not be seeing much more, others were potentially good players who had not been seen to their best advantage.

There was just one completely new face in the starting XI.

Josh Nicholson (foreground)

This picture allows us to play "FA Cup spot the difference". Most clubs at our level have a kit suitable for league games, i.e. a starting XI plus five substitutes. In the Cup we can name seven, so it is not uncommon for one or two players' kits to be colour matched, but slightly different in detail. Comparing Josh with Shane Glean in the background, we can see Josh has drawn the slightly different shorts and socks.

Team captain James McCulloch was back from holiday, a welcome return for his leadership and organisational ability on the field.

James McCulloch

We started well, with a goal from Rob Doran ...

Rob Doran lines up his successful free kick

... and held on to our lead for the first half with a disciplined team performance.

At half time it was time for food, in the shape of the local Mettrick's pies. Richie, our leader in beer and pub choices, visited last season, and reported that Mettrick's shop had a banner indicating their pies had been sold at last season's FA Cup final, possibly because of the Hill-Wood family's connections with Glossop North End and Arsenal, or because the pies have won several awards. Either way, I suspect they were sold at Wembley for a somewhat higher price than the reasonable £2 (including peas and gravy) at Surrey Street.

The hosts better organised start to the season started to show in the second half.

Joe Herbert in defence

Some were keeping tight hold of the ball.

Jazz takes a rest

Unfortunately we could not keep the lead until the end, with the equaliser coming in the 89th minute, and the winning goal for Glossop from former Cables player Jamie Rainford in injury time.

Obviously it was disappointing to lose having led all game, and the prize money would have been handy for club funds but there were positives to take. The team played as one, and some of those who looked lacklustre in the previous three games gave a much better performance under the new management.

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

Final score: Glossop North End 2 Prescot Cables 1 (Doran).