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)