I was a saggar maker's bottom knocker

This weekend saw Prescot Cables travel to their second pre season game, at Hanley Town. I was concerned by the hosts' website, as the home page had them playing Alvechurch. The latter, however, were telling the world they were at Squires Gate, so, if the worst came to the worst, Hanley would be wondering where Alvecurch had got to, before deciding to play us as we were there.

Hanley is one of the "five towns" (actually six) of the City of Stoke-on-Trent. I last visited Hanley, on the way to Leek Town about 10 years ago, on a rainy day, so I did not see one of the more attractive aspects - being hilly, as is the countryside around, you can see a green hill at the end of almost every street. It was from the nearby village of Dilhorne that my great-great-great grandfather moved to London as a pottery seller in the 1840s, before meeting his wife and moving to her home at Marsh Green in Kent, a couple of miles from which, in the broad sunlit uplands of Surrey, I took my first steps 120 years later.

Pottery was fired in containers called saggars, the making of which was a skilled trade. Making, or knocking out, the bases was a separate, less skilled, occupation. I am not sure if there was career progression: successful bottom knocking leading to saggar making, eventually being let loose on a teapot. I was unaware of my family history in earthenware when I read a piece with this post's title in the Blue Peter Annual of about 1977, reporting on John Noakes trying the trade as one of his less intrepid exploits.

On the way from the bus, I could have sworn I heard bleating from someone's back garden. Dismissing this thought, I was soon in the ground, with my ancestral village over the hill in the background (a visit having been thwarted by the bus only running on Mondays to Fridays).

There was plenty of newly laid tarmac, suggesting extensive work over the summer. The machinery was still there, so there may be more to do.

Most of the ground behind the new hard standing was bare earth, presumably as a result of the works, but there was still some undisturbed grass for spectators to enjoy.

Jazz McCulloch

A new modular stand had been named after a gentleman who was clearly a significant figure, as their Twitter profile picture was also a tribute to him.

Jacob Jones in front of the Colin Stair Stand

The stand, when it is open, will provide the only fixed cover, although there are plenty of trees to provide shade opposite the stand, with the usual challenges of shadow once the sun came out properly in the second half.

Bram Johnstone

This was our only longer distance pre season trip of the pre season programme, and was another good test, giving most of the squad a good run out on a humid day, With the hosts having scored in the opening minutes, we replied with two.

At the end of the game, I caught one of the frequent buses to Hanley Bus Station, the concrete wind tunnel of my last visit having been replaced with an award winning new structure with information screens telling you the next bus to Stoke-on-Trent Station, rather than the guesswork of the previous layout. On the way home, I stopped in Manchester to give Matt from the Lost Boyos a cheery wave at his leaving do before he goes to work in Slovakia. I had threatened to join him for his last game at Salford City, but I knew that once Prescot had started playing I would be on the road with the team again: I am just not cut out to be a hopper.

Oh, and the bleating I heard earlier? My ears had not deceived me, someone did have a couple of sheep in a back garden - a larger than usual one, but a garden nonetheless.

The rest of the pictures from the game can be seen on the club website here, and on Google Photos here.

Final score: Hanley Town 1 Prescot Cables 2.