Bullet points

With Prescot Cables having no further games before the start of the league season - having had two cup games, I can see the point of not going back to friendlies - I looked to the Hallmark Security League or the Emirates FA Cup Extra Preliminary Round for action. I never understood why the FA Cup starts a week earlier this year, but it meant many teams started their season in this competition. As somewhere I had not been, with easy train connections, I chose Alsager Town at home to Barton Town Old Boys.

The hosts started playing in 1968, making them the same age as me, although they had a year or two when they were disbanded before being reformed in 1988-9. I was a student then, so you could say I followed a similar trajectory. They are known as the Bullets after the ammunition factory that has been located near the town since the Second World War. The visitors, meanwhile, could easily have been called Barton Town and Old Boys, as they were formed when two clubs merged to make the best of limited volunteer resources a few years ago.

The ground entrance was a little hard to find, off a residential street. The close suggested by Mr Google's maps backed on to the ground, as I could see the floodlights, but did not provide access. As I tried the next close, I noted the visitors' coach driver had chosen not to watch the game, but to remain in his vehicle and read the paper, so I could ask if he saw which way his passengers had gone. As it was, I had found the way in.

Once inside, the pitch was down some steps, and offered a range of cover on the two sides. I found the ideal spot for the weather conditions: in the shade, with the sun behind me, a nice pillar to lean on and a cooling breeze.

Watching televised games in the 1970s, northern grounds all seemed to have an advert for Mornflake Oats. They still produce oat based comestibles, and their advertising is more colourful than I remember.

Speaking of food, clubs that appear later in the competition have been accused of being a home to the prawn sandwich brigade. We do not hold with such things in these pages, being more particular in our choice of fish.

The strong sunlight proved a challenge, with which View NX2's automatic settings generally coped well. I tried processing some raw files with my choice of settings to see if I could produce a better result, rapidly finding I could not.

I was alongside the half the hosts were attacking, a good place to be as they took a firm grip on the game, scoring after three minutes, and keeping up the pressure to add a second a couple of minutes before half time.

Alsager score their second goal

At half time, the visitors went to the dressing room in the conventional manner, whilst Alsager elected to gather on the pitch in front of me, where the manager's team talk drew a small but attentive audience. I stayed put for the second half: as an occasional visitor with no horse in the race, I saw no need to change my comfortable position.

After Alsager scored early in the second half, the supporters behind me were still apprehensive, losing a three goal lead apparently not being unknown in these parts. They relaxed, however, with a further goal, as no-one could remember throwing away four, even with a consolation goal for the visitors.

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

Final score: Alsager Town 4 Barton Town Old Boys 1