The brightest lights in town

I am not sure if it is an attempt to address the problem (for astronomers and wildlife) of light pollution, but I find the street lights in Lancaster a bit gloomy. That is not a problem at Lancaster City's Giant Axe, where the lights are to National League North standard, 250 lux off the top of my head (more off the top of the head of someone with less hair). Mr Wikipedia tells us that the ground, is neither giant, nor an axe, but once had adjacent tennis courts, a bowling green and four cricket pitches, the land being shaped like an axe head.

Josh Nicholson - 1/250s, f/4.5, ISO9000

Having secured a point against the league leaders at the weekend, we would need as good a performance again to come away with anything against the team in second place and do better than we had on any of my previous visits.

Tom Brocklehurst is watched by the Shed End Ultras' banner - 1/250s, f/5.6, ISO20000

As well as providing a platform, I use online photo sharing to keep an eye on technical skills I might pick up. Most sites show some EXIF data, to give a good idea how a result you like was achieved. One of my Twitter followers whose work catches my eye is Ben, my counterpart at Needham Market. I was looking at what he reported as his first foray into evening games, and found a collection remarkably free of grain. The data shows he was using a Nikon D3300, similar to my D5300, and a similar lens (70-300mm f/4-f/5.6). It revealed how low a shutter speed you can get away with if movement is in the right direction: there were plenty at 1/100s, and a couple at 1/60s, at a nice smooth ISO 3200.

This breaks every rule in the book about picturing sports, but as the only real rule is to make pictures your audience wants to look at, I decided on a trial. I use shutter priority mode at evening games, and maximise shutter speed at the expense of grain. I therefore kept my thumb on the dial, and cut speed when I thought it might work. Lancaster's floodlight pylons are further back from the pitch and the heads angled differently to many other ground, so the touchline is less well illuminated (Jack Phillips commented as he walked to the bench that he thought it was a bit dark), but the best light is in the middle of the pitch rather than the wings.

Choosing and processing the pictures I could not be oblivious to grain, but only looked at the data when I had finished. Surprisingly, only one at 1/160s made it in ...

Sam Staunton Turner - 1/160s, f/5.6, ISO7200

... everything else was at 1/200s and over.

Bram Johnstone - 1/200s, f/5.3, ISO10000

Using the dial whilst keeping more of an eye on the action than the numbers can mean you go higher than you intend, I even got one at 1/400s.

Jacob Jones - 1/400s, f/5, ISO20000

My experiment showed considerably less correlation between ISO and grain than I was expecting. This, if not exactly under laboratory conditions, was under some of the best lights in the division: I have some opportunities coming to see what happens in some more challenging lighting conditions.

As for the game, we were building on the progress made against Brighouse, but with our biggest problem being once again an inability to score. With a strong Lancaster side managing one in each half, this was set to be another good performance without a result.

Travelling home, I did not fancy the tight connection at Wigan, but there was a slightly earlier train that reduced this risk. The advertised train was indeed late, but the Liverpool train waited, leaving 10 minutes late, to the consternation of Paul from our Train Crew and me, as we had our eye on the last bus passing Wavertree Technology Park. However, online travel tools are improving all the time, so I tracked on Realtime Trains as we made up time, and the Arriva Bus app as the bus encountered a delay, allowing us to make our connection with confidence.

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

Final score: Lancaster City 2 Prescot Cables 0.

Ins and outs

Prior to Prescot Cables' game at home to Brighouse Town last week, we had news of a couple of transfers. After Dale Wright's return, another popular former player, Rob McIntosh, rejoined us from Skelmersdale United, the website also reporting that Jonah O'Reilly was going the other way. I would have been tempted to make more of this part of the news (and as I am writing here, I shall). An attraction of playing for Prescot for an ambitious young player is the opportunity to attract the attention of clubs higher up the pyramid, so a player moving up can only reinforce that.

Some of us have been mystified as to why Jonah has not featured much in the team this season, but my first thought in this situation (without taking away from those who have been picked) is what Jack Charlton reports Sir Alf Ramsey as saying when he expressed surprise that he had been picked for England: "I have in mind a pattern I want to play, and I pick the players I think will best fit that pattern, not necessarily the best players on paper".

Andy Paxton identified in his programme notes that consistency comes with experience, and recruiting Dale Wright and Rob McIntosh looks like it is intended to fill that gap. In the meantime, Jonah has the well earned opportunity to play in the next division up, so this blog wishes him all the best for the future.

Jonah O'Reilly

Players moving on often means families and pets moving to their new home. The pets are usually dogs, but I have seen a picture from a Northern League game where someone brought a horse, not as surprising as it sounds, as I have seen with my own eyes a man out walking his horse in County Durham. I shall miss being carefully inspected by this mother and son pair as I arrive on the Gasworks Side.

We had won our F.A.Trophy replay at Ossett Albion in midweek, breaking a run of over a month without a win, but Brighouse were top of the league, so this would be a challenge.

We defended well, including James McCulloch making a superb clearance off the line. This is the sort of thing players naturally like to see captured, and I quite often have to disappoint them, mostly due to other players in the way, and I have usually been following the goalkeeper. Still, aerobatics make for a decent alternative picture.

James McCulloch

Tom Brocklehust was kept busy.

Brighouse's Leon Osbourne takes avoiding action as Tom Brocklehurst gathers the ball

We had a chance shortly before half time, when we were awarded a penalty, with Dale Wright unfortunately finding Brighouse's Tom Taylor, and our being unsuccessful attempting to put away the rebound.

Jack Phillips was celebrating a birthday, and the opposition seemed keen to get to grips with him to offer their best wishes.

Jack Phillips

Rob McIntosh had been named on the bench, so I snapped him warming up at half time in case he was not used. It was as well I did - although he came on about 15 minutes into the second half, I quickly remembered that, due to a combination of his position and his own style of play, the number of decent pictures I was able to get of him last time he was with us fell somewhat short of his contribution to the game.

Rob McIntosh

A solid performance in defence ensured we kept a welcome clean sheet, and picked up a point.

There was welcome news from Winsford, as Danny Flood, on loan to regain match fitness, reported that he had completed his first 90 minutes since being sidelined for the last few months for medical reasons.

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

Final score: Prescot Cables 0 Brighouse Town 0.

Thwarted at the last

We had mixed feelings ahead of Prescot Cables' game at home to Ossett Albion in the Preliminary Round of the Buildbase FA Trophy. We have endured a poor run of form in the league, but anything can happen in a cup, and there were encouraging noises from a friendly game at Skelmersdale United in midweek. We also had a new signing, also from Skelmersdale: Dale Wright, a popular player six or seven years ago before moving onwards and upwards, who has played most recently for Stalybridge Celtic in the National League North.

Dale Wright

We started with a minute's applause for Les Birchall, a long standing supporter who had died suddenly: we were joined by his widow and his son Gareth, a committee member at Padiham FC.

It has been a mild autumn so far, with this being the first afternoon game of the season to which I have worn a coat, but I would not have been uncomfortable without it. The light follows a more predictable course. There was intermittent cloud, but even when the sun was out, it was weaker even than last week. This is the light in which the sports mode on the D5300 comes into its own, increasing ISO once the shutter speed gets to 1/1000s...

Rob Doran - 1/1000s f/4.8 ISO720

... then taking the shutter speed down once it gets to ISO 800...

Bram Johnstone - 1/800s f/5.6 ISO800

... going back to increasing ISO once the speed is down to 1/500s.

Andy Paxton retrieves the ball for Jacob Jones to take a quick throw in - 1/500s f/5.6 ISO900

Whilst we made some good moves towards goal, from the pictures it looked as though we spent a lot of time inside our own half.

We came out with more bite in the second half, and thought we had been rewarded when James McCulloch put the ball in the net. However, the goal was disallowed, we think for a foul on the keeper. I caught a sequence, so readers can decide for themselves, and ponder whether still photography proves very much sometimes.

Ossett's Brett Souter gets a hand to the ball

The ball is now loose

James McCulloch puts it away

James McCulloch celebrates while Brett Souter appeals for a foul

The crucial point is between the first and second pictures - from my recollection and the planted position of James McCulloch's right foot in the second picture I think the ball slipped out of Brett Souter's hand as he tried to gather it in, but I can see how the referee concluded that it was kicked whilst he had control of it.

There was no doubt a few minutes later when Dale Wright marked his return with a goal from the edge of the penalty area.

It was a nervous time for the next few minutes, and it looked as though we had made it, until the visitors scored from a goalmouth scramble half a minute from time to secure the replay.

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

Final score: Prescot Cables 1 (Wright) Ossett Albion 1

Amongst the Hartleys

Some who know me from Surrey may be pleased to know that on visiting Colne, I found the name of Hartley is a distinguished one. Former residents include Sir William Pickles Hartley, who made his fortune by ignoring his name and making jam; and Wallace Hartley, the band leader on the Titanic, who is commemorated by a memorial and, possibly not entirely as a devout Methodist would have wished, a branch of J.D.Wetherspoon. Having arrived well in time for Prescot Cables' game, I caught my first sight of the ground, on top of the next hill.

I took a few pictures around the town, then adjourned for refreshment. I eschewed Mr Hartley's Wetherspoon's in favour of the East Lancashire CAMRA pub of the year, Boyce's Barrel, where a customer's friendly Golden Retriever carefully inspected me on entry before escorting me to the bar.

Approaching the ground, I heard our team being announced. The acoustic from outside was not very good, as I thought I had never heard of half the names. Once inside I saw that, whilst there were changes you would expect trying to arrest a run of heavy defeats, I knew everyone. Antony Shinks returned to the team, having spent the summer working in the United States.

Antony Shinks

I normally identify the opposition by boots and haircuts, so the chap with the red mohican would be easy enough to spot.

Colne's ground has an unusual slope, the side with the dugouts being more or less flat, but the stand side sloping steeply down into one corner.

Ben Cartwright throws in down the slope

This drops sharply beyond the pitch perimeter, with a normal height (about 3'6") fence on the pitch side reaching almost to my chin on the spectator side, almost the right side for a makeshift monopod. Books on sports photography suggest taking as low a position as possible, and the lie of the land provides one. I was happy with the results, directly in front of me ...

Jack Phillips

... and at the other end of the pitch.

James McCulloch

The sun gave the impression of mist at a couple of angles (for those who have seen other pictures, this was not drifting smoke).

Jonah O'Reilly

Colne gained the upper hand after about 15 minutes, when we conceded a goal and a penalty in quick succession. A third was added after half an hour. We have had difficulty at both ends for the last few weeks, with our last goal from open play scored by Joe Nicholson at Scarborough (our goals in the intervening period being from a penalty and an own goal).

Joe Nicholson

Joe's brother Josh broke the drought just before half time.

Josh Nicholson

Club Solicitor Peter Kneale told me the view from the dugout side was worth a look, so I followed legal advice and inspected it at half time.

The hosts restored their advantage early in the second half. Substitutions gave a more attacking formation, although this did not work out, not least as Lloyd Dean was only able to play for about 15 minutes before dislocating his shoulder.

Lloyd Dean

Having used all our substitutes, and therefore down to ten men, it seemed too good to be true not to concede again, with Colne's final goal coming in the last minute of injury time.

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

Final score: Colne 5 Prescot Cables 1 (Josh Nicholson)

Variably focussed

I wondered how well I would see Prescot Cables' game at Ramsbottom United. This was not because of visibility problems at the Harry Williams Riverside Stadium, or an unusually large crowd blocking the view. I had instead succumbed to age by getting my first pair of varifocals, having heard horror stories from people who had not taken to them. I had no problems, but I can see why they are not for everyone: the distortion in peripheral vision was disconcerting the first time I turned my head and found a bus shelter taking a step towards me.

The leg of the journey from Manchester to Bury was on a single, rather crowded, tram. When Manchester United are at home, the line to Old Trafford snaffles everyone else's trams, which is all very well, but there were still plenty in the depot as we passed. Bury is the home of the black pudding, so I stopped at the market for a Chadwick's Original, with the decent sized pieces of fat.

A train from the East Lancashire Railway's diesel gala was passing as I arrived in Ramsbottom, using one of the last manually operated level crossings in the country, now with lights to stop the traffic before the gates are closed.

The Rammy Ultras banner always brings out my inner Finbarr Saunders.

Fnarr, fnarr

In goal for the hosts was Jack Cookson, who, it is fair to say, did not enjoy the best spell of his career with us at the beginning of last season. Unfortunately for us, he is having a bit of a better time at Ramsbottom, although their match report commented on their defensive frailties.

Things were looking up for us when the hosts conceded an own goal after about 15 minutes. This was to be our only score of the game. Whilst I would not entirely agree with the hosts report commenting that this was our only sustained attack of the game, we are currently having a worrying inability to find the net from open play.

There was some flying on display.

James Edgar takes to the air

Ramsbottom scored shortly before half time, and we were lucky that a second effort a couple of minutes later was disallowed for offside.

By this time I was getting used to the change in my eyewear. It matters what part of the lens you look through, so I was learning to move my head rather than my eyes following the ball. It also matters that you have the glasses on straight and in the same position on your nose every time. That has never bothered me before, and as I tend to pull the camera in to my face, unbalancing my glasses, every time I took it away I found myself with different focus in each eye.

The second half looked destined for stalemate, and so it turned out, with both sides successfully holding the other at bay.

Tom Brocklehurst

Rob Doran

I had planned to visit the Irwell Works Brewery before the game, but my stop for blood based comestibles meant I would have had to rush my pint, so I saved it for after the game. On my last visit, the just opened bar had a whiff of new construction, which has happily cleared up with time. The weather was still pleasant enough to sit on the balcony, where the adjacent group, taking a break from the diesel gala, included one chap who thought the trees were taking over. As he was talking about the lineside on the main line railway, he may have had a point.

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

Final score: Ramsbottom United 1 Prescot Cables 1 (og)

Welsh and techie stuff

To alleviate any alarm, I am not taking the opportunity of Prescot Cables' game against Colwyn Bay to create a technical blog in Welsh. My knowledge of the language is limited to stock phrases like "Dim ysmygu", of no use to me as I do not smoke, "Dim parcio", likewise as I do not drive, and North Wales Police's Bobbies on buses scheme, deploying officers to combat crime and anti social behavour on public transport, "Bobbis ar bysys". I am sure that should be "Bobbiau ar bysiau", but we will let that pass. With a relatively uneventful game, I thought I would follow up my comments about file sizes with a couple of examples of the position in the evening.

This was an important game to see how the team recovered from the heavy defeat at the weekend. For a note of pessimism, we were joined by Dr Jon, attending his first game of the season, discussing whether he had ever seen us win a game. Well, they say it is the hope that kills you ...

We looked last time at pictures of play in front of the advertising. I do not get much from this angle at evening games, as I go to the Gasworks Side, so I am standing behind it. However, before I went round, I captured this shot. Saturday's pristine white has been replaced by a darker shade, and there is plenty of grain.

Joe Herbert

We can see the same in this shot of our goal. The inside of the stand looks black at lower resolutions, but at a bigger size we can quickly see the grain.

Tom Brocklehurst

All this makes for a bigger file, and therefore those extra seconds waiting for it to load for processing, adding up over 100 or so images, and working all the way through to the time to upload. The album, with 60 or so pictures, from this game was about 30MB larger than that from Saturday. It is one reason why the pictures from a Tuesday evening game usually only appear on Friday.

James Edgar

For about the first 15 minutes of the game, the team still looked shocked from Saturday, but after that started to put in a much better performance. Unfortunately it was in that 15 minutes that we conceded the only goal of the game, against opponents who were difficult to break down, and a few of whom sounded as though may not have had as far to come as you might expect.

Rob Doran

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

Final score: Prescot Cables 0 Colwyn Bay 1.