It's polyester Jim, but not as we know it

I had commitments in the morning before Prescot Cables' game at Hyde United, so had to set out fairly late. The electric train to Manchester connected nicely with one to Newton for Hyde, which, according to Mr Google's maps is sixteen minutes walk from the ground. This, however, is the way to the main entrance, and there is a shorter route through what Google Earth has as a street, but which felt worryingly like someone's back garden, to a side entrance.

The ground has been upgraded to Conference standard, so has modern conveniences like regulation height metal pitch perimeter barriers, just right for resting my arms without getting concrete dust on my coat. A sense of community is retained by features such as a memorial wall, on which there are a number of plaques commemorating deceased supporters.

Many supporters enjoy the chance to meet the locals.

Richie, our leader in beer and pub choices, and friend

The main feature of the ground is a new 4G pitch. Our team train on such a surface, but this is the first time I have seen a game on one. At least, I think it is, as, when I looked up the difference between 3G and 4G, some sites suggested that the difference was a marketing name, and all the technology was 3G. The surface looked particularly smooth, in better condition than my living room carpet. It was an even green, without any visible black between the blades, and only threw up any rubber infill on sliding tackles, although other descriptions led me to expect no rubber crumb at all.

There seemed to be some spare turf.

We secured an early goal. The home goalkeeper was playing the ball with his feet, and did not see an advancing Lloyd Dean, who successfully dispossessed him. Celebrations started before the ball went in to the net.

This could be counting chickens before they are hatched, we have all seen players miss in that situation, but Lloyd did not err.

I decided to divide my time in this half into three locations, behind the goal on each side, then on the side, near the benches.

James McCulloch

The floodlights came on for the second half, up to which point I had not noticed the unusual combination of a corner arrangement on one side, and a side arrangement on the other, including distinctive pylons on top of the stand.

The quality of the light meant I could do as I did in the first half and move round behind the goal. There did not appear to be any particularly poorly illuminated spots.

Harry Cain, pictured just after half time

Valter Fernandes, near the end of the game

We held out until about 75 minutes, when the hosts scored from a goalmouth scramble. I am not in the habit of showing the opposition's goals in detail, but you have to hand it to their player for getting a leg to Jordan Wynne's clearance.

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

Final score: Hyde United 1 Prescot Cables 1 (Dean)

Goals in the gloaming

After the difficulty with last season's quarter final of the Liverpool Senior Cup, it was a relief to play this year's corresponding fixture against AFC Liverpool at the first attempt. Not that we were sure it would go ahead: it had rained heavily at the weekend, the drizzle in the afternoon was heavier than forecast, and we were advised to keep our tickets in case a late downpour prevented our starting. We were concerned when one of the linesmen looked at the pitch and went to the referee as he was preparing to kick off, but his issue was with the state of his station at the side, which was resolved by the referee and linesmen swapping diagonals.

The drizzle was heavy enough to require me to cover the camera, which I have not had to do for a while, so I was all thumbs for the first few minutes.

Danny Flood

A competitive first half finished with no score, so we adjourned to the warm to discuss the proposals for an extra division at steps 3 and 4, which get a cautious welcome from these pages. I have not worked out whether the seven into four between steps 4 and 3 will continue the southward drift of the Northern Premier League. If implemented, it looks as though we will swap Yorkshire away trips for some decidedly rural journeys to Staffordshire.

In an evenly matched game, there are usually periods where one team has the most of play, the trick being to take full advantage. We did this in a ten minute spell, starting with a goal from James McCulloch on the hour. This coincided with my changing a battery, and was followed by a booking for celebrating with the crowd. Even the AFC Liverpool supporter next to me, who had a mainly partisan assessment of the referee's performance, felt compelled to denounce his jobsworthery. I had little more luck capturing the next two goals, from James Edgar and Dominic Reid, although I at least caught the celebration for the last.

Dominic Reid celebrates his goal

We were by now in weather best described as sideways drizzle (a northern thing, like fog, only wetter).

Bram Johnstone

Josh Dolling completed the scoring ten minutes from time.

Josh Dolling

With a good performance from the whole team, it was difficult to choose the Rogues and Rascals Barbershop man of the match (on which I always decline to offer an opinion), with the award going to Jordan Wynne.

Jordan Wynne

As a note to self - I must find a box to stand the Rogues and Rascals board on for the presentation, we have only a couple of players who are not too tall for it if we just stand it on a table. As a note to everyone else - Wynne does have an e, I asked him!

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 4 (McCulloch, Edgar, Reid, Dolling) AFC Liverpool 0.

Did you get the goal?

Prescot Cables' game against Ossett Albion was preceded by a minute's applause for Dennis Bellairs, who had been volunteering for the club for the best part of 50 years, and who died before Christmas. The simplest way to describe his activity was to say he did whatever needed doing: ranging from organising working parties for ground maintenance, through managing the kit, to serving in a number of board positions, including club secretary.

James McCulloch carrying the floral tribute to Dennis Bellairs

Dennis was photographing for the club when I started, and there are examples of his work on display in the board room. Unlike those of us who have only worked in digital, he understood the economy of film: looking for one or two images in a game, he developed an eye for a goal. Knowing I have not always managed to emulate that, he often asked at half time, "Did you get the goal?". He had a wicked sense of humour, and was not above asking the question when there had been no goals, enjoying my slightly confused look - asking just often enough to get me every time.

I had arrived early, to take pictures of the newer players for the website. Some were in their red training tops, rather than the black and yellow, but Dennis warned me when I first took the team photo that if I could get the players to stand still for long enough to take their pictures, I should regard it as a result.

Valter Fernandes

I captured everyone who had played already, but missed one new starter.

James Doyle

The same problem of getting everyone standing still comes with the mascots (today from Belle Valle JFC Under 8s, coached by Andy Scarisbrick) lining up with the players for the handshakes before the game. I aim to provide a souvenir photo for the children and their parents. The last players are often still lining up as the first is shaking hands with the referee.

Andy Scarisbrick

This was a game we needed to win - whilst it is good to surprise top teams by depriving them of what some may have thought was an easy win, league survival will come from doing better against the teams around us than they do against us. I did not have to wait long for a goal, with Chris Almond scoring after five minutes.

We put the game to bed in the few minutes before half time, starting with a goal from Dominic Marie.

When I uploaded to Google Photos, I spotted an issue with sorting - when two pictures have the same timestamp (in whole seconds), it displays them in the order they were uploaded. This is the opposite to that in which you select them, so the sequence above was displayed with the second and third pictures the wrong way round.

Another goal from Chris Almond, taking advantage of Ossett's Brett Souter dropping the ball on the edge of the penalty area, ...

Chris Almond watches his shot go past a stranded Brett Souter

... and another from Dominic Marie made for a decisive finish to the half.

The second half was more evenly matched, but we were still looking for goals, and, with the league as tight as it is, the more we score the better.

Taking the player pictures before the game, I had to ask one for his name (whatever happened to being introduced?). If there is one thing that helps me to remember, it is a goal, and Dominic Reid duly obliged.

Dominic Reid

Some visitors were already thinking of being back home in the warm in Yorkshire.

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

There are also video highlights here. in a new venture from the league website. The limited training provided meant Glyn the camera operator was going live on his first attempt - when I started taking pictures, I took at least 6 months before I let the results loose on the public.

Final score: Prescot Cables 5 (Almond 2, Marie 2, Reid) Ossett Albion 0

Head for the Hill-Woods

There is often talk in English football of how we need a winter break. Those of us in the non League game know we usually have one, you just cannot predict when it will be. Prescot Cables' game at home to Burscough on the New Year bank holiday fell to a frozen pitch. About 90% of it looked fine in the pictures I saw, but one corner does not get the sun, and, if it has frozen overnight, air temperature is not usually enough to thaw it. Having not seen the game at Bamber Bridge on Boxing Day, it was three weeks since I had seen Cables play.

A lot can happen in that time, and three more players moved on, Rob Doran to Colwyn Bay, Michael Simpson returning to Runcorn Linnets, and Joe Nicholson joining his brother Josh in returning to Skelmersdale United, and also registering with Ashton Town in the Hallmark Security League. This blog wishes them all the best in their future endeavours.

Joe Nicholson

In the other direction, Marcus Burgess rejoins us in goal ...

Marcus Burgess

... Chris Almond joins us from Skelmersdale United ...

Chris Almond

... and Harry Cain from Altrincham.

Harry Cain is tracked by Pitchero's new video technology

Glossop North End's Twitter feed reported that another familiar face would be at the game, as Jonah O'Reilly had moved from Skelmersdale to our hosts. Jonah's father, a former regular on the Gasworks Side, was watching, although his dogs had wisely stayed at home in the warm.

Jonah O'Reilly

This was our Train Crew's first organised trip for a while, and Dr Phil and I joined Richie, our leader in beer and pub choices, in the Piccadilly Tap. We collected Phil's friend David, who was born in Glossop, where his grandfather had been the local undertaker. When we arrived in Glossop, I was about to point out the ground by reference to its neighbouring landmark (or blot on the landscape), but the large chimney has been demolished to make way for housing.

More supporters joined us in the Star, but I eschewed the chance to move with them to the Friendship Inn, preferring to read the paper before getting to the ground in time for a pie. Mettrick's pies are some of the best in the league, and have been sold at at the FA Cup Final, presumably due to the connection between Glossop and Arsenal through the Hill-Wood family. The pastry, unlike some, does not need a chisel to break the crust, and with commendable attention to detail, the hosts supply a spork, so you do not miss out on any gravy.

I am not sure whether the day was properly called foggy or misty, as different forecasters use different visibility criteria to distinguish them (at least on land, it is internationally agreed at sea). We could not see the hills, but there was no issue seeing the football. The hosts are in the playoff positions, and presented a strong challenge, despite losing two players to injury in the first few minutes, and were 2-0 up at half time.

For the second half, we were playing towards the former chimney end. As it was dark enough to have the floodlights on from the start, and they are in a side arrangement, I would not get much from the covered standing at the end, and would be better under a pylon. The pylon at that end is in front of the stand, the next is between the dugouts, so I found myself alongside our own half.

Danny Flood

The hosts scored a third shortly after the restart.

With Dominic Marie following up the form that won him the Warrington Motors Player of the Month award for December by scoring in this game, I was trying to get a decent picture where he was both recognisable and in action, but it can be pot luck with the light at this time of year.

Dominic Marie

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

Final score: Glossop North End 3 Prescot Cables 1 (Marie)

The 63 derby

Due to Boxing Day's limited public transport, I was unable to attend Prescot Cables' game at Bamber Bridge, so I went to a local game instead. Bootle v AFC Liverpool looked easy enough to get to, with Merseyrail running a service.

It has become common to refer to derby games by a mode of transport that connects the clubs. There is a bus between today's opponents, which I discovered earlier in the season watching Bootle play Barnton. In a senior moment, thought AFC Liverpool were playing, and turned up to find College Road unexpectedly dark. Fortunately, Traveline suggested the 63, just as one hove into view, so I only missed the first few minutes. Not that it would have helped on this occasion, as it was participating in the Boxing Day transport obliteration, but I would have been able to watch Marine, in the M58 derby against Skelmersdale United.

I had not planned to take pictures, but as it was the first bright, clear match day for over a month, I decided to treat myself to some decent light.

Jack Leamey

I met Dr James getting off the train: as the walk was a couple of minutes longer than we needed to be on time, we missed AFC Liverpool's first goal. I noticed when it was 3pm, and heard a cheer about half a minute later. As the golden goal competition had 4 minutes, the referee had started early.

When names matter for captions, I like to get a quick picture to match boots and haircuts to numbers. I often say I have trouble recognising players when they have had their hair cut, and, positioning myself at the Dodge Kop end Bootle were attacking, I did not spot the hosts' goal was being kept by a friend of these pages, Ben Morrow.

Ben Morrow

The visitors kept up the pressure, scoring a few minutes before half time to add to the goal we had missed on the way.

Emini Adegbenro

The second half looked to be going the same way, but after AFC Liverpool's third goal, Bootle made two substitutions and changed formation. This was almost immediately effective, with two goals in the next ten minutes.

Although the sun had set, there was still some natural light to assist the floodlights.

Josh Hamilton

Time looked to be ebbing away for the hosts to claim a result until Jack McGowan made the scores level with five minutes of normal time to go. With the momentum now firmly with the home side, the visitors were keen to run down the clock, and the home bench keen to ensure that all stoppages were added. Ryan Cox finally secured the result near the end of injury time.

Ryan Cox

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

Final score: Bootle 4 AFC Liverpool 3