Doing things in style

Danny Blanchflower once said, "The game is about glory. It's about doing things in style...". That should be the case when you are at the top of the table, but safety from relegation does not often come in the same way, at least if you avoid taking it to the last day of the season. It is not the angel with the flaming sword blocking the path of Balaam, rather a ripple round the ether from someone scanning Ossett Albion's Twitter feed on a wet Tuesday evening in April and finding that their late goal means their visitors cannot now catch us.

However, every now and again ...

Having secured a surprising three points against playoff chasing Glossop North End at the weekend, one point in our Tuesday evening game against the league leaders, Lancaster City, would make us safe for practical purposes. Mathematical certainty would need a second point, but Goole would be unable to catch our goal difference by any reasonably predictable run of results. Having said that, with the way results have been going this year, I would not rule anything out as impossible.

Being in the last couple of weeks of the season, we started with reasonable daylight, and exposures to match.

Josh Dolling 1/500s f/5.6 300mm ISO2800 7.53pm

With sunset half way through the first half, I was soon notching up the ISO settings.

Dale Wright 1/320s f/5.3 195mm ISO5000 8.05pm

Both sides were trying to break the deadlock with a marked lack of success. The video highlights list seven misses in the half, four for us and three for Lancaster - and that is just those Glyn the camera operator felt were close enough to be worth uploading a clip, there were plenty more for both sides.

By the start of the second half, the light was that of a standard night game.

James Edgar 1/320s f/4.8 125mm ISO20000 8.51pm

Dominic Marie broke the deadlock five minutes in (this is not a picture of the goal: that was from the other side of the penalty area, too far away to catch).

Dominic Marie

There was some confusion over who scored the second. Glyn, who has less than ten seconds to select a player and upload, credited it to Andy Scarisbrick.

Andy Scarisbrick

Looking through the stills, I thought it was Josef Faux, whilst the official record (assuming the League website corresponds to the official record) has it as an own goal.

Josef Faux celebrates as Lancaster retrieve the ball from the net

A determined effort from Lancaster could not break down our defence, and it became apparent we were going to secure safety in style, with our own result at home.

Staying up

Soundings for the Rogues and Rascals Barbershop Man of the Match did not produce the usual consensus, with everyone getting a mention. I avoid expressing an opinion, as my view is constrained by a small window (that and having acquired startlingly little footballing knowledge in 25 years), but I was pleased to see the award go to Danny Flood, who has performed well in between not having the best of luck with injuries all season. Having the winner fit the board was of limited use when Company Secretary Peter Kneale was too tall for it, and it helps to remember to set the ISO setting back to Auto when you come indoors if you do not want the resulting photo to look a bit grainy.

Danny Flood

To finish that Danny Blanchflower quotation, "it's about going out and beating the other lot, not waiting for them to die of boredom."

Job done.

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

Final score: Prescot Cables 2 (Marie, og) Lancaster City 0.

A surprising win

I approached Prescot Cables' game at home to Glossop North End hoping for a point. We had been steadily amassing what we needed to avoid relegation, mainly one at a time. Our home form has been good, although we have drawn some games we were in a position to win. The visitors were third in the league, but we have always been able to spring a surprise on teams near the top of the table. A point would mean that that for Goole to catch us, as well as winning two of their remaining four games, goal difference meant they would need to draw a third, in addition to anything we were able to to.

It was a bright, sunny afternoon, with plenty of light, but also shadows to deal with.

Marcus Burgess

I still had a point very much in mind when Chris Almond opened the scoring after seven minutes.

Chris Almond celebrates his first goal

Lloyd Dean added to the tally after about half an hour. There was still no indication of what was to come, with the visitors scoring just before the end to make for an unremarkable 2-1 half time score. Glossop were in third place for a reason, but we were looking more hopeful for that point.

Lloyd Dean scored a second a few minutes into the second half to restore our advantage.

Lloyd Dean shoots for his second goal

Shortly afterwards, we revised our expectations upwards, when Chris Almond scored twice in quick succession for his hat trick. Josh Dolling added to the scoring a couple of minutes later to complete a perfect fifteen minutes.

Josh Dolling

With a win now realistically secure, there were two more goals: a consolation for the visitors, and another from Josh Dolling, who has steadily improved since he joined us, and is seeing the rewards in goals.

The Rogues and Rascals Barbershop Man of the Match is usually chosen by informal soundings in the bar after the game. There is one essential proviso - you need to still be on the premises for the announcement and photo: the sponsors are paying us to promote them after all. A hat trick will put you at the top of most people's minds, so we made sure Chris Almond was still around to receive his award.

Meanwhile, in the more formal voting on the website, Dale Wright secured the award for the Warrington Motors Player of the Month for March.

Having secured three points, not only did we ensure Goole now needed three wins from their last four games, but also that Mossley replaced us in their sights, as we went up a place on goal difference. Unfortunately, we did not do Glossop's playoff chances any good, although, being purely selfish, it increased the chance we would be enjoying their rather decent pies again next season.

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 7 (Almond 3, Dean 2, Dolling 2) Glossop North End 2.

Greeting old friends

Prescot Cables' game at home to Burscough was something of a reunion, with a number of our former players - Ben Morrow, Jonah O'Reilly, Phil Bannister, Josh Nicholson and Rob Doran - appearing for the visitors. There were former players in the crowd too, including Joe Evans, who has been trying his hand (well, both hands) at boxing with some success, and Jack Phillips, who looks to be out for some time with a torn anterior cruciate ligament. Also joining us was Jack's brother Anthony, who completed a 10k walk the previous weekend to raise money for the Seddon Unit at St Helens Hospital, where he received treatment following his stroke this time last year. Not having seen him for a few months it was great to see for myself the progress in his recovery he has reported online.

Jonah O'Reilly

Phil Bannister

Rob Doran goes for a header with Joe Herbert

The game would have consequences for both clubs. Failure to win for Burscough would confirm the relegation that has looked inevitable for some time, whereas a loss for us would considerably increase our chances of joining them.

Marcus Burgess has been selected for the England Universities squad, who I think are playing in April, so I was concerned which games he would be missing. I need not have worried, as we have secured the services of Nosakhere Aghayere, who impressed me in our games against Colne.

Nosakhere Aghayere

We were also without James Doyle and Jordan Wynne, representing Knowsley Youth in the Dallas Cup. Chris Almond carried on where he left off at the weekend with a goal after half an hour, and a second just before half time.

Chris Almond with Josh Nicholson

We had taken a firm grip on the game, but we had seen against Goole a few days previously what could happen to a two goal lead against determined opposition, so I felt we could do with a third. Dale Wright duly obliged on the hour.

A few minutes later, James Edgar was brought down for a penalty, with Dale Wright stepping up to take it. Ben Morrow's first touch in Senior football was to save a penalty, but he was without luck this evening. To cap it all, the picture I thought I had of a rather good save he made later came out too blurred to use.

Ben Morrow

Unfortunately, towards the end of the game, Dominic Reid sustained an ankle ligament injury that looks as though it has ended his season, so we hope he makes a full recovery over the summer.

Dominic Reid

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 (Almond 2, Wright 2 (1 pen)) Burscough 0

Bridge the gap

Arriving for Prescot Cables' game at Tadcaster Albion, I quickly spotted the town's main claim to fame for the last couple of years. It spans the River Wharfe, one side in the West Riding proper, and the other in the Ainsty of York. The latter's agricultural revenue once supported the city but by the end of its existence as an administrative entity, it was a wild and lawless place. It is a lot quieter these days, as we were to find. The bridge, being the only practical route between the two halves, showed smooth new stone from repairs after it was partially demolished by a flood in 2015.

Give it 20 years of weathering and you will not be able to see the join. Looking up the story of the collapse, I see our hosts allowed their car park to be used for access to the temporary footbridge in place during the repairs.

A number of our train crew made a weekend of it in York, and, as is his wont, Dr Phil brought along some more Doctors (at least I think they all are). Our pharmacological expertise (nothing performance enhancing, most of them work on livers) was augmented by Benny, who has been to a few games, and Cables newcomers Tammy, Victoria and Amy. I was just there for the day, so it was a lot cheaper to travel via Leeds. Having grown up in the countryside, striding across fields with nothing in the way, but near enough to London to experience fast moving crowds, I often think that if places like Leeds had the number of people found in London, they would literally come to a standstill, with people gathered round train doors and no-one able to get on or off, and the streets blocked by people ambling along three abreast at a glacial pace. Dodging these obstacles, I made it to Leeds Bus Station for the Coastliner bus, which was not going as far as the coast, but that is Yorkshire economy for you, in the same way they lack trebles on their dartboards.

A Yorkshire dartboard, spotted by Dr James

I pottered around taking a few pictures before a pre match pint in the Howden Arms opposite the ground. I have had Samuel Smith's Old Brewery Bitter in London and not been keen, but either my tastes have changed or it really does taste better in Tadcaster.

Marcus Burgess

It looked as though every inch of the pitch perimeter was taken with advertising, although on closer inspection many of the boards belonged to the club - not necessarily a bad thing, as, when you see the photos, you know where you are.

Josh Dolling. Ee ba gum.

The weather was good for action photography, with about seven oktas of light cloud. In a week when I pulled the leg of my friend Matt from the Lost Boyos for dodgy geography where the lack of knowledge turned out to be mine, I can still remember the unit of measurement for cloud cover. It was a decent level of light for fast shutter speeds, and the cloud means an absence of distracting shadows.

Josef Faux - 1/1000s f/5.6 ISO500 300mm

We opened the scoring inside the first few minutes with a goal from Chris Almond.

Chris Almond shoots for goal ...

... and watches it go in.

It was an evenly balanced half, with the hosts equalising, Chris Almond scoring again, and the hosts once again drawing level.

Visiting the tea bar at half time, I got the end of a batch of chips - all the better, as there were plenty of the crispy bits near the bottom of the pan. The weather was more changeable in the second half, with some sun and a couple of light showers.

Andy Scarisbrick

A further goal eluded both sides, not for want of trying. With Goole losing, we restored another point of the cushion between us and them.

After the game, most of our party stayed for a couple of drinks, in the Angel and White Horse, where Samuel Smith keep their white dray horses, and the Coach and Horses next to the bus station. We were probably a bit noisy for the town, where most pubs seemed geared towards dining, and they may well have been relieved when we took ourselves back to the city.

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

Final score: Tadcaster Albion 2 Prescot Cables 2 (Almond 2)

The correct equipment

For Prescot Cables' Liverpool Senior Cup semi-final at Bootle, the County FA kitted out the officials with the full range of equipment from the professional game, including coloured shirts, radio communications ...

... and spray foam for marking a line at free kicks, although there was a lack of training on when to let go of the button.

We should not be surprised that the spray seemed to run out in the second half. There was even a fourth official.

James Edgar notices the fourth official appears to be from Mars

I approached the game thinking the hosts would probably have a slight edge - when 20th in one division plays 3rd in the division below, the latter has momentum in their favour. I also approached the game carefully watching my step: I amused everyone with the effects of landing face first on the pavement on the way to the corresponding fixture at Litherland REMYCA last season, and was not looking to repeat the experience.

I do not do much evening work under North West Counties floodlights, and I decided after a short while to experiment, using the sports mode on the camera. I set the ISO between 12800 and 24600 as the location of the action permitted, and let the shutter speed take care of itself, rather than using shutter priority mode. Adjusting ISO is a bit more complicated than shutter speed, needing three button presses rather than turning a wheel, but I got to grips quickly enough. I have read that Nikon cameras apply some noise reduction even in raw, and that astronomers do not like them for that reason (it is possible to noise reduce out anything from a star or two to an entire galaxy), and there seemed to be some difference in grain between the modes.

We got the scoring under way with a goal from Josh Dolling ...

Josh Dolling

... quickly followed up by Dominic Reid.

Dominic Reid

Our physio, Tony Carroll, had to speak to some of our supporters after the first goal, asking them to desist from letting off smoke grenades, so hopefully we will avoid a fine. There also seemed to be steam drifting intermittently across the pitch - I was not able to work out whether this was from the industrial premises next door, or if someone was using a particularly vaporous electronic cigarette.

Michael Ordish pulled a goal back for the hosts, and a fine save from England Universities squad member Marcus Burgess ensured that we remained ahead at half time.

Marcus Burgess

We dominated the second half, with goals in quick succession from Dale Wright ...

Dale Wright celebrates his goal

... Lloyd Dean ...

Celebrating Lloyd Dean's goal

... and Josef Faux ...

Josef Faux

... completed a convincing and confidence boosting win, and secured a place in the final against Southport.

The rest of the pictures from the game can be seen on Google Photos here. I attempted to post them on the club website, and thought I had been successful at the second or third attempt, but Pitchero seems to have eaten them, and the moment has somewhat passed to try again.

Final score: Bootle 1 Prescot Cables 5 (Dolling, Reid, Wright, Dean, Faux).