A grand day out

There are pitfalls in being too slow updating this blog. A couple of weeks ago, I started a post about our game against City of Liverpool in the FA Cup. We played on a Friday night to attract those watching Liverpool or Everton on Saturday. It worked, with a crowd of 973, who saw an exciting game that we were frustrated not to put to bed with the visitors down to 10 men. So far, so good, and the Tuesday replay attracted a similar crowd. It did not take long for the wheels to fall off, with some tactical decisions that did not work, combined with most of the team having a bad evening, resulting in a 8-2 defeat. In such circumstances I normally still grind out a set of photos, but even I gave up, and regarded the exercise as a not particularly useful technical test.

We followed this with a trip to Tadcaster Albion, a destination seeing scenes last year, with our party being too noisy even for the part of the town in the once wild and lawless Ainsty of York.

This year saw a more subdued turnout, and I had been expecting travel mayhem, with York races, the Leeds Festival, cricket at Headingley, and travellers for London advised to travel via Leeds. I set out early to allow the opportunity of a longer, but less crowded, journey via the Calder Valley if the Transpennine train proved too full. I need not have worried, with the train only filling at Huddersfield, although I was glad not to be staying on between Leeds and York.

I therefore had time to take some pictures around Leeds before catching the Tadcaster bus. This was the only travel issue of the day, with the bus being, unsurprisingly for a coast service on a bank holiday weekend, three quarters of an hour late. Road closures for the Leeds Festival meant a diversion through some picturesque villages, and instead of arriving in Tadcaster with a hour to spare, I had ten minutes, and needed food. I knew the tea bar's chips to be excellent, and I paired them with what might surpass Mossley's as the best gravy in the division.

I had planned to see if I could go pitchside. I am not sure of the etiquette, whether one asks the tunnel steward whilst brandishing a camera and high vis, or whether one has to establish one's bona fides through a club official or our bench. In any event, a camera in one hand and comestibles in the other does not exactly scream "serious photographer", so I decided to stay on the spectator side.

Marcus Burgess

The barrier at the north end is quite low, allowing me to kneel or crouch when play was in our half, although I am not sure it makes much difference when the players are at the other end. We were in black shorts rather than matching the shirts and socks, an illustration of the perils of the referee deciding whether there is a clash from a description on paper.

Harry Cain

After our performance in midweek, I was relieved we did not concede in the first half. We gained a one man advantage near the end, after one of the home players was dismissed for running 10 yards to join in a brawl.

Fifteen minutes in to the second half we were treated to a contender for goal of the season. From a photography perspective, I was disappointed to see it, as it meant the camera did not. A cross found Lloyd Dean, who put it away with a spectacular bicycle kick. It is best appreciated on video (well, that is what I am saying), and the hosts captured it, at 1.48 here. Readers will not be surprised to learn a yellow card was issued for excessive celebration.

Lloyd Dean celebrates his goal

Next to score was Dominic Marie, with another goal best appreciated on video, starting at 2.50 for the run that preceded it, the actual shot looking a bit dull on a still photograph.

Dominic Marie shoots for goal

We were to be found in our own half more than the score suggested, but kept the hosts at bay until injury time, but they were unable to stop a confidence boosting three points on the road.

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 1 Prescot Cables 2 (Dean, Marie)