Out of the cups

Of 21 Doodson Sport Cup games last Tuesday, 11 had an attendance of less than 100, so, unless you are playing the club next door (and losing five times to Skelmersdale United in a season is not fun), the match officials' fees and away team's travel will wipe out the gate receipts, and the bar and tea bar will not do much business either. It would have been easy to stay at home for our game against Buxton, but the team did not have the choice, and I knew they would take the competition as seriously as any other, so the least I could do was turn up.

With no points at stake, and as far as I am aware no prize money, it was another opportunity to try new players.

James Edgar, Jack Golding

I am not a tactical expert, but I think we were trying a new formation, Jack Phillips was wearing a number to which we are not accustomed.

Jack Phillips

When I have grounds to show interest in league cups, as with Prescot Cables in the North West Counties League in 2002, or Dulwich Hamlet in 2013, teams competing for promotion (from any division) seem often to do well. With Buxton second in the Premier Division, they were the favourites, and confirmed this with a goal after about half an hour, adding a second at the beginning of the second half. However, we did not regard the game as lost, and seemed to be stronger in attack as the half went on.

Phil Bannister, Joe Evans

I had been a bit concerned at Farsley when we lost the game to two goals in the last 5 minutes - this used to be a big problem, which was addressed under Dave Powell, and seems largely to have been held at bay under the present management. It was therefore good to see we kept up the pressure and scored from James Edgar in the 90th minute. We could not manage a second to take the game to penalties, but it was what we need to see.

We currently have some journalism students from the University of Chester working creating a WordPress site, Wallopers Way, with content to augment the club website. They tried a poll for Man of the Match for this game, with Jack Phillips the winner.

I aim in my pictures to show our own players, for them and for our supporters. However, when I tweet a link (not too many, I am mindful of the Prime Minister's advice on overuse of Twitter), I include the opposition, so they can retweet if they wish, especially if they have not had anyone taking pictures for them. This time I had a message on Google+ from the mother of one of the Buxton substitutes thanking me for capturing her son's first team debut, which she had not been able to attend.

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

Final score: Prescot Cables 1 (Edgar), Buxton 2

Sports jacket weather

On the way to the game last week I had some random thoughts about the utility of the sports jacket. Some will know that I am rarely seen out of such a garment, wearable with anything from jeans and t-shirt to collar and tie, and with plenty of pockets for programmes, golden goal tickets, lens caps, and the other paraphernalia of the match day photographer. I thought of finding a picture of a match official of the 1950s so attired, but I subsequently found they usually wore blazers, so I had to make do with yours truly, snapping a Dulwich Hamlet Supporters' game on a warm, sunny morning in ... er ... November.

Ideal wear for photographing sport. Photo by Tony Squires, crop by me

On that occasion, I was talking to Mishi, a member of the Supporters' Team and Club Committee, and of the Grounds for Concern blog, which he has not had time to update for a while, but which has meticulously detailed views of an impressive range of grounds. The conversation went something like this:-

"Call me old fashioned ..."
"You're old fashioned Mish."
"Well, what about you - sports jackets and rugby shirts, how bloody old fashioned is that?"

Well, I never said I was not ...

Prescot Cables' were at home last weekend to Buxton in the First Qualifying Round of the FA Cup. The structure of the draw means it is unlikely that a club starting in the Preliminary Round will make it to a shot at glory in the First Round Proper where the Football League clubs come in, but the prize fund provides a welcome addition to club funds for the winners of each round.

Good weather in September means the sun is low in the sky, and at Prescot that means shadows from the side, particularly in the first half, when we were attacking the Safari Park End. A lot of tweaking of the light was required on the computer, although half in light, half in shadow can make for a good picture

Jonathon Lynch

Sometimes the players are not only half in light, half in shadow, but light is reflected off the grass, and the advertising boards are in shadow.

Mike Smith competes with Buxton's Neil Stevens, with James McCulloch ready to collect the stray ball ...

... but Mike is first back on his feet (and back in the light)

The lighting was much better in the second half, with most of the action front lit.

Ged Murphy goes for a header with Buxton's Jack Broadhead

This meant that, unusually, for the slideshow I used more pictures (by two) from the second half than the first. The selection is a mixture of pictures of competition for the ball, and individual shots that the players like for showing to friends and family and profile pictures on sites like Facebook and Twitter. Normally, for the latter I use the first decent shots I come to, so I get a lot of what I need from the first half.

Even the goal net caught the sun for a pronounced light effect.

Rob Doran and Buxton's Charlie Johnson

Buxton, being in the Premier Division, were the favourites, and the only goal of the game came for them in the 76th minute. My view was obstructed, but this was originally recorded as an own goal from Antony Shinks, although the record was subsequently updated to correctly credit the latter. It is quite clear on Buxton's video (at about 14 minutes) that Antony did not have contact with the ball, but I can see how it may have looked more uncertain from some angles.

Antony Shinks and Leon Osborne in the first half

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