A fine comeback

Before Prescot Cables' game at Glossop North End, I adjourned for drinks with my travelling companions in the Star Inn, as convenient for the station as it can be without actually being in the building. I made sure I got to the ground in time for one of Mettrick's excellent pies, opting for the lamb and mint pasty. I was unable to find a fork, and made do with a spoon which made for an entertaining snack. The resident photographer was most helpful, pointing out the best side to stand for our team and the direction they would face for the handshakes.

We received bad team news during the week, with Marcus Burgess injuring his knee and suspecting he might be out for some time. During the week, in the FA Trophy at Stalybridge Celtic, Ethan Dorgan from the Youth Team had taken his place. I was unable to attend, but it sounded character building, as we exited the competition with a 5-1 defeat. For the medium term, we have signed Ben Barnes, who had been released by Marine.

Ben Barnes

As we play in yellow, I wear an orange hi-vis vest to avoid a clash. However, brighter shades are popular with opposition goalkeepers too.

Glossop's Paul Phillips denies Lloyd Dean

The quality of the light was excellent, with low autumn sunshine.

Dan Burn

Despite some good chances, we were unable to find the goal (or at least not the bit inside the woodwork), and went in 1-0 down.

As the clocks have now gone back, the light drops quickly in the second half.

Harry Cain

Former Cables player Tunde Owolabi has signed for the hosts after a short spell at Stalybridge, and came on from the bench after about an hour. He scored some useful goals for us, and quickly did the same for his new club. It looked as though it may be the all too familiar pattern of playing well and not getting a result.

However, the fightback came when Lloyd Dean got on the end of a rebound from a Jordan Wynne free kick on the edge of the penalty area twelve minutes from time.

Jordan Wynne

The team immediately set about trying to secure a point whilst I moved to the side of the pitch. Lloyd Dean followed up with a second two minutes later. It would have been tempting to try to hold on to a point, but we pushed for all three. Lloyd Dean was once again involved, forcing goalkeeper Paul Phillips to commit himself...

... before passing to Jordan Wynne to put the ball in the back of the net.

Scenes ensued.

Jordan Wynne is under there somewhere

Chris Almond also made a welcome appearance from the bench after missing most of the season so far due to injury.

Chris Almond

On the way back, my travelling companions and I stopped off in Manchester, where we encountered bizarre non-service in the Piccadilly Tap. I ordered drinks for three of us: the barman poured one and brought it over, then seemed to have a problem with the pump for the second. He disappeared for a few minutes, returned, still had a problem, disappeared again, and when he was unable for a third time to pour the pint, put on his coat and, without a word, left the building.

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

Final score: Glossop North End 2 Prescot Cables 3 (Dean 2, Wynne)

More goalkeepers than games

If I get behind updating these pages, sometimes events conspire to pinch a perfectly good gag. We will look at that later, but I arrived early for our Non League Day game in the FA Trophy at home to Trafford to catch a couple of players for their squad photos. I found Marcus Burgess, suspended after a dubious red card the previous week, assisting his replacement, Charlie Whittingham from Chorley, to acclimatise to his new goal.

Charlie Whittingham

The programme marked James McCulloch's 300th game for the club in midweek.

The Youth Team secured a superb victory in the FA Youth Cup in midweek, 3-1 against FC United of Manchester after extra time. I had been on hand aiming to capture the occasion, but the rain was the fine swirling type that gets under the camera cover and everywhere else, and has a worse effect even than fog on the pictures. Having drowned a camera in similar conditions a couple of years ago, I was not keen to repeat the experience, so I gave up after 20 minutes. The results of my limited efforts can be seen here.

FA Youth Cup v FC United of Manchester

As the rain started to fall this time, I feared I might have the same problem. However, this turned out to be a good honest downpour. With little wind, the rain was coming straight down, and a lot bounced off the camera cover and my clothes, although I must visit a waterproof trouser emporium. It is weather you can see.

Valter Fernandes

Baba Conteh opened the scoring after ten minutes with his first competitive goal for the club. I got what would have been quite a good shot, if he had been facing the other way!

Baba Conteh shoots for goal

The visitors came back and equalised through James Dean. However, more concerning events occurred a few minutes later, when Charlie Whittingham was injured in a collision. Although he carried on, as he limped off at half time we were concerned, justifiably, whether he would be able to play the second half. Reporting Lloyd Dean's spell in goal last week, I lined up a comment that I was surprised it was not Andy Scarisbrick, as he had played more or less everywhere else. My turn of phrase was overtaken by events when Andy once again demonstrated he is the man to send for when you need a gap filled without fuss, taking up position as our fourth goalkeeper in three games.

Goalkeeping coach Garry Williams briefs Andy Scarisbrick

With another goalkeeper getting used to the position, attack was the best form of defence, and we put ourselves ahead with a goal from Josef Faux twenty minutes in.

Josef Faux celebrates his goal

Lloyd Dean marked his 100th appearance with a goal four minutes later.

Lloyd Dean celebrates his goal

Solid work in defence and what Gareth Roberts of The Anfield Wrap called "some predictably unorthodox - but effective - goalkeeping" kept a clean sheet.

Defending in numbers

The Roanza Mercedes Truck and Van Man of the Match award went to Harry Cain for a tireless performance.

Harry Cain

I was a little confused as to whether we would also present the Player of the Month award, but no-one knew how to access the result, which is probably just as well, as voting was still going on.

The rest of the pictures from the game can be seen on the club website in reverse order here, and on Google Photos the right way round here.

Final score: Prescot Cables 3 (Conteh, Faux, Dean) Trafford 1.

A clean sheet at Trafford

Despite a respectable performance over the bank holiday weekend, I was apprehensive about Prescot Cables' visit to Trafford, with good reason, as we had shipped more goals than I care to remember on our last two visits. Arriving in good time, I was still unsure of the precise etiquette for admission to the side of the pitch, so in the end I popped my high vis on, and wandered out onto the pristine turf just before the teams came out of the dressing room, with a vague general air that I knew what I was doing.

Shawe View has a wide border between the pitch and the perimeter fence, so I took up a position near the corner flag. A lot of photographers working pitchside have a stool, but as I have only just started, and want to keep cost and weight to a minimum, my seating arrangement of choice is a simple polyethylene cushion pad, £3.99 from the camping section at Clas Ohlson.

Lloyd Dean

When propping yourself up against the fence, always keep an eye out for what may be balanced on top.

The sun was shining, but I was in the shade of the fence so I did not have any distracting light from the side.

Louis Coyne

As at Tadcaster the previous week, we avoided conceding in the first half, and were not without opportunities to score. Our first goal, a good one from both playing and photographic perspectives, came from Jordan Southworth.

Jordan Southworth traps the ball ...

... shoots ...

... and celebrates his goal

Next to present a photographic challenge was a penalty for the hosts at what was probably a key moment a couple of minutes later. Marcus Burgess pulled off a save to maintain our advantage and the confidence that comes from going ahead. I often use the "a goal is a goal" principle to let a picture that does not quite meet quality control through the net - I also have a lesser used principle  of "a penalty save is a penalty save" for when I do not catch fingers and ball in actual contact.

It is a save - honest.

We had one new starter.

Aaron Turner

Tunde Owolabi came on a few minutes from time and looked dangerous, so much so that he was almost immediately fouled just inside the penalty area.

Tunde Owolabi

Realising that a lack of spectators in the way on my side of the barrier meant I could move to a better position for the penalty (ensuring I did not distract Jordan Wynne as he prepared to  take it), I moved closer to the goal.

Jordan Wynne scores from the spot

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

Final score: Trafford 0 Prescot Cables 2 (Southworth, Wynne pen)

The waters recede

For Prescot Cables' Boxing Day game away at Burscough, Merseyrail were running trains for the first time, so we were looking forward to going. The weather had other ideas, with severe flooding in a number of areas. We were on the edge of the rain, with games such as the Runcorn derby going ahead without a problem. Indeed, I would have gone to watch on a bank holiday with transport.

For Bank Holiday Monday, our game at home to Lancaster City was on. Richie, our leader in beer and pub choices, suggested a pre match drink at the Cricketers' Arms in St Helens. Pubs with sporting names seem to go more with cricketers than footballers, possibly because half the participants in the former have time to discuss what the establishment should be called. A couple of people decided not to attend, being unsure of the location, and concerned about being left wandering around St Helens for all eternity. They need not have worried, as it is a hundred yards from a stop for the 10A. Our visit coincided with one of their quarterly beer festivals.

At the game, I had new equipment. I reported at the previous game that my kit had got wet: it got worse when my D5000 gave up the ghost. I had my eye on the D5300 for some time, and planned to upgrade in the new year. I am not an early adopter: unless I really need what the newest technology can offer, I am happy to be a model behind, with a stable iteration. The release of the D5500 last year brought the D5300 into that category, and knocked a bit off the price. I brought my plans forward, although if there is a week of the year I would prefer not to replace electronic equipment ...

James McCulloch

I started using the sports mode, which works as I am used to, giving preference to shutter speed, but not allowing you to set a minimum, and going up to ISO 3200 on the automatic setting. Once this started giving slower speeds than I wanted, I switched to shutter priority, which behaves differently from the previous model, going straight to the most sensitive ISO setting (25600) to maintain the smallest aperture.

Joe Herbert

This was not what I was looking for, so I explored more, and found I can set the ISO manually in the sports mode, so, combined with much easier menus, I could work my way up as the light fell.

Shane Glean at ISO 4000

Jonah O'Reilly at ISO 12800

Amongst this testing, there was a game going on, with Cables having put in a lacklustre performance in the first half to go in a goal down.

A much improved second half did not initially yield results, with a further goal from the visitors, but we swiftly answered back, with one from Joe Nicholson ...

Joe Nicholson (at ISO 16000)

... and a debut goal from Darryl Patton, not wasting a moment after coming on from the bench.

Darryl Patton (at ISO 25600)

Throughout the half, I was getting good results from the lighting with better speeds than I was used to. The sensor, as well as giving me 22MP rather than 10 (and a 25MB file, but that is another story), was importing a lot less noise at the more sensitive settings.

For the last 10 minutes or so, the sports mode was taking me below 1/200s, so I went to the shutter priority, where I was still getting well lit images.

Marcus Burgess - 1/250s, f/6.3, ISO 25600 - and at the opposite end of the pitch from me

Unfortunately the performance could not quite match the durability of my exposures, with the visitors snatching all three points with almost the last kick. 

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

Final score: Prescot Cables 2 (Joe Nicholson, Patton) Lancaster City 3.

Rain stopped photography

We hoped Prescot Cables' game at home to New Mills would be dry, but rain was forecast to start around kick off, and it followed my bus to Prescot. To say the visitors have not enjoyed a good season is an understatement, as they had played 18 games without gaining a point. Rod, our drummer, was tempting fate pointing out we were not planning to give them a Christmas present when they came in from warming up. I did not catch the reply, but one word sounded like "off".

The pitch had last been used three weeks previously, and looked as though it had benefited from the rest, but the rain was heavy enough for the possibility of the match being abandoned. I took up position on the gasworks side.

Andy Scarisbrick

The weather was warmer than usual, so I did not realise how wet I, and more to the point my equipment, was getting, which would cause a problem later. The match officials seemed to have read that week's You are the Ref, as the referee was responding to the condition of the sides normally used by the assistants by using the right diagonal.

The visitors showed no sign of overcoming their difficulties, and Rob Doran scored after about 10 minutes.

Rob Doran

We consolidated our lead with two goals in quick succession a few minutes later from James Edgar, who has worked hard to keep opposition defences busy but has not been rewarded with goals.

James Edgar celebrates his first goal with George Mannion and Joe Nicholson

New Mills pulled a goal back just before half time, and I headed to the bar with a reasonable set of pictures, although I am still working on not noise reducing away the rain.

I went back to the gasworks side for the second half, where the rain seemed a little lighter, which may have been my imagination. I was starting to have a spot of bother, as I was running out of cloth (a normal handkerchief) for drying the front of the lens, and was just moving the water around. I was just about operational, although I missed James Edgar completing his hat trick in a bit of a goalmouth scramble, and thought Phil Bannister had scored it.

Phil Bannister

Shortly after this I had to stop, as I was suffering from condensation, something I have successfully avoided in seven or eight years taking pictures outdoors, There are precautions, like keeping the camera dry, and putting it in the bag before I go indoors. However, the mild damp weather created a similar environment in the camera, with the wind blowing on to a wet front of the lens creating a temperature difference and condensation. Once I had it, there was not a lot more I could do in the photo department, so I watched the last 25 minutes without viewing through a small rectangular window.

James McCulloch in my last usable picture of the day, half an hour from time

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

Final score: Prescot Cables 5 (Edgar 3, Doran 2) New Mills 2.

Low batteries

I had a function to attend at lunchtime before Prescot Cables' game at home to Northwich Victoria. The recently revamped Traveline website came up with a couple of bus routes I would not have thought of even from the map, so I was able to arrive, suited and booted, only 10 minutes late. I have never understood that phrase, as I have never thought of wearing boots with a suit, but a tie goes a long way to keeping your neck warm.

I was captured on film by the We all stand together blog. Its author also spoke to our announcer, David Williams, who recounted his responsibility for his fellow actor David Walliams' name, his being already registered with Equity under their shared real name. I once recounted this to one of the children at church, a bright boy, aged seven, who asked, "So, when David Williams retires, will David Walliams become David Williams?".

I arrived in time to see Jack Phillips opening the scoring. I was not in time for a picture, but I was not too worried, I know I can get usually get a decent picture of Jack if I need one for the paper, and it was a sunny day, so there would be few problems with the light.

Jack Phillips

Just before I left home, I transferred my camera to a smaller bag to cut down the amount I carried to lunch, forgetting to do the same for the spare battery. As soon as I started taking pictures the low battery indicator started to show, so I knew I had a limited number of frames. To cover as much of the game as possible, I thought back to the days of film, when exposures cost money, taking less of those pictures that are not likely to work, but are worth a try if they are free. I first tried photography 20 years ago, but the ratio of decent pictures to exposures proved costly, and I was never keen on dark rooms and chemicals to do my own cropping.

Restricting myself meant I was mainly concentrating on the half we were attacking. although I still got some in our own half.

Liam Dodd

I also did not snap away as vigorously as usual when a player was running with the ball, taking two or three shots, rather than the normal seven or eight. Whilst this limited the frames from which I could choose to display, I was generally happy with the results.

Jonah O'Reilly

With Ciaran Gibson suspended, Tom Quinn was back in goal. He seemed a bit indecisive in previous games, but this time he was making much more confident interventions, with some good saves, particularly in the first half, which makes a goalkeeper much easier to capture.

Tom Quinn

Talking of goalkeepers, Northwich seemed to have been experimenting with squad numbers.

James Edgar challenges Northwich's Dane Smith

The visitors' pressure was repaid with an equaliser early in the second half. James Edgar, after his heroics in goal against New Mills, returned to his more accustomed role by restoring our lead after about 20 minutes.

My battery ran out 10 minutes from the end, just as as the visitors' strength started to tell, with an equaliser, and then a winning goal in injury time, somewhat controversial, for what many thought had been a foul in the build up, and for the amount of time the referee had added on in the first place.

Elsewhere, Padiham won, which reduces the gap between us, but it was against Radcliffe Borough, so meant they remain only a point ahead of us.

Finally, double congratulations are due to my friend Jon, one of our pharmacologists, who has passed his viva and been awarded his PhD. He is often unable to attend Saturday games due to attending weddings (according to our mutual friend Luke), and will be adding his own to the list, becoming engaged over Christmas: this blog extends best wishes to Jon and his fiancée Sophie.

The rest of the pictures from the game, a slightly smaller collection than usual, can be seen here.

Final score: Prescot Cables 2 (Phillips, Edgar), Northwich Victoria 3.

It was the cooling hour

I remember Droylsden was for many years the address on the label on Golden Shred (and other Robertson's products, my mother and I found Golden Shred's peel somewhat insubstantial, and bought something with a thicker cut). Wikipedia was not forthcoming as to the derivation of the name, so we remain in ignorance as to what are Droyls, and why they should form a den. It tells us, however, that the locals traditionally brought a pig to the local carnival, and sat it on a wall to watch. I do not know if this is maintained for any games, but the walls on this occasion were free of livestock.

A new venue for refreshment in Manchester on the way was the Soup Kitchen, which concentrates on food (including soup) during the day, but has an excellent bar. My travelling companions went for First Chop Caramel IPA, which they declared to be excellent. I was Slightly Foxed by a London Porter from Yorkshire, so I had a pint, and was similarly impressed.

Droylsden had a bad time last season - when Ged Murphy left us to return there, I thought his task would be to get a couple of wins to boost morale, and ensure they did not continue the slide this season. That looks to have been a success, with the club in the pack chasing the playoff positions.

I took up position behind the goal we were attacking, where a small group of home supporters were cheerfully singing, especially at any of their number heading to the tea bar, which I found at half time to be probably the only place I have seen the roll buttered for a cheeseburger.

Sam Corlett

After looking up the question of using filters as lens protectors last week, I thought I would try without (with a hood). None of my pharmacologist friends were present: they would have been able to tell me that when conducting an experiment, it is best to change one variable at a time. Droylsden's Conference standard floodlights, a corner arrangement with six heads per pylon, all working, cast an unusually even light. They were switched on from the start, and I was able to get shots the full length of the pitch.

Tom Quinn

Our hosts immediately imposed themselves on the game, with a goal in the first minute, and a second from a penalty shortly afterwards. However, Rob Doran was back from injury, and pulled a goal back after a quarter of an hour, cancelled out by another home goal after half an hour.

Rob Doram

The good light meant the match officials could keep a close eye on the feet for any trips, although possibly not to see any holding.

The hosts get to grips with Daniel Whitehall

For the second half I started in front of the main stand...

Jack Phillips

... worked my way round to the other side...

James McCulloch

...and then to behind the goal we were attacking.

Mason Ryan

The even nature of the light meant that even from there, I was able to capture action from the touchlines, which is not easy under most of the lights in our division. The mist that had been present all game was becoming more noticeable by the end.

Andy Griffiths

Despite playing with gusto in the half, particularly after the hosts were reduced to ten men following a dangerous challenge on Jack Phillips, and having a couple of decent chances, we were unable to prevent Droylsden adding a fourth.

Catching the train home, passengers may have been inconvenienced when Sarcastic Sarah, the automated announcer, indicated the train would not today be calling at Liverpool South Parkway. However, alternative provision had been made, as she advised that the train would be calling additionally at ... Liverpool South Parkway.

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

As for the title - the family of Lord Byron (but not the poet himself) lived nearby, Clayton Hall tram stop is named after their home, so a random quotation seemed in order, and the temperature dropped significantly during the game, although still mild for the time of year.

Final score: Droylsden 4, Prescot Cables 1 (Doran)