I could get used to these last minute goals

Prescot Cables' game at home to Bamber Bridge was a key fixture, with both clubs looking strong over the last few weeks. The winners would take the driving seat to claim fourth place. With extra promotion places due to league reorganisation - second place automatically, and third for the team with the best points per game over the six step four divisions - this would guarantee a home playoff semi final, and if Hyde and Scarborough continued their run of form, a home final should we reach it.

Word had got around, and it was a pleasant evening, so we saw a crowd of 325, which a couple of years ago we would have considered one of the best for a Saturday, and unachievable in midweek.

The visitors' bench once again seemed intent on getting in a picture.

The first half was more or less in daylight, with light as intense as the average winter afternoon and of better quality.

These pages promote the value of keeping your shoes polished, so I could not fail to be impressed by Bamber Bridge manager Neil Reynolds' immaculate brogues - just visible here behind Reece McNally - and that he kept them clean on ground still damp from recent weather.

It is at evening games that the hardy denizens of the Gasworks Side come into their own.

Valter Fernandes

Chris Almond opened the scoring after 15 minutes. It is not the best of pictures, but a goal is a goal ...

... and a celebration is a celebration.

It would always be difficult to keep the visitors at bay, although we still had the lead at half time. The team seemed to be tiring in the second half, and Bamber Bridge took advantage about 15 minutes in. Fresh legs were needed, and supplied by Harry Cain and Josh Klein-Davies.

Harry Cain

Josh Klein-Davies

The latter was also to supply the all important winning goal. With the clock running down, and its looking as though we would share a point and the visitors maintain their advantage in the race for fourth place, Josh took a shot that had a slightly lucky deflection into the net.

Scenes, as we are becoming accustomed to reporting, ensued - Ben Barnes once again demonstrating an impressive turn of speed to join the celebrations.

To be fair, the result was harsh on Bamber Bridge, with a draw more closely reflecting play, but we have fallen to enough last minute goals in the past - there were seasons we would have been a few places higher in the table if games were 80 minutes not 90 - we enjoy them when the luck falls in our favour.

Board member Jamie Weston was wearing a tie (I assume the league sponsors have relaxed their insistence on one for board room admission, as no-one else was), so was pressed into presenting a bumper crop of awards. Valter Fernandes' Man of the Match from the Mossley game was running late (!), and Baba Conteh picked up a double of Man of the Match for this game and Player of the Month for March.

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 2 (Almond, Klein-Davies) Bamber Bridge 1.

An actual warm day

The day of Prescot Cables' game at home to Mossley at the weekend was one of those spring days when you choose your clothes in the morning, thinking you need a coat, to find by early afternoon that you could really do without it. Now all I need is a couple of properly warm days to re-wax it: it missed out last year as, by the time I realised it was warm enough for the wax to soak into the cloth, it no longer was.

The day's mascot was Alfie Lund, a regular attender at games across the league and beyond, and one of only about 120 children in the world with MECP2 duplication syndrome. My attempt to take a presentation picture with the starting lineup was thwarted by Alfie being literally the only person looking in the right direction.

Once you have a high vis and a big camera, you get random photo requests, which is all very well, but I wonder where to publish them. This week's request came from the Mossley bench.

At least when our own supporters are giving me a cheery wave, I know they want to be included in the collection.

With the bright light, for the first half I mainly stayed in shutter priority and managed my own speeds, keeping the aperture as open as possible, making for a nice soft focus background.

Lloyd Dean 1/1250s, f/4.3, ISO125

We have started well in the last few games I have seen, but it was not to be on this occasion, with a fairly disjointed performance.

Our secretary team were keeping a sharp eye out for anything untoward.

Matty Roberts (Assistant Secretary) & Dan Roberts (Club Secretary)

There was a rumour that the visitors were particularly affected by their fixture backlog and concerned they were likely to tire after 60 minutes. In this situation you can do worse than build a lead and hope to hang on to it. The tactic seemed to be working with Mossley 2-0 up at half time.

In the second half, the Gasworks Side was providing pictures for a few family albums.

Mr Graham Edgar watches James

We were playing much better in this half, although it started to look as though we would not find the net, until Harry Cain got through with a couple of minutes to go.

Harry Cain shoots for goal ...

Celebrations were brief: goal difference is all very well, but not much use without the points to get you in position to benefit from it.

... and gets back for the restart

Chris Almond secured the result with seconds to go.

Chris Almond

Scenes ensued.

These were scenes that involve beer being abandoned in an upwards direction. Fortunately I was nowhere near where it came back to earth.

Steve Pilling collects the empties from the goal celebrations

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 2 (Cain, Almond) Mossley 2

Like last week, without the sideways snow

Prescot Cables' fixtures this season fell so we played Droylsden at home the week after we played them away. The weather was better: to quote Dickens, "It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade."

We thought we might be losing a couple of players ...

... who were then present and correct for the warm up.

Joe Herbert

It is the way it works at this time of year - our leagues have a registration deadline, the fourth Thursday in March. After this, clubs cannot make any new registrations, so most, especially those chasing promotion, ensure they have plenty of back up. Non contract players can sign for one club in each league, so clubs in the North West Counties League were busy signing players from the Northern Premier, who they may use if they are not needed for any of our games or for the week they play after we have finished our season.

We had been adding to the squad, with Michael 'MJ' Monaghan coming on from the bench.

Michael Monaghan

We started with a quick move forwards, as I was making my way round from photographing the teams lining up. I had one minute in the golden goal, but keeper Richie Branagan gathered from James Edgar and sent my ticket down the tubes.

I was in position to catch Baba Conteh open the scoring three minutes later.

I have talked about the tenth of a second that cannot teach before: this picture proved very popular, but it would have been better if I had caught the ball three feet closer to Baba's head. Still, a goal is a goal, and does not go uncelebrated.

Just to show I sometimes get a header at the moment of execution ...

Harry Cain

There is no bad time to score, but just before half time is often considered to be particularly good, as the opposition will go in with a bigger job to do than they were expecting. The ball fell to Chris Almond with a couple of minutes of the first half to go. He calmly took his time to line up - too calmly for the nerves of some, a veritable litter of kittens was being delivered behind the goal - and delivered the perfect shot.

Chris Almond

A goal just after the start of the second half is probably even better, as it throws the opposition manager's team talk out of the window. An opportunity fell to Man of the Match James Edgar...

... who rounded the goalkeeper ...

... avoided the defender ...

... and celebrated his goal.

It did not look as though the visitors would make a reply, but they were able to score a consolation goal just on full time, leaving us with the same score, although fortunately not the same weather, as last week.

I grabbed a couple of crowd shots.

The Fence End spot the camera ...

... and pose for their photo.

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 3 (Conteh, Almond, Edgar) Droylsden 1.

It's why we watch

By all accounts, Tadcaster Albion had more than a spot of bother on their journey to Prescot Cables. It is a journey that the east - west split of the League's First Divisions taking effect from next season should eliminate: our visitors had to navigate round both Leeds and Manchester in the early evening. The M6 is not without its issues, but the change should bring improvements for many clubs.

The visitors were sporting a smart two tone blue kit. I was wondering how it would come out under the floodlights - it reproduced quite well.

Josh Klein-Davies

Both sides had chances, and defended well. The visitors seemed to have overcome their earlier difficulties, as they were first to score, from a slightly lucky bounce half an hour in.

We were stronger in the second half, and the pace of the game can be described as furious. The pictures reflect this, with more coming from this half.

Valter Fernandes

However, it looked as though we were not having any luck this evening. There were more chances for both sides, but we were unable to equalise, or the visitors to make the result secure.

This changed a minute from time, when the ball fell to James Edgar who put it away from a tight angle. Celebrations broke out, but captain James McCulloch is never satisfied with an equaliser when there is time to score a winner.

As James Edgar celebrates, James McCulloch gets everyone back for the kick off

There was to be a long period of injury time, with both sides throwing everything at claiming all three points. Five minutes in, Lloyd Dean toook a shot from the edge of the area - Dr Phil later commented on the video that "he had no right to score from there".

Lloyd Dean lines up to shoot for goal

Scenes ensued.

Everyone went to join the Dean family in celebration, including an impressive turn of speed from Ben Barnes. A few weeks ago, my counterpart Ben from Needham Market tweeted a goal celebration with the comment, "If only you could see my face when a player runs towards you ...". I replied that I hoped he was calm, composed and concentrating on getting his picture. Well, I am 30 years older than him!

Reece Fishwick and Harry Cain

In the background, the referee is giving Lloyd Dean an unsurprising yellow card for excessive celebration. Of course, we thought there was nothing excessive about it, a last minute comeback is the sort of thing people watch the game for.

Tadcaster may have thought their evening could not get much worse: unfortunately they were wrong, as they had to go the long way round with the M62 being closed.

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 2 (Edgar, Dean) Tadcaster Albion 1

Attendance of the day

Even a couple of years ago, Prescot Cables would not have anticipated that our game would attract the division's best attendance of the day. However, our 370 against Glossop North End achieved that, at least for a game: there may have been more people in the public houses of Atherton, as South Shields' visit fell victim to the dreaded, and unanticipated by the weather forecast, lunchtime downpour.

We too had looked at the pitch at the start of the day, and reported no need for an inspection, just as it started to rain, although, fortunately, it stayed as light as forecast. Glossop's photographer joined me as we picked our way round the foot of the steps from the dressing rooms, where just about everyone who has business on the pitch will walk, most of them wearing studs. I do not think it was a man eating swamp, but we were not taking any chances. The pitch was firm enough, although I left a distinct Dr Martens footprint if I stood in one place for too long.

James Edgar had sustained a shoulder injury at Clitheroe, which gave Dan Burns an opportunity for a start.

Dan Burns

Regular spectators will be aware of a couple of leaks in the gutter of the main stand, sending a jet of water on to anyone standing below. That problem should be solved, as the repair people have been in, and have also taken an advert.

Reece McNally

We are a superstitious bunch in football, or maybe what goes around comes around. So, when you use a picture of an opposition player coming off second best to generate a meme, you can be sure he will score against you at the next opportunity. Chris Baguley did the honours for the visitors just before half time.

We came out more determined for the second half, and James McCulloch had the first part of a mixed afternoon with a goal a couple of minutes in.

Scenes ensued.

This was to be the high point of the game, with pressure from the visitors leading to a second goal ten minutes from time.

It is still quite dark towards the end of the game, so I worked my way round to the side of the pitch.

Louis Coyne

An unsuccessful afternoon was compounded a few minutes from time when James McCulloch made a tackle, that did look a bit mistimed from my angle, but did not look to fall within the definition of excessive force or endangering the safety of an opponent, and was unfortunate to receive a straight red card rather than a second yellow. The consequences for the afternoon would have been the same, but he will now be suspended for three games rather than one.

In spite of the defeat, Ben Barnes ensured we stayed in the game for longer than we might have done, and won the Roanza Truck & Van Man of the Match award.

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 1 (McCulloch) Glossop North End 2

Away at home

Regular readers may notice that these pages do not stray much into professional football, so I was a little confused as to why Harry Kane received quite so many plaudits for the number of goals in a calendar year, when a season is what matters. We can still mark the achievement, albeit with dodgy punctuation.

Since November, Skelmersdale United have been sharing Prescot Cables' ground, having been ejected from Stormy Corner by the landlord. Our game away to them would therefore be in familiar surroundings, and convenient for transport as Skelmersdale does not enjoy bus services on New Year's Day. Not that I could say Prescot enjoyed them either, as I had a considerable wait for a connection.

Arriving at the ground, I went towards the gate for season tickets before swiftly remembering to join the queue to pay. As I was kitting out, programme editor Gareth Coates expressed surprise that I was wearing a good pair of boots to go on to the pitch. I explained that keeping them well polished means the rain runs off, which is why the Army are so keen on it. This would be amply tested during the afternoon. Once I was ready, I was about to breeze through the tunnel, then realised that I was not technically at my own ground and should wait until the teams had entered the field and the gate was opened again. We occupied the unfamiliar away dugout, and Dave Powell and his team were providing a blast from the past at home.

Our game at the weekend had been postponed due to a waterlogged pitch, and, whilst it had dried, rain was forecast. It duly arrived, and whilst I was getting my cover in place, Chris Almond opened the scoring against his former club. I was in time to catch the celebration.

Chris Almond celebrates his first goal

The regulars from the Fence End had taken shelter in the stand, and were snapping those of us out in the rain.

I caught the second of Chris Almond's goals.

We were seeing all the effects of the rain.

Jordan Wynne

It eased off for a while towards the end of the half.

Josh Klein-Davies

Two more goals from Chris Almond had me wandering round at half time puffing on an imaginary pipe murmuring that the last time anyone scored five in a game was probably Jack Roscoe in 1935 (he scored six in a 10-0 win against Harrowby in the FA Cup). Sadly, Chris was not to have the opportunity to equal this feat, as he took a knock to the Achilles tendon he ruptured at the beginning of the season, which put him out of action for three months, and so withdrew as a precaution.

Lloyd Dean assumed scoring duties ten minutes in to the second half.

Lloyd Dean

Given the light, I had taken my usual approach of positioning myself under a floodlight on the Gasworks Side. This was not one of my better decisions, as the wind was blowing from the west, so I was getting water on the front of the lens more quickly than I could wipe it off, giving a soft focus effect. I got a couple of exposures to illustrate the conditions.

Reece Fishwick

After getting this one, I retreated to shelter on the terraces on the stand side. From here, I was able to see Dan Burns score his first goal for the club.

Dan Burns celebrates his goal

After the game, I normally remove my high vis and waterproof trousers, but I thought it best to keep them on, as putting them in my bag risked drowning the camera. I was, however, delighted when I got home to find my highly polished boots had done the trick, and my feet were completely dry.

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

Final score: Skelmersdale United 1 Prescot Cables 6 (Almond 4, Dean, Burns)