And he gathered a mighty strong host

I once worked in the European Customer Service Centre for a major multinational company. We even had names appropriate for the countries with which people were dealing. There was a Mr Ireland on the Irish team, and a Ms Brittain on the UK team, but the office never reached its full potential when Fred Former-Yugoslav-Republic-Of-Macedonia decided not to join us.

Only part of that is true, but our mythical Fred would find himself at home with Prescot Cables' visitors in midweek, Bamber Bridge. James the Pharmacologist, who has an eye for the unusual in the non League game, explained that Bamber Bridge have a group of online supporters from Macedonia, who found the club online and liked the name. In consequence, someone takes a flag to games.

Franny Foy plays in front of the Macedonian flag

When you have had a heavy defeat away to the league leaders, a visit from a team making a late challenge for the playoffs is not what the doctor ordered, but the fixture list delivers what it will.

With sunset at about 8pm, the first few minutes of the game were in daylight, so I spent  few minutes behind the goal.

Lloyd Dean

With the light falling, I retreated to my usual position by one of the floodlight pylons on the gasworks side. Once the sun had gone down, the lighting conditions were challenging - a clear sky, so no nice fluffy white clouds to reflect the light from the floodlights, and the opposition in a dark red kit.

Rob Doran

Richie Mottram

I am familiar with these conditions, and have built up a range of tricks and tactics to get the best from them. However, one needs to keep practising, and I realised how little I have had with evening games this season. Usually, postponements from earlier in the season mean that there are evening games most weeks at this time of year, but the weather has been particularly kind this season, with the main loss of fixtures being throughout January, when we usually only have games on Saturdays, so we only missed out four games. As a result, we have had only two evening games at home since the beginning of the year, so I have been getting a bit rusty.

Our visitors showed their quality with four goals in the first half. We feared more of the same in the second, although we played somewhat better, and kept them to just the one further goal, Nathan Parish having probably our best chance of a goal.

Nathan Parish

After two games where the result was not unexpected, but the score was heavier than we might have wished, we are now off to Wakefield, already relegated due to ground issues. We have not translated good performances into results playing away this season, but Wakefield's home form almost matches our away form.

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

Final score: Prescot Cables 0 Bamber Bridge 5.

Nash Gnash

Approaching Prescot Cables' game away to Curzon Ashton, there were two probable outcomes. Either everything would go right, and we would pull off a surprise point against the league leaders. Anything less, and our hosts were likely to show the efficiency that had taken them to the verge of the championship with three weeks to go and inflict a heavy defeat. It was not surprising there were a few regulars missing - most who travel on the coach were there, but less who travel by car or luxury motorhome (a mode of transport of which I was unaware until Webmaster Geoff mentioned it after the Padiham game).

Doug, Peter and Norman watch Isaac Kusoloka

Only three of us took the train, gathering at Lime Street with crowds on their way to the Grand National in shiny suits that come out only for the races, weddings and christenings; almost as large crowds heading away; and the cleaners assiduously mopping the spot at which Mr Wenger was pictured a few weeks previously making a surprise landing on his Arsenal.

Given Curzon Ashton's form, I was surprised at the attendance of only 199. It is refreshingly transparent, if a little envy inducing, to see how they can afford to sustain a title challenge on relatively small crowds, with their modern function facilities and 3G pitch hire. They also have a decent junior setup, with the under 6s and under 7s playing exhibition games at half time.

I am not sure whether The Nash is a contraction of their name, in the way that in Middle English an apple was a napple (or so it is said, although it is strange that in all languages using the Germanic root, it begins with a vowel, never a "n"), or whether it comes form their former home of National Park.

I took up position behind the goal we were attacking.

Chris McGann (11) passes to Lloyd Balazs

With the home side trapping us largely in our own half, I moved to the large covered terrace at the side of the pitch. Fortunately, the forecast heavy rain did not materialise, as the roof is steeply angled, presenting a large jaw to the south, from which the wind is most often blowing when it rains.

Franny Foy in front of the covered terrace

Being a new ground, with extensive terracing, there are plenty of guides for the horizon - all the terraces are level (perhaps a bit too level, a one or two degree slope may assist water to run off and inhibit the formation of slippery mould), and all the railings are upright. This also makes for an unforgiving background: I had to re-crop a few pictures, and even then I think I was a degree or so out with some.

Craig Haynes

The seats were also good for lining up the frame.

Phil Bannister

Just as winning games against teams in a similar position to ourselves is the way to avoiding relegation, top places will often be decided not by how the top teams perform against each other, but how efficiently they dispatch teams in the lower half of the table, and on the basis of this performance, Curzon Ashton have done this very well.

There was some anticipation online of a championship party in Curzon's following game away to Harrogate Railway Athletic, in the justified anticipation of picking up the points they needed in these two games. It would have been interesting if Darlington had dropped points and the title come to Curzon a game earlier than expected, as there did not seem to be the excitement one would expect in such circumstances. The under 6s entered into the spirit, setting up a chant of "6-0" as I was walking round to the exit, even if they were largely addressing it to each other.

After the game, our group took the new tram into Manchester from the windswept Ashton West stop, where it will surprise no-one familiar with Metrolink to learn that we were among those who "may have to wait up to 24 minutes".

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

Final score: Curzon Ashton 6 Prescot Cables 0

Engineering works

Hopes were high before Harrogate Railway Athletic's visit to Prescot Cables. We had seen a superb defensive point against Darlington, and were encouraged by three goals in a 5-3 defeat at Ramsbottom United. Draws and good goals against top sides keep players and supporters enthused, but wins against sides with whom we are competing to avoid relegation provide the points to secure safety. Harrogate looked safe, and we need a few more points to be sure.

Harrogate sides often include industrial sized Yorkshirepersons, but this time they had a few smaller players. Nathan Cartman, seen here with Phil Bannister, is a name that reaches even this side of the Pennines, being 10th in the scorers' table for our Division.

I took up position in front of the tea bar.

Mike Kennedy playing in front of the stand

I intended to adjourn behind the goal, but my lens hood blew on to the pitch (fortunately not the field of play) before I had chance to attach it, so I had to wait for the substitutes to start warming up so one could retrieve it.

Lloyd Balazs - second half substitute and impromptu photographer's assistant

I could probably get a bib and access to the pitch, but I have never done so, as I blog about using consumer kit from places spectators can access. Also, the perimeter is quite close to the edge of the field of play, so there is a risk of ending up sandwiched between a player and the fence.

Conditions were a bit misty, especially when the sun came out.

Robert Gilroy - picture taken from one corner flag to the other

There have been reports of air pollution including sand from the Sahara brought over by high level air currents. These reports had not appeared at the weekend, although a couple of friends found their cars surprisingly dusty on Sunday morning. Whatever the mist was, you still get an impression of it in the final version.

Dave Powell said to the Merseymart that the team did not really click as a unit for this game. We could not provide a response to an early Harrogate goal.

In the last few weeks we have been helped by teams around us losing or drawing when we have done so, and avoiding defeat at New Mills and Padiham maintained our position relative to them. This weekend, teams around us won, closing the gap between us and the relegation positions. In "normal" circumstances, two clubs are relegated from each division at Step 4, making 12 in all. In the event of Step 5 leagues not providing a club for promotion or of resignations further up, the club(s) second from bottom with the best points per game will be reprieved, so we develop an interest in the tables of the Ryman and Calor Leagues. Clubs finishing bottom is not eligible for reprieve.

However, we know Wakefield will not have a ground for next season. Clubs must own, lease or share for the following season a ground meeting the FA's Grade D by 31st March. Wakefield will therefore be relegated. I thought this meant they take the non-reprievable place, although Sports Performer understands the FA have stipulated the bottom placed club cannot be reprieved even in these circumstances.

This is further complicated by our local rivals Cammell Laird. Their Football Committee is separate from the Board of the Limited Company that owns the club. Due to a dispute over ownership, the Football Committee will not continue to run the football side after the end of this season. This places the ball with the Directors to find someone to run it or resign from the League. If they resign before the end of the season, and take a relegation position, the bottom club (it if is not Wakefield) must presumably be reprieved to avoid three clubs being relegated. If they resign after the end of the season, I have no idea whether they take the place of a relegated team, or a place goes into the national pot for reprieves.

With games against Curzon Ashton, Bamber Bridge and Warrington Town, our run in is not without challenges, but we are capable of picking up surprise points, and still have to travel to Wakefield - whilst our away form has not been good, neither has their home form.

The pictures from the game can be seen here.

Final score: Prescot Cables 0 Harrogate Railway Athletic 1

In the pink

I remember a rumour at Dulwich Hamlet, back when shirts were stitched together from coloured cloth rather than colours printed on, that our pink and blue kit was delivered late one season because Corinthian Casuals had already used up the available pink cloth. An away game at Casuals was the only time I have seen the opposition in pink (and chocolate), and I have never seen the opposition in pink and blue - until this weekend.

Prescot Cables' visitors, Darlington 1883, adopted this kit as part of their charitable activities in support of the local St Teresa's Hospice.

At the beginning of the season many of us thought Darlington would pass quickly through our Division, bringing four figure crowds with them. Although they are firmly in the play off places, the title looks in Curzon Ashton's grip; and, whilst their visit is the largest gate of the season for most clubs, this has been in the order of 350 - 500.

It made sense once fixtures for the later weeks of the season were finalised (this game was originally scheduled for February) to have the annual Beer Festival this weekend. Good numbers of locals and CAMRA members attended the Friday evening session, and Darlington supporters, some of whom made an early trip, boosted numbers on the Saturday. I have not attended on Friday in previous years, but most of the pharmacologists turned out, so I joined them. Some took a scientific approach, with notes and scores; one of Luke's notes on the ciders simply read "Welsh", not necessarily a complement after a bad experience with the generally well reviewed Naughty Horsey last week.

With the gap in League position, Darlington had to be favourites, but our better form had been at home, and we took points off them in October. We knew we would need to be solid in defence.

James McCulloch blocks Darlington's Terry Galbraith

When I stand behind the goal we are attacking and the opposition spend a lot of time in our half, I take less pictures, although with the 70-300mm lens, I can cover most of the pitch and crop to a large at web quality.

Francis Foy defends our goal area

It does not make much difference to the final collection: I identified plenty of shots with which to work. In some ways it is easier and quicker, I am likely to only get one or two frames of a piece of action at the other end of the pitch, whereas when it is happening right in front of me, I will have a sequence through which to look and make a selection.

Man of the match for Prescot was our goalkeeper Richie Mottram, who kept us in the game with some fine saves, in particular a spectacular one in injury time (not this one) to ensure that we kept hold of another useful point.

After the game, it was time for more of the festival beers, and some of our visitors were staying for the weekend, so stayed on to enjoy some of them too.

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

Final score: Prescot Cables 0 Darlington 1883 0.

Could not see to take pictures

It is not often I write without pictures, the clue to this blog is in the name. For Dulwich Hamlet's game away to Maidstone United, I had my camera in full working order, the problem was finding a point from which to use it.

I travelled fairly early, and went to Aylesford and its Priory, with a view to a stroll back along the Medway Valley Walk. I tend to underestimate the time it takes to walk anywhere, and this was no exception, by the time I should have been passing through the turnstiles, I was at Allington Lock, power walking past a chap with a guitar on his back. By the time I was in earshot of the stadium, 15 minutes late, I heard a cheer, so I thought I had missed at least one goal, but then I heard music, indicating kick off had been delayed to allow the crowd of 2,296 to get in.

With limited terracing (average crowds are at least twice what they anticipated when planning the stadium), unless you take a position early, all space around the pitch will be taken, in most places a couple of people deep. I do not know if they have plans for capacity enhancement, but they have room at the town end for a substantial terrace with room underneath for the club shop, toilets and catering outlets, currently in mobile structures, which would allow the current metal terracing to be redeployed along the open side.

Not that that was of any use in current circumstances, and, still having a frozen shoulder, I was not going to try holding the camera above my head, so I picked a point where I had a view between heads of the goal we were attacking. I took just one picture, on my phone.

We can see the stand was completely full, and get an idea of the depth of the crowd along the sides. My 2,295 companions (although some thought there were more in the ground than the official figure) had not wasted their time queueing to get in, as we were treated to two good sides trading the lead, three apiece at 90 minutes, the home side clinching a win with an injury time goal. The even surface provided by Maidstone's pristine polyester suited both sides' passing game.

Having watched from the side, I joined other Dulwich supporters behind the goal to applaud the players at the end, which we apparently did for 14 minutes, with some of the stewards congratulating our vocal support. You should see our supporters when we win.

I then spent more time discussing the game with complete strangers than I have done before. I adjourned to the Flower Pot, the nearest Good Beer Guide establishment, for a pint and to read my paper. My pink and blue top was spotted by some Dulwich supporters and four or five Maidstone supporters all saying it was either the best game of the season, or the best since the Gallagher Stadium opened. I was not the only one spending the evening in Maidstone: on my train, three hours later, there were more groups of Dulwich supporters, none of whom I recognised, but all of whom made mention of the game.

Then, to cap it all, in the Wenlock Arms in Hoxton on Sunday, I was having a drink after church, wearing a pink and blue tie (not a club one, just from Marks & Spencer), when I was approached by another stranger who recognised me from the game.

Final score: Maidstone United 4 Dulwich Hamlet 3 (Clunis, Whitnell, Öztümer)

The edge of the world - or at least the county

When the fixture list comes out, there are games that jump out for those of us who travel independently. One such was this weekend's game away to Padiham - some distance away; somewhere most of us do not have cause to visit (I last took the train east of Blackburn to a FA Cup game at Great Harwood Town 20 years ago); a new ground; and some Good Beer Guide pubs on the way.

A couple of our Pharmacologists made late cancellations. Phil had forgotten he had a holiday booked, so had to eschew the Bridge Bier Huis, a Belgian style establishment in Burnley, for beers actually available in Belgium, whilst Jon succumbed to food poisoning, or was attending a wedding, I never worked out which.

As we were leaving the Bier Huis, an elderly gentleman at the next table wished us well and reminisced about games between our clubs in the Lancashire Combination.

Padiham's neat, compact ground is just a couple of hundred yards back from the main road, although quite tucked away, as we were to find. Although there is a bus about every 10 minutes, there were seven of us, so a minibus taxi was about the same price per head. Sat nav has not yet reached Burnley's taxis, so, following an attempt at direction with "follow that bus" just as it pulled in to a stop, we used Mr Google's maps on my phone. This worked until the little blue arrow decided to stop moving just before the crucial junction - fortunately someone spotted a sign.

Once inside, we were soon under way with a goal from Isaac Kusoloka. I got a couple of pictures, which Isaac put into a montage.

Montage and effects by Isaac Kusoloka, photos by me

No food or drink was lost in a nonetheless enthusiastic celebration.

The British Geological Society's online viewer shows maps of the rock under your feet at 1:50,000 scale, more detail than the 1:625,000 scale maps on our classroom walls at school. Padiham, like Prescot, sits on bands of sandstone alternating with the mudstone of the Pennine coal measures. Unlike Hope Street, the Arbories Memorial Ground is fortunate to be on well draining sandstone. The pitch was therefore in good condition despite the recent wet weather.

Rob Doran performs on the well drained pitch

Padiham drew level after half an hour, then Phil Bannister pulled us ahead again about 10 minutes into the second half. It was a good day for photography, the first day of the year I have been able to let the sports mode on the camera take care of shutter speeds without having to make sure it does not go too low, so I was pleased to get a picture of this goal too.

Phil Bannister shoots for goal

There was intermittent sun throughout the game. With one end of the ground facing south west, the sun was near the horizon by the end, so I moved to the side of the pitch.

Mike Kennedy

Our poor away form continued with Padiham scoring a second equaliser. We have not won away in the League all season, our position being maintained by our form at home, where we have sprung a couple of surprises on visitors expecting an easy win. However, we once again avoided defeat, so we maintained our position relative to Padiham, below us in the table.

Although the Merseymart carried pictures, they did not include a report, even of the basic facts from the League website, so I got three quarters of the back page - whatever the captions may suggest, the picture of AFC Liverpool manager Paul Moore is not one of mine.

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

Final score: Padiham 2 Prescot Cables 2 (Kusoloka, Bannister)

Goals, unfortunately not ours

Many of us approached Prescot Cables' game against Ramsbottom United with some apprehension. Our visitors had scored 84 goals in their League campaign prior to this fixture, 12 more than any other club, although there was some hope, in that they had conceded 42.

We also received the news that Connor McCarthy, our top scorer, had signed for Skelmersdale United. This was not unexpected, as it was clear his talent would attract clubs at a higher level. Skelmersdale expressed an interest after our Doodson Sport Cup fixture in November, but Connor delayed his move until now, hoping to contribute to securing our league position. Weather related postponements meant there is still work to do, but it is evidence of his character and commitment. He will find strong competition for a place at Skelmersdale, Manager Tommy Lawson maintains a squad to keep his options open, but I am confident Connor will rise to the challenge. This blog wishes him well in his future career.

Connor McCarthy gets away from the opposition at New Mills

Playing for Prescot gives the opportunity for young players to put themselves in the shop window for clubs higher up the pyramid and those in a position to pay more than expenses. The best players understand that the way to impress visiting managers and scouts is to perform well as part of our team, so we benefit too. A player progressing in his career creates opportunities for others, and a start at number 10 went to Luke Robinson.

Luke Robinson

Also starting was Franny Foy, who has been with the club for a while, mainly in the reserves, with some first team appearances, and who scored his first goal for the first team at Ossett Albion in midweek.

Franny Foy

This was the first game for some weeks that had not been threatened by rain. There was even some sunshine, which makes life considerably easier, particularly producing pictures of print quality.

Jordan Shirley- in one of the pictures I submitted to the Merseymart

James McCulloch - in the picture they used

The visitors showed their scoring prowess with two quick goals on half an hour, and finished the game as a contest with a third just before half time. There was a general consensus that Ramsbottom were the best side we have seen at Prescot so far this season, and that they have a good chance of getting themselves into a play off place.

After the game, we held the AGM of the Community Interest Company that runs the club. The most significant football announcement was that our Reserves will be playing at Hope Street next season, following AFC Liverpool's departure to Marine. Whilst this means a reduction in revenue, it also means a reduction in costs, and will hopefully make the Reserves more integrated with the first team.

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

Final result: Prescot Cables 0 Ramsbottom United 3