Let it snow

As I walked from the tram to Droylsden's ground for Prescot Cables fixture, I spotted a notice on the wall of the neighbouring King's Head, announcing it as Joseph Holt's best wet pub last year. I am confused as to what this entails, as I thought all the brewery's pubs serve alcoholic refreshments and are wet in that sense, and their houses are generally well maintained and not springing a leak.

The weather forecast predicted snow showers with a strong wind. When I arrived, it was bright and sunny but, as the players went in from warming up, the first snow shower arrived. The tunnel steward kindly told me where I could obtain free tea and coffee. Everything and everyone had a light dusting.

I had some trouble stopping the wind blowing my polyethylene seat pad away before I had chance to sit on it, and this was not the weather to sit on cold ground, especially as there was a shallow drainage ditch in front of the perimeter fence. I realised this was going to be particularly cold day when I started to lose sensation in my fingers after about 10 minutes. I had sorted myself out in time to catch Chris Almond opening the scoring in bright sunshine.

Chris Almond shoots for goal

It then started to snow. A still photograph cannot show the sideways nature of it.

Valter Fernandes

The sun was soon back out.

Ben Barnes

An own goal just before the end of the half made the scores level. I spent half time with my hands in my pockets (not just an in joke, but a description of how I was staving off frostbite).

I have never seen someone brushing the snow off the lines before.

The weather kept me moving. Keeping warm was an incidental benefit, but the sun was from the south, so from behind the goal I was looking in to it, and the wind was from the east, so by the side it was blowing on to the front of the lens. Naturally, there came a point when it was doing both.

Jordan Wynne prepares for a free kick

Some on the stand side attributed the next goal to James McCulloch, and the hosts reported it to the league website as an own goal. However, those behind the goal, who had the best view immediately started chanting for Harry Cain, who retained a coating of snow on his head.

Celebrating Harry Cain's goal

Josh Klein-Davies had less clement weather to make the result secure a couple of minutes from time.

Josh Klein-Davies gets past Richie Branagan

After the game I retired to the King's Head, which appeared, in the light of its award, to be weather tight. I had intended to go straight home, but it is always enjoyable to stay around for a while after a win, and more to the point I wanted the toilet, and literally had to spend 15 minutes in the warm before I had enough feeling to grip my clothing.

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

Final score: Droylsden 1 Prescot Cables 3 (Almond, Cain, Klein-Davies).

Royal blues

For a small competition (less than 20 entries), the Liverpool Senior Cup often falls victim to scheduling problems. Our first round game at Bootle was twice delayed by the weather before we were able to complete it at home. For the next round, we were drawn against Everton, which should be easy to organise, as they have over 100 full time players, and we are not fussy which of them they send. They also have a full time administrative staff, which might have been the problem, as we had trouble finding the right department to deal with the fixture. Having cleared that hurdle, the first attempt fell foul of the weather, with a temperature of -5ºC when the game was due to be played (even the Premier League only requires Everton to be able to play their first team games in temperatures down to -3º).

Having established contact, we were quickly able to arrange a new date.

I arrived early, as I was expecting a decent crowd, although not the four figures predicted by some. We have had crowds in the 900s on pleasant evenings in August and April: 636 was respectable for a night that, whilst not as cold as previous weeks, was still not particularly clement.

I wrote a couple of weeks ago about the limits of technical skill in sports photography, the 1/10s that you cannot teach, and the difference between getting the goalkeeper's fingers to the ball and a foot away. Gareth's programme cover neatly addressed this.

I took up position by the side of the pitch. I was hardly there before Josh Klein-Davies opened the scoring.

Photographing for a team that plays in yellow, I usually wear an orange high vis to avoid any confusion, but on this occasion I clashed with the visiting goalkeeper.

I was not concerned when I was by the side of the pitch, but I took care behind the goal to take a position well to the side and make sure I changed sides when play was at the other end.

Lloyd Dean was next to score.

Josh Klein Davies added his second just before half time.

In Senior Cup fixtures against Everton, the quality and age of the team can make a big difference. An under 23 team with their eyes on silverware has to be firm favourites, whereas the under 18s getting match practice against an open age side makes for a more even contest, and I think they had sent the latter.

We proved to have seen most of the action in the first half, with a consolation goal for the visitors in the second, but with neither side really looking like they would add to the tally.

Everton's dieticians and sports scientists will doubtless advise that a pie at 10pm is not the way to peak fitness, so they left straight after the game, and we had quite a bit left over from the players' refreshments. Being off red meat for Lent, I eschewed a pie, but was fortified in processing the Man of the Match photo by Linda's excellent chicken curry.

Commercial manager Gary Finney presents the Man of the Match award to James McCulloch

We now progress to a semi final against Litherland Remyca, the other half of the draw having had better luck with the weather, the winners will play Marine in the final.

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 (Klein-Davies 2, Dean).

The Beast from the East

In the week prior to Prescot Cables' game at home to Goole, we had been frustratingly inactive due to a weather system called the Beast from the East, with temperatures well below freezing postponing games against Everton and Bamber Bridge. We had been active off the field, with a successful, if cold, AGM, with Doug Lace addressing us for the first time as Chair, generally encouraging ground and financial reports, and a good question and answer session with Brian Richardson.

Elsewhere, the situation was more critical. Dulwich Hamlet received notice their ground tenancy had been withdrawn for breaches of onerous conditions the club accepted under duress a few months previously. There are also accumulated bills from when the landlords, Meadow Residential, were running the club as the agent of the majority shareholder, including back rent they had carelessly omitted to pay to themselves. In a further effort to intimidate the club, the landlords registered trademarks relating to the club name, a move that brought down widespread derision on their heads. Building crowds and community work has paid dividends, as the club now has the support of the local council, Members of Parliament, the Mayor of London, community and football organisations. Amongst the political support, Lord Kennedy of Southwark has been patrolling Westminster armed with a pink and blue scarf, the resulting tweets spreading news far and wide.

Many clubs find themselves in difficulties, but Dulwich's situation could affect any club that does not own the freehold of their ground. A viable club (treat anything you hear to the contrary with a large basin full of salt), part of whose site can be used for social or affordable housing, retaining the club and still producing a return on investment, is being forced out to make a larger profit for the landlords and their hedge fund owners. If they get away with it, it could be your club next.

Turning to the game I was attending, I had been delayed by traffic for Anfield so kitted myself out with waterproof trousers and hi-vis on the bus. I arrived in a dead heat with the teams coming out, and took up position by the side of the pitch. I am not sure if we have renewed the bulbs on the floodlights, but the pictures on my monitor were better illuminated than usual, even at the other end of the pitch.

Ben Barnes

James McCulloch returned from suspension. When I started watching the game, a card that would attract a three match suspension in the Football League attracted 35 days at our level. This was addressed some years ago, but in the recent bad weather, the three games worked out to 28 days, the gap between the card and his next opportunity to play adding up to 45 days.

James McCulloch

Harry Cain had an also weather delayed return from surgery.

Harry Cain

The visitors opened the scoring after 10 minutes, with Josh Klein-Davies replying 10 minutes later.

I swapped sides about half way through.

Valter Fernandes

For the second half, I used the new gate to access the pitch. It was resisting opening, and Dave "The Monster" was trying to attract my attention. Having squeezed through, I stopped to listen to what Dave was trying to tell me. He pointed out I was trying to open it the wrong way.

I stopped for a few minutes behind the goal, and was able to get a few pictures, which I have generally not been able to do, which turned my attention again to floodlight bulbs.

Chris Almond

Josh Klein-Davies secured the result with a second goal, just at the moment I was having a spot of bother with damp air condensing on the front of the lens. I had cleared it in time to catch the celebration.

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 (Klein-Davies 2) Goole AFC 2

Last train to Ossett Albion

It is not often you visit a ground knowing it will be for the last time. We often anticipate not seeing clubs for some time: because we or they are on the way up, down or sideways. However, we knew Prescot Cables' trip to Ossett Albion would be our last, as they are to merge with Ossett Town, eschewing the name of Ossett T'Albion for the more sensible Ossett United, and will play first team games at Ingfield. My first visit to Dimple Wells was ten years ago, when they were in the division below Prescot, the season before we were relegated to join them.

Ossett Albion v Bridlington Town 1st March 2008

This was also the end of an institution, the 1022 Liverpool to Scarborough. Our Train Crew has declined in recent years due to illness, moving away, work and family commitments, but the 1022 started of some of our more memorable away days. In May, the Liverpool to Leeds service becomes half hourly at 26 and 56, and, depending which split the league choose, we might not visit Yorkshire at all. Frank, Dr James and I assembled for the train to Dewsbury, with Frank disappearing for a few minutes to exchange the ticket he had been sold to Shrewsbury.

On arrival, we adjourned to the West Riding Licensed Refreshment Rooms, where I downloaded a bus ticket, and informed my companions a day saver was £4.80, forgetting the 10p discount for using the app. Scenes with loose change ensued when we got on the bus.

My Ossett pub of choice has been the Tap, but I have meant to visit the Old Vic, which looks quite a bit further away on the map, but is only about five minutes' walk. We found it furnished to the standards you expect from Ossett Brewery, and quieter than the Tap. There is a 50% chance I am a quarter Canadian (in 1941 their army was in Surrey fraternising with the locals), and I thought I would see the last ten minutes of Canada's bronze medal game in the Olympic ice hockey on the large screen, only for it to be switched to the national anthems for the rugby union.

Josh Klein-Davies

At the ground, a dilemma awaited. I have given up red meat for Lent, but this was the last chance for one of Albion's hot pork pies, a Yorkshire delicacy. I sent a quaeritur to my theologian friend Matthew to see if there were any exceptions for a final visit to a sports ground on the Second Saturday in Lent, but decided to be naughty and have one anyway.

This was not a game to set the pulse racing, with neither side looking able to create any meaningful chances. Afterwards Frank asked me how I would get any pictures. I referred to my second principle of sports photography*.

The quality of the pictures bears next to no relation to the quality of the action.

A tense game with inch perfect passes, runs timed to perfection, and the lead changing hands, on a wet afternoon in November, can leave me struggling with focus and motion blur. A game (from both sides) of runs that never quite go anywhere, passes intercepted by the opposition and the referee thinking dropped balls and free kicks are interchangeable, played under fine late winter sunshine, on the other hand ...

The shadow from the stand is smaller than at home, so I used shutter priority for most of the first half. Unlike the sports mode, which starts closing the aperture when the speed goes above 1/1000s, this keeps it open and the depth of field shallow, with a sharply focused player against a nice soft background.

Valter Fernandes

Being responsible for a number of profile pictures on social networks, the question arises, "quis photographiet ipsos photographes?". Albion's resident snapper caught me in action.

Harry Cain returned to the bench after surgery. The plan was to give him 20 minutes' play, but plans do not always survive contact with the opposition.

Harry Cain

For the second half, I used the sports mode.

Reece McNally

For the last quarter of an hour, I moved to the side of the pitch, and was rewarded with a few shots in the golden hour (the hour or so before the sun sets).

Jordan Southworth

On my way out, I snapped a couple of pictures as the sun dipped behind Emley Moor television transmitter.

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

Final score: Ossett Albion 0 Prescot Cables 0

* The first principle is, "If in doubt take a picture of it. Then take another picture of it, just in case".

Sunshine after rain

A couple of weeks' steady rain meant Prescot Cables' game at home to Ramsbottom United was our first competitive fixture since Scarborough at the end of January. Skemersdale United have not been able to play on the pitch either, and it looked as though it had benefited from three weeks' rest and from the grass starting to grow again.

As well as the pitch having had chance to dry, I anticipated being dry too, as no rain was forecast. There was even sun, which at this time of the year means it is tricky to sit behind the goal line at the Safari Park End. The light is mainly from the side for pictures, but the sun is low enough to dazzle, and bright enough that I cannot see the camera screen. I therefore sat in the shade of the side perimeter. An issue I did not have a couple of years ago is boards on the Gasworks Side giving a strong backlight - a product of our success selling advertising. The D5300's sports mode automatically uses matrix metering,  so I experimented with shutter priority and spot and weighted metering. The latter had some advantages, although I am not sure it outweighed the disadvantage of having to manually adjust shutter speed as play went into the shade.

Reece Fishwick

We quickly imposed ourselves when Reece Fishwick was brought down for a penalty converted by Chris Almond.

One of  the more ominous sights in a game is a player going down with no-one near him, and this proved to be the case when Josef Faux landed awkwardly after jumping for the ball, injuring his knee. Sadly, early reports suggest he may be out for some time.

Josef Faux

The resulting substitution meant James Edgar returned from injury somewhat earlier than he expected.

James Edgar

A lot of sports photography involves techniques you can learn - looking at published photographs to see what works, mastering camera settings, cropping and lighting. However, there is something, that we can call 1/10s (probably less than that) that separates professionals from those of us in the amateur field. It is the difference in reaction time between getting the fingers making contact with the ball and getting it a foot away flying off to safety.

Ben Barnes

It is also the difference between getting the ball on the head of the player and ... well you see the pattern.

Chris Almond heads for his second goal ...

... joins Ernie in watching it go in ...

... and celebrates.

To access the pitch for the second half, I used the smart new gate installed by our sponsors Joseph's Joinery - the only snag being that with a bolt at the bottom as well as the top, I need someone to close it behind me. The cover at the Eaton Street end gave me some shadow to work in. Ben Barnes was sensibly wearing a cap, but I do not recall ever having seen a linesman wearing one, even though in this case he was looking straight into the sun for most of the 45 minutes.

The linesman watches Reece McNally

We had taken the opportunity presented by the weather to play friendlies against Southport and Chorley, and made a new signing, Junior Dos Santos, who has played with West Ham's youth setup and recently relocated to the north. Some tweets telling us he was enjoying training and looking forward to playing for the club went a long way to ensuring an enthusiastic welcome when he came on.

Junior Dos Santos

The visitors' goal came when Ben Barnes made one of those howlers that keep goalkeepers awake at night - an innocuous free kick came in his direction, he had the options of gathering it in his hands, stopping it with his feet or falling on it. A moment's hesitation meant he did none, and the ball trickled into the net. It is the goalkeeper's lot that talk after the game was of whether I had a picture of the miss rather than one of the acrobatic save I have published above.

For the last quarter of an hour, the shadow of the stand was long enough to let me take position by the side of the pitch.

Matthew Hamilton

We were joined for the afternoon by some friends from Larvik, Norway, the home town of the father and son Norwegian internationals Gunnar and Hallvar Thoresen. The Thoresens made their names with Larvik Turn, whereas our visitors support the town's older football team but younger sports club, IF Fram. They have sponsored some shirt numbers in the name of the town for a couple of seasons, and were making their first visit to Prescot.

Bjørn Nilsson from Larvik presents Baba Conteh with his 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 2 (Almond 2 (1 pen)) Ramsbottom United 1.

Dave West RIP

In 1991, when I first started watching non League Football, the internet was a distant dream. For information we relied on Team Talk magazine and the Non League Directory, the latter still going strong. Digital photography was for space exploration - on land we used film and it cost money for every shot, so you needed to be good to get a return for your money. I once tried photographing a match on film: it cost me £7 or £8 at 1993 prices, the shots still needed cropping, and I did not have anywhere to show them.

For players and clubs, a highlight would be a photograph in Team Talk. They had a team of photographers, amongst whom was Dave West, who died on Monday. Dave was a supporter of Croydon FC, although I wonder how he found time to watch them as he was a familiar figure on the southern non-league circuit. Even as an irregular supporter at Dulwich Hamlet I would bump into him two or three times a season, a cheerful gentleman who seemed to know everybody. As well as football, he also covered rugby league and ice hockey.

When digital cameras of sufficient quality for sports work became affordable, the pictures from the likes of Dave were a standard against which we could measure our work. Even in the era of club websites, and people like me trying to get every player in a collection, the print media, and the work of those who give much of their time to recording the wider game remain popular.

I had not seen Dave for a while, these days "it is little I repair to the matches of the Southron folk", but I know he will be missed by those in football, rugby league and ice hockey around London, and there will continue to be those of us looking to follow his example in standards of both work and conduct.

Pretty Flamingo

At the end of last week, the gay bit of my Twitter feed took an unexpected interest in Scarborough, as it was announced the American chanteuse Britney Spears is playing the Open Air Theatre in the summer. Being as unfamiliar with Ms Spears' work as I am with the Premier League, I concentrated on Prescot Cables' visit to Scarborough Athletic's Flamingo Land Stadium, which, sadly, is only named after the local attraction rather than hosting their flamingoes.

The ground's new postcode is not recognised by Mr Google's maps (it takes months to work through all systems), but they have a not strictly accurate marker for the entrance off Seamer Road. This is convenient from the south and west, but, as I found later, from the town it is three sides of a square. Near the ground, Lloyd Dean's father, Barry, pulled alongside to ask if I knew where the entrance was (I did not), and offer a lift for the last few hundred yards. I hopped in, and we flagged down a home supporter, who suggested we park in the side streets, about the same distance from our destination as when I got in the car.

The attendance was 1377, about the upper limit of comfort as the ground stands. It is some way short of the official 2070 capacity, the calculations must assume tall people will let short people stand in front of them, and they could make it better known there are no seats for non season ticket holders. I noticed some metal terraces to be installed along the side, which will increase capacity and comfort.

Jordan Wynne in front of the crowd at the covered end

Reece McNally with a full house at the side

Those on the coach reported bag searches and confiscated drinks, but I breezed in with full luggage and a bottle of water. I then committed a cardinal error, trying new kit without having fully tested it. I received a camera hand grip as a present, and planned to try it. I need both hands changing lenses standing up, with the body hanging free on the strap, and had not considered how to do it with one hand full. Then the clip that worked well, if stiffly, at home, proved more resistant to hands cold from a walk along the front and keeping my lunchtime haddock out of the sight of inquisitive seagulls. By the time I changed to the neck strap, the tunnel was in position, so I stood behind the pitch perimeter.

We won the toss and elected to play towards the covered end, which met with boos from the locals. The clear seaside light gave me some crisp pictures. Joey Faux returned to action - and had his name announced correctly rather than ending up as Fox, as elsewhere in Yorkshire.

Joey Faux

Reece Fishwick, however, acquired a silent "w".

Reece Fishwick

It looked as though we were short of players fit, eligible and able to travel, as we only named three substitutes.

Ben Barnes was kept busy.

Ben Barnes

I swapped sides half way through the first half.

Chris Almond

The hosts proved more effective than when visiting us a few weeks ago, and went in at half time two goals up.

I wondered where to stand for the second half, but there was space when some home supporters changed ends. A substantial number stayed put, and were not pleased with those of ours who wanted to stand behind the goal we were attacking. I did not see much of the disagreement - mainly backs of heads - but the Police, who were outside as I came in, were called and ejected one or two individuals, and seemed concerned at people using the toilet more than once. The officers looked quite young: wait 'til you get to my age constable... There was talk afterwards of the need for an away end, but I have been in bigger crowds without, so I think it depends more on the home club dealing with the small number of idiots that inevitably appear in a large crowd.

I was happy with the floodlights, which gave good results, at least in the half we were attacking.

Matthew Hamilton

A third goal in the last five minutes secured the points for Scarborough and did their goal difference no harm.

I was still unacquainted with the quicker route to town, so returned the way I came. I hoped to take refreshment in the Stumble Inn, but it had the problem of a micropub, a couple of dozen people left nowhere to perch, so I stumbled back out and adjourned to the more spacious Angel.

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

Final score: Scarborough Athletic 3 Prescot Cables 0