Turned out "Not to Blog" was the answer.
My last post was on 20th January. Since then, I've "celebrated" my 74th birthday, our son Mark has celebrated his 50th. Both events are reminders that I'm getting on a bit. Or more accurately, I've got on a bit.
To be frank - I haven't really felt like posting. 'Can't be arsed" about sums it up and I have absolutely no idea why I decided to type this new post now.
Anyway... The non-league football season progresses toward it's end and for some reason, it seems to have been a particularly long one. We've been to around 40 games this season, the majority involving Handsworth FC, Handsworth Reserves, Handsworth U21's and Handsworth U18s of course but we've also enjoyed visits to a couple of other games outside the Handsworth "umbrella" - like our trip to see old mates at Belper Town last Saturday.
Belper is where I began my football photography journey under the guidance of Tim Harrison, the Belper snapper who, basically, mentored me when I first began shooting football. That was back in 2007. A long time ago and another fact that makes me realise my age!
It's 2 years since our last visit. It was a lovely day weather-wise but not the best game of football we've ever seen. A good crowd of 591 saw a 0-0 draw between Belper and Stocksbridge. I took the camera of course but got involved in various chats with volunteers and supporters who are still at Belper from the days when we were Nailers supporters so not a lot of photos were taken.
It was also the first outing for the Duchess's new camera. She's upgraded to a Canon R7 and also bought a telephoto lens and new camera bag. So we are now totally "Canon mirrorless" at Nortoner Towers. Like me, chats with old friends took priority over her photographic efforts so it wasn't a massive test of her new gear although she did get some nice shots of the ground. The improvements to Belper Town's home are impressive and continuing!
We dined at Chester's fish and chip restaurant in Chesterfield on our way back from the game. February 24th was our son's 50th birthday and although he now lives in Rotterdam, we always celebrate his birthday by dining out even though he can't be with us! It's a great excuse for an evening out!
Handsworth FC have continued their up and down season over the last month although to be fair, the saying "you don't always get what you deserve in football" has certainly applied to The Ambers recently. A combination of injuries, player unavailability and, it has to be said, poor refereeing, means only one win and a draw have been secured in the last month.
Results don't tell the whole story however. In at least 2 or 3 of the games played, a late opposition goal has meant defeat or 2 points dropped. The good news is that the lads have played some good football at times which augurs well for the remainder of the season. As it is, Handsworth are in mid-table with only 8 games of the league season left and they are also still in the NCEL League Cup. Fingers crossed.
Ground improvements also continue at Olivers Mount. New LED floodlights have been installed and on a selfish note, photographing night games just got a whole lot easier!! The lights are really effective and really add to the "night match" atmosphere.
Lots of other stuff has happened since I last posted but the majority of events have been mundane and not worth boring you with.
See you next time - whenever that might be!
