Fixture: Aldershot Town 5-2 Oxford City
League: National League
Date: Saturday 5th August 2023
My first National League game and therefore the highest level of football I’ve photographed to date in my first competitive game as Oxford City photographer.
It was an incredible experience, despite heavy downpours on arrival, during the second half and of course the result (but it’s only the first game so no time for concern or panic). The rain meant I arrived at the ground at 2.10pm due to the traffic, having planned to be there at 1.30pm to capture some pre-game shots. It was actually raining so heavily on the walk to the ground that I had to stop and put my waterproof trousers on!
For any photographers reading, this was also my first time using my laptop during the game to edit photos & send them to the media team. It was a bit cumbersome during the warm-up because of the rain but luckily it subsided just before kick-off so I could edit a few photos during the first & second half without too much issue. It was certainly a lot better than trying to edit & send on my phone!
I’d been a bundle of nervous energy on Saturday morning. The drive was stressful (because I would be arriving later than I wanted to) and finding my way into the ground took a while after a 2hr drive and then a 10-minute walk in heavy rain! Once I got into the ground and got my bearings it was thoroughly enjoyable and I was certainly in my element!
Oxford City manager Ross Jenkins and assistant Andy Ballard look on during a wet warm-up!
I saw the Aldershot fans unveil this large flag of manager Tommy Widdrington before the game and moved to shoot it through a series of flags being waved by the mascots.
Aldershot fans celebrate their opening goal of the game. I’d purposely sat in front of their fans in case they scored, knowing they’d be good for both atmosphere and celebration photos. I may have been there with Oxford City, but I always want to capture the match in all its entirety.
A picture that I cropped and loved when I changed it to black & white. To me this says “football is back” and was an image I was super happy to capture on the opening day of the season.
I love the contrast of this image which I felt captured the differences between the two benches on Saturday. A calm Oxford City management team discuss the game whilst the ever-active Tommy Widdrington shouts instructions to his team.
A battle between Oxford City’s captain Reece Fleet and an Aldershot Town player. I love this image because of the framing, the colours and the fans in the background, one of my favs from Saturday.
Oxford City’s Aaron William-Bushell takes on an Aldershot defender during the second half.
I thought we’d seen the back of the rain before a torrential downpour during the second half! I shouldn’t moan too much though because it makes for some great photos and this was one of my favourites.
I’ve been shooting some shots with Instagram Stories in mind, this is an example of one such shot from Saturday.
My final shot from Saturday is this one of the Aldershot Town fans. I like how the light is on a particular section and then the fans further up drop into darkness.