Fixture: Oxford City 0 - 1 Rochdale
League: National League
Date: Saturday 12th August 2023
A first home National League game for Oxford City and another game in which it not only rained but poured for large parts. I used to run for cover in such rain but now I’m well equipped to ride it out, capture those rainy-day images and not worry about ruining my kit in the process!
The game was a few weeks ago now but I remember it was a fairly hectic afternoon because I was keen to capture as much of the day as possible - I think the first few games this season have been a bit chaotic in terms of what I’ve been trying to achieve alongside it all being a new experience. At least, things feel a bit calmer of late.
In terms of the match, it was largely controlled by the visitors who won the game with a 72nd minute strike from veteran Ian Henderson.
Photography Learning/Musings…
On the photography front, this was a game I was shooting for the Non-League paper. I was of course hoping to capture a big celebration with a last-minute City winner but alas it wasn’t to be.
Just before Rochdale scored I’d attached my 2x extender to the 300mm to give me 600mm. This had worked well at Aldershot the week before and I wanted to capture some close-ups of the managers and hence attached the extender.
It just so happened that a minute later Rochdale scored, so at the time I thought I was in luck and the extra reach would mean I could use the goal + celebration shots for the Non-League paper. However, when I got home and looked on the laptop I realised they were all pretty soft in focus. At the time I was a bit baffled but later realised that the heavy rain and then hot sunshine on a 4G potentially caused some haze/distortion which may have affected the shots. Hard to tell, but I’ve been reluctant to attach the 2x since…
Below you’ll find some of my favourite images from the game and a caption under each to explain why.
I asked two Oxford City fans for a picture before kick-off and maybe caught them a bit off-guard. As an introvert I much prefer taking fan photos from a distance :-)
Just before the walk-out, I liked the reflection of Oxford City captain Reece Fleet in the door.
I think this was Rochdale’s coach or assistant manager, I really liked this image of his quizzical look in the rain.
My favourite image of the game, Rochdale’s Ebanks-Landell in the rain.
The Shedenders! I liked the clarity of this image of the Oxford City fans and the falling rain.
This image caught my eye when editing images from the game because of the 3 City players all running toward the box in almost perfect alignment and distance!
As I mentioned earlier, this image is a little soft on the focus so like any good photographer I made it black & white to try and save it. I like the Rochdale fans celebrations in this and the contrast.
A chance goes begging. City’s Josh Ashby sees a shot or cross deflected behind the goal and you can see the fans driving the team on.
Post-match debrief. Oxford City’s management team reflect on the game with the John Radcliffe hospital in the background. Despite it being a place which doesn’t hold the best memories on a personal level, it’s a great background to have for photographs.
Appreciate you reading if you got this far and please feel free to let me know if you liked any particular images. The full album from the game can be found here: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjAQQyf.