Bromley 1-0 Rochdale A.F.C.

The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

Hi. Peter the FBWL copy editor here. 

Machel contacted me after the Rochdale game to ask if I could put together a G/B/U article. It was a bit last minute, but as I’d noticed Machel was missing from the press gantry, I started taking mental notes just in case.

But, while I was busy mapping a 2000-word ode to Jude Arthurs’ all-action display, Deji Elerewe’s marauding runs, and Ryan Jones’ impressive resurgence, I was also keeping an eye on Bromley’s club photographer, Martin Greig, who was busy snapping away on the frosty touch-line. Suddenly, I found myself wondering what the action was like from his perspective.

It was a freezing cold afternoon in the stands, let alone on the exposed expanse of the pitch, so I tried to put myself in the frostbitten shoes of a pitch-side photographer. You’ve got no shelter from the elements down there, no body heat from the crowd, no human wind-breaker (a name shared by the old-boy standing beside me in the stand). You’re left out there alone to shiver and snap.

Try as I might, I couldn’t get my head around it, so I contacted Martin after the game to ask if he’d select his three favourite shots from the match; one representing The Good, one The Bad, and one The Ugly.

To add some context for the untrained eye, I asked Martin to pen a few words to explain his choices. Well, he did that and then some, so I’m actually going to hand the rest of the article over to Martin. Call it outsourcing on my part, but it’s great to have such a close-up perspective on a game of football, particularly a game of ice and grit like this one.

So, from here on, Martin Greig gives you a photographer’s-eye-view of The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly from Bromley’s 1-0 home win over Rochdale. Over to you, Martin.

The team vs Rochdale A.F.C

Introduction

As the nights draw in during the bleak midwinter, finding the willpower to photograph games becomes increasingly difficult. 

The cold is one thing, but a lack of light is the photographer’s worst enemy. So when the icy winter mist descends on the field like an unwanted Christmas present, it makes you want to pack up and have a cup of tea in Broomfields. Who needs a frozen camera lens when you can watch the game on a 50-inch telly?

Cold kills goals (anecdotal, but I’m sure there are stats to back it up), so when the temperature plummets during the late autumn and winter, it can be slim pickings for a photographer. There are fruitful bounties to be had if you keep your eye peeled, but keeping your morale up long enough to snap them can be a hard ask.

It’s not always this bleak, though.

Season-openers in September and October, abundant with ripe apples and blackberries, provide ample light and a residual warmth that keeps your hopes high for the long, hard slog of a National League winter.

Matches in late October and November, rich in hawthorn berries, offer lingering light and the promise of a time photographers call ‘the golden hour.’ This is when the low-lying sun wraps around your subject like a halo and casts long shadows across the field. And, if you’re a photographer for a non-league club, you’re likely to enjoy a backdrop of warm autumnal colours from the trees at the stadium’s perimeter.

But, come December, adrift in holly and ivy berries, the leaves and light have fallen and so have your spirits. The high hopes of September quickly fade when you’re holding a heavy metal lens in sub-zero temperatures. Sometimes, through chattering teeth, you find yourself whispering: “What’s the point?”

And so we arrive at a game like Bromley’s 1-0 win over Rochdale at Hayes Lane. Here, I’ve selected three photographs that capture different shades of the Ravens’ victory. When you get a great shot, it answers all of your doubts. It doesn’t always go to plan though, as you’ll discover later.

The Good

In Andy Woodman’s post-match interview he stated that he highly rates Olufela Olomola’s workrate. Nothing says ‘workrate’ like a trail of steam on a cold winter’s evening. Fela was only on the park for 20 minutes, yet he grafted and provided a well-taken goal that separated the two teams.

When I was a fan in the stands, or watching on TV, I always found the steaming-sportsman effect amusing. Captured in photographic form, however, it really emphasises a player’s efforts on the pitch. It also happens to embody this tireless, hard-grafting Bromley side.

You may remember an article I wrote in May this year, listing my top five images of the 22/23 season. Included in the collection was an image of talented youngsters Ben Krauhaus and Kellen Fisher battling it out on an icy January day. You can almost feel the cold in the air in that picture and I think the same can be said for this shot of Olufela Olomola. Good photography conveys a certain time and place, but most importantly it gives you a sense of feeling. This image gives me that. How about you? 

The Bad

 I could fill this article with technically ‘bad’ images. Believe me, I take my share. But it’s important to remember that photographers shoot in long bursts, pre-empting exciting moments. This means that, whether the moment materialises or not, you end up with a lot of disappointing shots clogging your memory card.

This is frustrating, but it comes with the territory. Far more annoying is not getting the shot of the big moment at all. I’ll come to that in a bit.

On a theme of The Bad, I’ve chosen a photo that I took as the game ticked into its tense final minutes. While it’s difficult to capture the sense of nervousness in the stadium, there are other senses that I could convey.

A freezing mist had descended by this point, shrouding the stadium and its floodlights in a cold haze that made for a powerful image. Notice how the line of the penalty area pulls you right into the heart of the action on the pitch? That’s not an accident.

I often sit at this exact position pitch-side and align myself with the edge of the penalty area. This creates a natural ‘leading line’ in my shots, as you see above, which can create some really dramatic images. While it doesn’t always come off, this shot gets it bang on.

Here, the backdrop of the hulking grey stands and the perfectly central position of the line create an imposing sense of rigidity. This hints at the subtext that Hayes Lane has been a fortress for Bromley this season. Laying siege to this cold, gloomy castle isn’t likely to yield good results.

The Ugly

Sports photographers crave celebration snaps. They’re our money shot. They sell newspapers, adorn articles, and capture emotions that supporters and players cherish forever. But what if the subject runs the wrong way?

This is one of our pet hates, but it’s entirely luck of the draw. Neil Leifer, who captured the immortal image of heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali looming over a flattened Sonny Liston, once spoke about the element of luck in bagging his famous photograph.

“I was obviously in the right seat, but what matters is I didn’t miss… That’s what separates the best sports photographers from the ones that are just good. You have to get lucky in sports photography.”

I couldn’t agree more with Neil, and I’m a firm believer in the age-old adage that you create your own luck.

After the game, when I congratulated fellow photographer Chris Myatt on his cracking image of Fela wheeling away in celebration, Chris said: “Well, I couldn’t miss it, could I?!” 

Nailed it.

* * *

Peter here, signing off and handing over to you. What did you make of the game and Martin’s unique take on it? 

Where the game was concerned, I think it was a great example of game-management from the Bromley bench; soaking up pressure in the first half before flicking the switch in the second. It was another nervous finish for the Hayes Lane faithful to endure. Is this cause for concern?

Get involved in the comments section below.

Peters’s player ratings:

Grant Smith (8)

Callum Reynolds (8)

Josh Passley (7.5)

Deji Elerewe (8)

Corey Whitely (7.5)

Ryan Jones (8)

Besart Topalloj (8)

Jude Arthurs (9) MOTM

Michael Cheek (7.5)

Louis Dennis (6.5) (off for Olomola 73)

Ben Krauhaus (8)

Subs:

Olufela Olomola (8) 

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Thanks for taking the time to read the article by Martin.

Martin has provided the majority of the photos you have seen on ‘From Bromley with Love’.

You can follow Martin on Twitter here and if you would like to contact him re: his work or to purchase some prints please visit his website here

All articles are edited by Peter Etherington you can link to him here

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