Nuneaton Town 3–1 Hinckley AFC — Under the Lights at Bedworth Oval

Nuneaton Town’s Dante Hesson volleys the ball towards goal.

Goals: Donzo (og 21), Johnson (40), Carsley (85) ; Rankin (89)
Attendance: 802

Nuneaton Town secured a 3–1 victory over Hinckley Town AFC in the A5 derby. The hosts took the lead when a defensive error from Hinckley saw the ball go into their own net. Danico Johnson doubled the advantage with a well-placed strike before half-time, and Callum Carsley somehow managed to curl the ball into the opposition’s goal from a tight angle outside the box to put the result beyond doubt. Hinckley grabbed a late goal through Lewis Rankin, but it wasn’t enough to challenge Nuneaton’s control.

Nuneaton were sharper and more composed throughout, creating the clearer chances and finishing efficiently. Hinckley struggled to respond once behind, leaving Nuneaton with another three points to extend their lead at the top.

Photographing the match

Evening football in October under floodlights always presents a challenge. At Bedworth Oval the light is uneven — bright at the centre, deep shadows at the edges. ISO needed to be high all night, and autofocus was fine in well-lit areas but slower in darker zones.

The balance is always delicate: I want a fast shutter (≥1/1000s ideally for sharp action), but that means I must accept wide apertures (thus narrower depth of field), and noise. In low light that becomes even more restrictive — anticipating where the player's head or foot will be is crucial. There were some near-miss frames where, for example, I got the wrong focus plane (foot or ball crisp, but head soft) — that’s part of the cost.

The conditions are far from perfect: uneven light, high noise, tiny margins for error. But that’s part of the non-league football photography journey — you wrestle with what’s given, and try to coax out something compelling.