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| Rob Purdie |
Rob Purdie's goal celebration, ex Bulls manager Martin Foyle scoring for Oxford United and images of Hereford United football fans which were shortlisted for a top award are featuring in a virtual online display and in real time at a prestigious gallery. Taken by Herefordshire photojournalist Andy Compton, the photographs are part of an exhibition which has been extended.
The pictures are on show in an online exhibition (link below) and at The Photospace Gallery in Ludlow on weekends through December and January.
'One of the highlights of my career was photographing Hereford United, a team I have supported since a child,' said Andy from Kington.
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| Andy Compton |
Work as a professional photographer took him away from the County before returning in 1990 to work on the Hereford Journal. Two years later Andy was offered promotion to the Shropshire Star where he covered news and League of Wales matches and occasionally Aston Villa, Wolves, Stoke City, Shrewsbury Town and Telford United.
'It was odd covering Shrewsbury as a Hereford fan, but I never let the rivalry affect my job. I was lucky enough to be selected as official photographer for Newtown's European travels on two occasions. Accompanying the squad to Riga in Latvia and Krakow in Poland.'
Andy returned to the Hereford Journal in 2002 due to family commitments.
'I loved taking pictures at Hereford and got to know lots of fellow supporters. I enjoy the banter with them.'
In 2015 Andy's football images were shortlisted for the prestigious Birmingham Press Club Sports Photographer of the Year award.
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| Hereford United Supporters |
'I was up against photographers who were shooting Premier League matches week in, week out. I looked for something different, so submitted pics showing the range of emotions Bulls fans went through on the relegation battle final day at Aldershot. It felt good knowing images of Hereford United were being noticed alongside pictures of famous footballers'
The exhibition also features news pictures taken by Andy as a young freelancer to the current day working in Shropshire, Herefordshire and Mid Wales. The 1980s images are complimented by various other news images up to the modern day including local characters who have sadly passed away.
Andy who started out freelancing on his local newspaper the Mid Wales Journal, would like to thank the Shropshire Star for their support in exhibiting some of these images.
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| Former Hereford Manager Martin Foyle Scoring For Oxford |
The black and white images were scanned during lockdown and compliment later work which is now on display at The Photospace Gallery in Ludlow and online in the virtual gallery here: https://artspaces.kunstmatrix.com/en/exhibition/2790160/andy-compton-25-years