Droylsden F.C.-The bloods on the net!

DROYLSDEN 1 - 0 VAUXHALL MOTORS

Nationwide North, Monday 1st January 2007

Report by Gary Owen

Perhaps having felt hard done by in the Boxing Day defeat at Rivacre Park, Vauxhall Motors arrived at the Butcher's Arms looking for revenge, but left feeling more frustrated and bemused at how they lost a game which they dominated for long periods, but were ultimately let down by the quality of their final ball and their finishing.

The Motoromen took an early grip on the midfield battle and Stuart Whittaker twice forced saves out of Paul Phillips.

Argualbly the best chance of the game fell on ten minutes, when Thomas Rooney beat both Craig Robinson and Phillips, and steered the ball towards the unguarded goal, only for captain marvel Garry Burke to hook off the line.

It was, therefore, against the run of play when the only goal of the game arrived in fortuitous fashion for the hosts. Kevin Lynch's shot was en route to being some ten yards wide of the mark, before Terry Fearns somehow managed to re-direct it beyond the reach of Sean Lake and into the Motormen's net on 19 minutes.

Vauxhall hit back, but Brian Moogan's shot went too high after a great cross by Lee Dames.

Steve Daly forced Lake into a low save after a good turn by Jody Banim, but Vauxhall continued to create chances. Firstly, Joe McMahon was inches over with a header after former Blood, Tom Field, had forced a corner, and then Field himself saw his goal-bound effort blocked before the half-time whistle brought a reprive for the beleagured Bloods.

Dave Pace's pep talk and substitutions appeared to have done the trick, as Droylsden began the second half in the ascendancy, with Jamie Tandy making probing runs down the left flank. He had a shot go just wide, before Burke saw his header brush the top of the bar.

Karl O'Donnell's shot on the turn was too high for the visitors, and then Gareth Morris saw his angled drive find the side netting at the other end.

Phillips came to Droylsden's rescue on 65 minutes, when he turned away Whittaker's deflected shot.

Steve Jagielka was then unlucky to see his header beat Lake but strike the post from Jamie Vaughan's cross, but Steve McNulty was just wide with a header for the visitors from a corner.

A mistake by Vaughan allowed Vauxhall to attack, and Robinson had to clear off the goal-line. From the resultant corner, Vaughan himself then had some last ditch goal-line defending to do as the team from the Wirral never gave up.

Robinson was forced into another goal-line clearance, this time from the diminutive O'Donnell, before Fearns forced Lake into a save and Tandy saw his shot palmed onto the post by the Vauxhall custodian in the dying moments.

Although the Bloods will be delighted with a maximum points' haul from the Christmas and New Year fixtures, they will have to produce better performances than this one if they are to maintain their present position at the helm of the Nationwide North. Vauxhall, on the other hand, must be wondering how their performance did not even merit a point, let alone all three.

DROYLSDEN: Phillips 7, Vaughan 5, Halford 7, Robinson 8, BURKE 8, Kelly 6, Jagielka 6, Lynch 6, Fearns 6, Daly 7, Banim 7.

SUBS: Morris 7 (for Lynch, 46), Tandy 8 (for Banim, 46), Adams (not used), Rapley 7 (for Jagielka, 79), Denham (not used).

VAUXHALL M.: Lake, Moogan, Dames, McMahon, McNulty, Griffiths, Garrity, O'Donnell, Rooney, Field, Whittaker.

SUBS: Addo (not used), Spellman (not used), Martindale (not used), Macauley (not used), Dittmer (not used).

ATTENDANCE: 329

REFEREE: Mr. D. S. Bond (Wigan, Greater Manchester)

SCORERS:

Droylsden - Fearns, 19