Cammell Laird 1907 0-3 Vauxhall Motors

By Ethan Hoijord, Photos by Marc Gibbs

Kirklands | Saturday 23rd July 2022 | 3pm

 

Vauxhall Motors beat Cammell Lairds 3-0 away from home, with a performance great and resolute in both attack and defence, as Trialist A, Jamie Eaton and Ben Dufton-Kelly all found themselves on the scoresheet.

There were few chances in the opening stages of the match, as both sides aimed to find their feet, with debutant Lewis Buckley coming closest for the visitors as his shot from outside the box was tipped over the bar. Nothing would come from the set piece.

However, Mick McGraa’s men would put themselves in front just before the half hour mark when Trialist A would slot the ball into the keeper’s bottom right corner after the ball was won back well in Lairds’ defensive third.

Sparking some frustration, Lairds’ pacey attacker, who was through on goal, was brought down with a good but powerful tackle by Joe Heath. A free kick was awarded but there would be no card and the kick came to no fruition as the ball sailed past the post.

Despite the earlier goal, Lairds defence worked well to combat the visitors game plan as it was evident that their aim was to attack the wings.

The hosts would then have a good chance to level the scoreline after a mistake gifted them the ball and their forwards worked well to present themselves with a shot on goal.

The attempt was saved brilliantly by Trialist B before the rebound went wide for a goal kick, the whistle blowing for half time with McGraa’s men in the lead.

Sean Moscrop and Trialist C replaced Haydn Cooper and Michael Burkey in the opening ten minutes of the second half as Motors aimed to extend or at least consolidate their lead. Striker Lewis Buckley would then be replaced by Ben Dufton-Kelly,

There were two substitutions that followed this, taking Motors total up to five, defensive duo Marcus James and Ethan Gouldbourne replaced by Thomas Mitchell and Jamie Eaton as the visitors were awarded a corner.

Motors’ narrow lead was extended when a corner was poorly defended, Jamie Eaton had acres of space in the centre of the box and was able to rifle home his effort into the keeper’s bottom right corner.

The third and final goal came following a poor tackle by Lairds right back which resulted in a free kick, Ben Holmes would cross the ball in and former Lairds player, Ben Dufton-Kelly’s header slotted comfortably in the keeper’s bottom right corner.

Despite this only being a pre-season friendly, there were plenty of positives for Mick McGraa to take from the game as he starts to prepare for the upcoming league season, which kicks off next weekend at home to Kendal Town.

Vauxhall Motors, Managed by Mick McGraa – Trialist B, Ethan Gouldbourne, Greg Drummond, Marcus James, Joe Heath, Haydn Cooper, Trialist A, Ben Holmes, Lewis Buckley, Jordan Deer, Michael Burkey.

Cammell Laird 1907, Managed by Stuart Keir – Nathan Davidson, Jake Hulley, John James King, Danny Stevenson, Jack Wood, Gabriel Gabwalo, Ethan Galt, Ross Waring, Ben Wood, Cameron McGregor, Luke Edwards.