Vauxhall Motors return back to action with a trip to Leek Town on Saturday afternoon.
The Motormen will be looking to put an end to their long winless run of six games against a side placed top of the Northern Premier League West Division.
Vauxhall’s last meeting with Leek brought a three-all draw on Halloween night as Daniel Trickett-Smith netted in the dying moments to crush a battling Motors who had, that evening, lost defender Ben Dufton-Kelly to an ACL injury.
Now back from the treatment table, it will be interesting to see what position Dufton-Kelly takes up for the tie at the Staffordshire side’s Harrison Park as in the last outing, he replaced recently recruited Jack Atkinson in net after he was dismissed early into the second half.
Leek will be aiming to add another three points next to their name as they continue their search for promotion. Josh Brehaut’s side narrowly beat second-placed Runcorn Linnets, away from home, on Tuesday night.
Talking ahead of Saturday’s game, Brehaut admitted that “It was a really difficult game against Vauxhall earlier in the season” and he expects Vauxhall to “make it really dogged and difficult” this time ‘round too.
As always, your support is greatly appreciated thus we look forward to seeing you on the road!
Leek Town FC Factfile:
Formed: 1946 as Leek Lowe Hamil FC.
Nickname: The Blues.
Ground: The F. Ball Community Stadium, Harrison Park, Leek, Staffordshire, ST13 8LD. The venue has a capacity of 3,600.
Manager: Josh Brehaut, the Port Vale academy coach took over from Neil Baker last September.
Last season: Finished second in the Northern Premier League Division One West table.
Current table: Following on from their win against Runcorn, Leek are now ten points clear of the second placed outfit.
Highest finish: 19th in the fifth tier in 1997-98.
Top goalscorer: Rob Stevenson, who signed for Leek in October 2016, has scored 18 goals this campaign. Trickett-Smith has 17.
Did you know: The club’s crest features a garb and a Staffordshire knot, both of which are elements of the town’s arms, as well as a caduceus, a symbol which appears on token coins issued in Leek in the 18th Century.
Last time we met: A three-all draw was played out on Halloween night at The VanEupen Arena. Vauxhall midfielder Ben Holmes netted twice as defender Adam Hughes also struck. Daniel Trickett-Smith netted twice for the visitors, including an equaliser in the game’s dying moments, top scorer Rob Stevenson bagged the other.
Honours: Leek Town reached the final of the FA Trophy in 1990 but lost, at Wembley Stadium, 3-0 against Barrow.