Vauxhall Motors 0, Gainsborough Trinity 3

Mar 17 2008 by Alan Bartlam, Liverpool Daily Post

VAUXHALL’S hopes of building upon their midweek success over Boston came to grief in 11 mad minutes prior to the half-time whistle, when the determined visitors struck all three goals to complete their first ever league double over the relegation-threatened Motormen.

Trinity gained the initiative in this Blue Square North game following a lively start and it took a superb block by home captain Craig Robinson to deny Matt Austin.

Both sides might have scored before the visitors suddenly hit a purple patch, which began in the 34th minute.

Lewis McMahon cleverly played the ball out to the unmarked Ryan Mallon on the right and his shot beat home keeper Andrew Murphy on his near post.

Three minutes later Chris Hall doubled that lead with a drilled effort from just outside the area, having cut back on to his right foot following a cross-field run. And to add salt to the wound, what seemed a clear foul by Trinity defender James Dudgeon on Alan Griffiths from a corner, allowed Mallon to hook home a third just before the break from close in.

Motors were reduced to 10 men shortly after the break when Russell Hitchen was harshly shown a straight red, yet ironically, with interval substitute Ged Brannan pulling the strings in midfield, the hosts improved.

But for Adam Sollitt in the Gainsborough goal pulling off two excellent saves, from a free-kick by Brannan and a Paul Taylor curler, the final score could have been quite different.

VAUXHALL: Murphy, Owens, Egerton (Brannan 46), Griffiths, Holmes, Robinson, Smith (Roberts 53), Field, Heler, Hitchen, Taylor. Subs: Reed, Rooney.