And so to the Syncreon Arena, aka Rivacre Park, for an FA Vase 4th round, last 32, clash between Vauxhall Motors and Hebburn Town.
Vauxhall Motors FC was founded in 1963, shortly after the opening of the Vauxhall car plant in Ellesmere Port. Initially playing, and then outgrowing, the Ellesmere Port League and the Wirral Combination, the Motormen moved to the West Cheshire League, winning the title in 1986.
The club relocated from the company owned Hooton Park to Rivacre Park in 1987 and that coincided with a successful application to join the North West Counties Football League - Division Two won in their first season. Despite finishing fifth in Division One the year after the club's board decided to take Motors back to the West Cheshire League.
Rejoining the NWCFL in 1994, the Motormen again immediately won the Division Two title, and in 2000 were Division One champions to move up to the Northern Premier League Division One.
As runners up in their inaugural season Vauxhall climbed to the Northern Premier League Premier, and, after beating QPR 1-0 in the FA Cup, took their place in the Conference North in 2004.
Despite finishing 21st in 2008, the liquidation of Nuneaton Borough and expulsion of Boston United provided a reprieve, and that was repeated in 2010 when a 20th place finish was obviated by Farsley Celtic's resignation and Northwich Victoria's forced relegation due to financial reasons.
However in March 2014 the club announced its intention to withdraw from the Conference North due to 'ever increasing costs' - I recall watching a game that season, the rain hosing down, the Motormen thrashing an on the way down Histon 4-0, and a crowd of 140....at Step Two.
And so to a third stint in the West Cheshire League, where the club finished runners up in 2018 and met the criteria to join the expanded NWCFL Division One South, where they finished runners up to Rylands last term - this time they are perched atop the division.
Hebburn Town
FC was founded in 1912 as a works team for the Reyrolles engineering
company. Playing under the company name, they joined Division Two of the Jarrow
and District Junior League. After
World War I they joined the South Shields Combination League, before
switching to the Tyneside Combination in 1923. They then moved to the
Tyneside League in 1927, and were league champions in 1938–39. During World War II they enlisted in the
Northern Combination in 1941, and after winning the Durham Challenge Cup in
1943, they won the league title the following season. The Hornets then moved to
the North Eastern League for the 1944–45 season, before returning to the
Northern Combination in 1945. The club remained in the Combination until
rejoining a relaunched North Eastern League in 1959.
In 1960
Reyrolles transferred to the Wearside League and were league
champions in 1967. In 1986 the club was renamed Hebburn Reyrolles, before
changing their name to Hebburn in 1988. In
1989 they climbed up to Division Two of the Northern League, and after
finishing fourth in 1992, they were promoted to Division One. Hebburn were
relegated back to Division Two in 1995 due to ground grading issues.
Subsequently promoted in 2000, The Hornets then adopted their current
name.
Relegation the year after, promotion in 2012, another relegation in 2014 and promotion back to the top tier in 2018 and then finishing runners up in Division One last time. The visitors from the Energy Check Sports Ground currently sit second this time, albeit having played 25, and hence considerably more than their challengers, of their 38 league games.
Past queuing traffic on the
opposite carriageway, spectators trying to reach Old Trafford for the
relegation six pointer between Manchester United and Norwich City, I spot
numberplates SHA40W (sadly not on a Rolls Royce !) and PA55 RAP (driving
school) and a liveried van 'Posh n Barks' (dog grooming). Thereafter the M56,
Stanlow flaring, belching fumes and the wind turbines in overdrive.
Onto the M53, beyond Cheshire
Oaks Designer Outlet and off at Junction 7 Netherpool and then right into
Rivacre Road and the stadium is on the left amidst a new housing estate.
There's a new fitness centre alongside with plenty of parking - although I
avoid grass and mud....
£5 in, a good crowd of 175
including 2 coachfuls of Hornets' supporters, with the near end supporting the
changing rooms, an Everton Football College static trailer and the vast
modern Vauxhall Sports Club. To my right is the 350 all seater main
grandstand, behind which are several all weather pitches, and the source of
many two balls on the pitch this afternoon !!
Also on this side is the club
shop, reopened after storm damage to the roof, and offices, whilst at the top
end is a walkway, backed by trees and the golf course. On the left is a covered
terrace, split in two to allow access to a rugby pitch and beyond which is the
M53 and the Vauxhall plant. The terrace is dedicated in honour of Mark Pearson,
who collapsed and died on 21.9.99 aged 34, whilst playing against Northwich
Victoria.
The Motormen are in white and
navy, with keeper Ryan Crump in orange and his shirt sponsored by Lookers,
whilst his team mates all sport Syncreon on their shirts. The Hornets,
naturally, are in yellow and black, with NE31 stitched into the back of their shirts;
the stadium announcer gives up, at the second attempt, at pronouncing Hebburn
substitute Angelos Eleftheriadis.... who fortunately doesn't play any further
part in this afternoon's proceedings !
With just over a minute on
the clock, the Hornets' Michael McKeown plays in ex Darlington striker Graeme
Armstrong, who is clearly being tugged back. Despite this he manages to lay the
ball off to Olli Martin on the left flank, and he finishes gloriously, curling
it into the bottom right corner. The referee then comes over to the Hebburn
bench to tell them he would have brought play back and issued a red card if
there had been no advantage. In the aftermath Vauxhall's Tom Mitchell is booked
for his ineffectual attempt at a professional foul.
Thereafter the strong cross
wind (but not the forecast heavy rain) takes centre stage and the tie
becomes a war of attrition. For the Motormen, Joe Heath shoots, but it's easy
for glovesman Mark Foden, who later drops a Glenn Rule free kick, causing
consternation.
Indeed the only other piece
of entertainment comes when the ball, not for the first time, goes into touch
and is headed by a Hornets' fan. The ball goes sideways but the fan still feels
pretty pleased with himself, and his pint is unspilt !! Then, strangely, the half
time draw is announced five minutes before half time.....
The second half is marginally
better with Hebburn having the first opportunity; Thomas Potter's glorious
cross sees an unmarked Martin head down and well wide - anything but glorious
this time.... Rule puts a free kick over the bar for Vauxhall.
Then the Hornets try to sting
the Motormen by scoring the all important second goal. McKeown has a long range
effort well turned aside by Crump, Armstrong can't quite get his foot round
another effort that trickles through, and finally Crump excels himself, diving
to keep out Potter's 20 yard drive.
Mitchell has a free header
for the Motormen, disappointingly wide, and then substitute Ben Holmes has his
free kick tipped over by Foden. There is a late scare as a Vauxhall cross zips
over, but with no final touch, to end a match where I was, in the
end, hoping that extra time wouldn't happen..... Hebburn go into the last
16 and an away tie at the last surviving NWCFL team, Longridge Town.
