Match Preview :- Vauxhall Motors - Saturday September 15th, 2007 (15:00:00)
Celtic are back on the road on Saturday when we travel to the Wirral to take on Vauxhall Motors (3pm kick off). Vauxhall have won just twice this season, and find themselves just outside the drop zone on seven points, just one point behind Celtic but six places behind.

Both of Vauxhall?s wins this season have come at home, beating Redditch on the opening day of the season 2-0, and Alfreton Town in their last home match, 3-2. Their other home match this season saw Workington comprehensively beat them with a 5-2 score-line. On the road, Hyde and Kettering have both knocked six past them, giving Vauxhall the unenviable stat of having the worst home defeat in the league (against Workington), the worst away defeat (against Kettering, 6-0) and the highest aggregate (against Hyde 6-3). They have conceded more goals than any other team in the league, at twenty-one. This is three more than bottom placed Hucknall Town, and seven more than their next nearest rivals Leigh and Hinckley (both also in the bottom three). The game against Hyde was something of a spectacle. Hyde were 3-0 down in the first half, only to storm back and score six in the last twenty-four minutes.

Motors have kept two clean sheets this season, with neither Redditch nor Burscough scoring against them, the Burscough game giving them their only points on the road this season at a 0-0 draw.

They have managed to score eight goals so far this season, which is an average number of goals for the league so far (Celtic have nine), and Paul Taylor is not only Vauxhall?s top scorer with six, but currently leads the golden boot league having scored more than any other player in the league this season. Their average goals per game at home is 1.4 (0.8 overall), while their conceding rate is three goals per game at home (3.5 overall). The goals have come mainly in the first half, with three in the opening fifteen minutes, and the average time of their first goal this season is fourteen minutes. Conceding is mainly done in the second half with sixteen of the twenty-one goals conceded in this period, with the worst period around the seventy minute mark, with six conceded. They have also conceded two in the opening five minutes, and the average time of the first concession is thirty-six minutes.

The last time we met Vauxhall, resulted in Celtic getting a 2-2 draw at Rivacre Road, following a 3-3 draw at Bower Fold. Vauxhall?s last win at home was the season before last when they beat us 4-2 in a turgid affair. Whilst Celtic?s last win at Rivacre Road was the season before in Peter Wragg?s last match in charge when Celtic won 2-1.

Vauxhall?s last match was a 2-0 defeat away at Harrogate. In that match, Vauxhall lined up as:
1. Sean Lake
2. Lee Furlong
3. Jordan Holmes
4. John McMahon
5. Shaun Kelly
6. Alan Griffiths
7. Mike Garrity
8. Tom Field
9. Paul Taylor
10. Brian Mogan
11. Steve Johnson

Celtic should be welcoming back Steve Payne for this match after his fortnight off. Mark Haran may well be itching to get back on the field, but we will have to wait and see. In our last match, the goalless home draw with Blyth Spartans saw Celtic line up as:
1. Paddy Gamble
2. Mike Stringfellow
3. Andy Smart
4. James Dudgeon
5. Terry Barwick
6. Paul Sykes
7. Lee Ellington
8. Ashley Winn
9. Chris Hall
10. Matty Barlow
11. Ashley Burbeary

Celtic really need a good solid win to get their season going. Whether Vauxhall will provide the springboard remains to be seen, but the team does look capable of giving somebody a pasting. With our past history with the Motormen it is unlikely that this will be that match, though. We have never been convincing against them, and the prediction algorithm is agreeing, suggesting a 1-1 draw.
Table
P Pts
16 Tamworth 8 8
17 Alfreton Town 8 7
18 Vauxhall Motors 8 7
19 Blyth Spartans 8 6
20 Hinckley United 8 5
Results
Sat 15 Sep 2007Stalybridge Celtic2-5
Sat 08 Sep 2007Harrogate Town0-2
Sat 01 Sep 2007Alfreton Town3-2
Mon 27 Aug 2007Burscough0-0
Sat 25 Aug 2007Workington2-5
Goal Scorers
Taylor, Paul7
Garrity, Mike2
Furlong, Lee2
Field, Tom1
Previous Meetings
Saturday March 16, 2024
3
1
Saturday December 09, 2023
1
2
Tuesday January 21, 2020
0
1
Saturday March 15, 2014
1
3
Saturday November 16, 2013
3
0
Records
Home win Redditch United2-0Sat 11th Aug
Away win Never won away
Home defeat Workington2-5Sat 25th Aug
Away defeat Kettering Town6-0Sat 18th Aug
Home score Workington2-5Sat 25th Aug
Away score Hyde United6-3Mon 13th Aug
Games Since... Overall Home Away
Last Scored 214
Last Conceded 111
Last Won 21n/a
Last Drew 121
Directions
Distance: 52
Time: 50 minutes

Leave the M67 and join the M60 towards Stockport.
Leave the M60 at Junction 4 (Chester and M56).
After 30 miles on the M56 join the M53 towards Birkenhead.
After 6 miles leave the M53 at junction 5 (Birkenhead and A41) At the roundabout at the bottom of the slip road turn left (exit 1 of 4) to join the A41 (New Chester Road).
Take the next left at the traffic lights by the Four Chimneys Pub onto Hooton Green.
Follow Hooton Green to the end, and turn left onto Hooton Lane.
Follow Hooton Lane to the end, and turn right, and the club will be a few hundred yards on the right.