Vauxhall Motors - The Path To Power

Season Three: The Final

Sky Sports Presents:



Commentators:
Martin Tyler
Gary Neville


MT "Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, you are joining me here at Wembley on this glorious Sunday afternoon. Joining me today is the enthusiastic Gary Neville!"

GN "Thank you, Martin, and we have a wonderful game on our hands! It is the play-off final in the Blue Square Bet Premier and the winner will gain promotion to the Football League. For the owners of the clubs, this is an opportunity for their clubs to become professional, to generate good income and to gain a reputation across England. For the fans, this is their dream and promotion to the Football Leagues will never, ever be forgotten."

MT "The two contestants today are Forest Green and Vauxhall Motors. Forest Green finished second in the league while Vauxhall finished in fourth. This will be an exciting clash and there is one big name involved, the Vauxhall manager."

GN "He doesn't really need an introduction but we will give him one because he deserves it. He is one of the greatest musicians of all time, and a personal friend of mine. His name is Paul Hewson, or better known by his stage name of Bono. He became manager of Vauxhall in the summer of 2012 and has been successful since then. He won the Blue Square North that season, saved the club from relegation the next, and he has now guided them to the play-off finals this season. A remarkable achievement!"

MT "Let's have a look at the team sheets now."



Forest Green's Subs:
Barry Hutchings; Omar Koroma; Ricky Wellard; Nathaniel Jarvis; Ken Oman

Vauxhall Motors' Subs:
Ben Woodhead; Colin Cryan; Tom Rutter; Craig Mahon; Matt Doughty

MT "Both teams prefer the classic four-four-two today and it looks to be an exciting encounter! We will return soon for the match."




MT "The players are ready to start the game now. Forest Green will be playing in red, Vauxhall in white and blue. The fans are in full voice today, almost forty-thousand of them have traveled to Wembley to witness this game!"


Kick-off: MT "Forest Green start the final to the roar of the fans!"

2' Shot - woodwork: MT "Lund passes short to Brogan. He centers the ball to Bangura, out wide to Forbes. He holds off the defender and crossess... OFF THE BAR! Forest Green almost took the lead in a bizarre manner!" |||| |||| |||| GN "Those sort of situations are very hard to defend against and even harder to predict. I can guarantee that the Vauxhall 'keeper is relieved that that cross did not end up in the back of the net!"

25' Goal - Anoruo: MT "It's a throw for Forest Green. Stokes throws it short to Harrad, back to Stokes. Bangura now, to Bennet. He gives the ball away cheaply and Nat Kerr volleys it forward. Anoruo controls and is one-on-one with the 'keeper! He dummies and moves around him, GOAL!!! OBI ANORUO HAS SCORED IN THE FINAL FOR VAUXHALL MOTORS!!" |||| |||| |||| GN "That is a great goal for Vauxhall Motors! Forest Green has been in control of the game so far but Vauxhall punished them on the counter attack! There have been some rave reviews about Obi Anoruo and that goal is certainly not short of quality! Now Vauxhall have to defend this lead."

Forest Green 0-1 Vauxhall Motors

28' Goal - Harrad: MT "Moses takes the corner for Vauxhall. It's headed away easily by Lund. Forbes breaks with the ball past the halfway line, shifts it to Harrad. He plays Brogan down the left as Vauxhall race to get back. Brogan nutmegs Chiocchi and crosses for HARRAD!! He has leveled the score with a header of sublime quality!" |||| |||| |||| GN "It took just three minutes for Forest Green to equalize and they did it through a counter-attack too! It was a great piece of skill by Brogan but the header by Harrad was sheer quality, just unstoppable!"

Forest Green 1-1 Vauxhall Motors

42' Shot - saved: MT "This is a lovely passing move by Forest Green. Wellard knocks it through for HARRAD- SAVED BY ZAK JONES! That is a top save to deny the Forest Green striker!" |||| |||| |||| GN "That was a brilliant move by Forest Green to beat the Vauxhall defence but what a save by Zak Jones! There aren't many 'keepers out there anymore who would put their body on the line for the team but he is one of them! Now Vauxhall have to prepare to defend this corner."

45+2' Half Time: MT "We go in to the half time break with the scores level. Forest Green have created the majority of the chances but Vauxhall do not look like they are going to give up easily."

HT: Forest Green 1-1 Vauxhall Motors

Kick-off: MT "Vauxhall Motors start this second half looking a lot more hungry than before." |||| |||| |||| GN "I would bet my house on Paul Hewson having just given them an inspirational speech. He just knows how to motivate people."

65' Goal - Wilde: MT "That's a throw for Vauxhall, just in the opposition's half... Nice short passing move by Vauxhall. Putterill back to Moses, beautiful dinked ball for Anoruo to run on to. He squares it for WILDE!!! Vauxhall Motors are back in front after an exquisite passing move!" |||| |||| |||| GN "That might look like a simple attack to defend against, but it isn't! The way the Vauxhall players passed the ball around was amazing. Obi Anoruo was the focal point of the move again as he ran off of the defender's shoulder and his perfectly timed cross was easily tapped home by the experienced Michael Wilde. Obi Anoruo has stepped up to the plate today!"

Forest Green 1-2 Vauxhall Motors

69' Goal - Anoruo: MT "Chiocchi wins the ball back for Vauxhall. He passes back to his 'keeper. He launches it upfield to Anoruo, to Moses. He plays that back Nicholas. He hits it long and Anoruo goes one-on-one! Will he secure promotion? HE DOES!!! OBI ANORUO HAS FIRED VAUXHALL MOTORS TO THE FOOTBALL LEEEEEAAAAGUUEEE!!!" |||| |||| |||| GN "Ladies and gentlemen, take your hats off for a genius at work! He has single-handedly torn Forest Green to shreds! That was a brilliant long ball by Andrew Nicholas but the touch and the finish by Obi Anoruo was none other than first class! Well done Obi!"

Forest Green 1-3 Vauxhall Motors

76' Shot - woodwork: MT "Forest Green are forced to pass the ball around in their own half. Lund knocks a ball forward and Magno Vieira is through on goal down the right! He shoots OFF THE BAR!! That was his chance to get Forest Green back in this game!" |||| |||| |||| GN "He must be disgusted with himself because he knows how good a chance that was! The first time that Vauxhall's defence had switched off this half and he hits the bar, which is still rattling!"

76' Shot - woodwork: MT "Racine picks out Magno Vieira who has so much space down the right! Zak Jones came off his line too early and VIEIRA LOBS HIM... IT COMES OFF THE BAR!! How unlucky can you get? He has hit the bar twice in less than a minute!" |||| |||| |||| GN "So unlucky for Magno there. The lob is a very hard skill accomplish but he almost executed it perfectly. It was the original mistake by Zak Jones to close him down in that position which presented Vieira with the opportunity but he couldn't take his chance and Vauxhall's goal-frame is getting a hammering here!"

79' Shot - missed: MT "Stokes throws the ball in to Harrad. He has Forest players in the box to cross to. He picks out VIEIRA- just over the bar! Ohh, that was a sitter!" |||| |||| |||| GN "His confidence must be gone by now, he has missed three goalscoring opportunities in the space of three minutes. That was a perfectly weighted cross by Harrad and all Vieira had to do was keep his header down but it ended up behind the goal."

90+1' Full Time: MT "And it is full time here at Wembley as Vauxhall Motors have won the play-off final! Congratulations to them on gaining promotion to the Football League!" |||| |||| |||| GN "It has been an amazing final here at Wembley and the adventure of Vauxhall Motors has reached new heights! This is the greatest day in the club's history!"



Most Importantly:

Very well done mate! Brilliant!!!!

Fantastic result Justice, you have reached the football league!

Absolutely brilliant Justice! Good look as a pro club

Thanks guys, it was a terrific final! Next season is all that matters now

The Beautiful Game

"It might be days after the final now but I can still hear the cheers of celebration and I still have the urge to jump up and down and scream in joy. It was a wonderful day for me, the players, the club and the fans. That was a day we will never forget, it was the most important day in the history of Vauxhall Motors.

I think that maybe we were a little tense starting off the game but we livened up by the time Obi scored his first goal of the day. I was a little worried when they struck back immediately but we had a good half-time team talk and the players performed excellently in the second half. When Obi scored his second and our third, I knew that we had secured promotion. Obi Anoruo is the greatest player to have ever played for Vauxhall Motors.



I am pleased to have signed a one year extension to my contract and I am happy to announce that there will be a part of the stands terraced which will add over a thousand more seats. This is magnificent for the club as it means we are moving forward quickly. I cannot wait for next season. The final we played, the atmosphere and the football, proves why football is the beautiful game!"

Vauxhall: Big In Both Ways

When you think of Vauxhall Motors, what comes to mind? For most people it's cars. But for some people, it's a small football team that play in Ellesmere Port. They might not have had a huge amount of attention in their history, but under new manager Paul Hewson (better known as Bono), they have been making huge headway in English football.

Since Hewson took over in 2012, he has led Vauxhall to two promotions, and now they're a professional club. When he joined Motors, they were languishing in the Blue Square North, the sixth tier of English football, for yet another year. They were crying out for someone to take the reigns, and lead them to glory. And what happened? World-renowned U2 star Bono joined the club in his first job as a manager. Many were critical of this decision by the Vauxhall board, but the fans backed it, and in good reason.

In his first season with the club, Bono took the club up a level to the Blue Square Premier, after he won the title in the Blue Square month. His side managed to amass a huge 81 points, and won the title by four points ahead of runners-up Altrincham. Not bad for a first season in football management, and suddenly the critics from the season before started to quieten down and listen to football's newest star.

After the glory and triumphs of his first season, his second with Vauxhall was much more of a roller-coaster. He spent much of the first half of the season battling to stay away from the relegation places, yet then had a period where his team was chasing the play-offs, a dramatic change from the early season form. Results then started to fluctuate as Vauxhall chased the play-off places, but ultimately the season ended fruitless, with Motors lying 13th at the end of the season, although comfortable 17 points above relegation. Again, critics started to quieten as Bono showed how good he is as a manager.

After mid-table mediocrity in his first season in the Blue Square Premier, Hewson was determined that 2014-15 was going to be his year, his biggest glory so far. He boldly started the season claiming "this is our year", and then consistently got his tactics right, and guided his team into the play-offs to try and gain promotion to the Football League.

This is where all that grit and determination would shine through for Hewson's men, in the play-offs, arguably the most exciting part of any season. First, Vauxhall faced a tough Cambridge side in the semi-final, but performed brilliantly under the pressure. They produced a 3-1 win in Ellesmere Port, before then pulling off a shock result in Cambridge, winning 2-1 to finish off a 5-2 aggregate win, and set up a date at Wembley against Forest Green.

The final at Wembley was by far and away the biggest game of Hewson's managerial career so far. Bigger than the game to gain promotion to this division two years earlier. Bigger than all those games to stay up in 2013-14. Bigger than the semi-final. The biggest and the best.

Many people involved in football wondered whether this final would be too much for the Irish manager. Whether he would crack under the pressure. Many predicted Forest Green to be the one to win promotion. They were wrong. It took Vauxhall just 25 minutes to open the scoring at Wembley, when goalscoring legend Anoruo dummied the keeper and put the ball into an empty net. That lead lasted just three minutes, however, before a header from Harrad brought the game back level.

At half time, it was 1-1, with all to play for. Many expected Forest Green to handle the pressure better, but it was Vauxhall who took the lead once again, after Wilde finished off a very good passing move for Motors to put them on the road to the Football League once again. Minutes later they sealed their promotion, when Anoruo doubled his tally after going one-on-one to send Vauxhall up. The fans in the stands were ballistic, and so, understandably, was Hewson.

Hewson has defied the many critics who tried to put him down when he joined the side two years ago. He has turned Vauxhall Motors into one of the rising clubs, and made himself known as one of the best current managers. Where can he take Vauxhall now?

Thanks Blue, that was just amazing!

I agree with you Justice! Great win against Forest Green! New signings at Vauxhall next year NPower League 2! You will take it by storm!!

Season Three: Season Review

Another season has past, and this one ended with a bang. It is time for another season report.

Blue Square Bet Premier

Up until mid-November, we were playing very well and we had good results. In these twenty-one games, we won fourteen games, drew four and lost just three. This was our best ever start to a season and it is one I hope to emulate in years to come. Our form in December was our best run for the rest of the season as inconsistency struck again. We did, however, change our fortunes dramatically for the play-offs which helped us to promotion.




We finished in fourth place in the league, which was a play-off spot. We did win the play-offs so it was us and Plymouth who were promoted to the NPower League Two. At the other end of the table, Harrogate, Eastleigh, Guiseley and Stockport were relegated to BSN/S.


Manager of the Season Award

FA Cup

I was disappointed that we were knocked out of the FA Cup straight away, especially to Cambridge.

The Final


Man City win the FA Cup, again, after a very contreversial victory over Chelsea in the Final.

FA Trophy

I was disappointed to be knocked out so early on but I am delighted that we do not have to compete in this competition next year.

The Final


Torquay emerged as the victors over Gateshead to lift the FA Trophy.

Rusell Latapy as a candidate for Manager Of The Year? This place is messed up(Congrats on winning that)!

way to go dude and blue did a awesome post for you too

Thanks LJO and Jason I am looking forward to the heights of European football! (In the future)

Season Four: Pre-Season

Our first season in the Football League is almost upon us. Before that, however, we still had pre-season to go through. With our ever-increasing debt, this pre-season was sure to have plenty of games to be played.



We had not less than seventeen friendlies. We played okay but we were struggling with injuries, understandably. These games brought in a lot of cash, earning us almost £150,000. We lost some games we should have won but that's football and we will learn from that.


Transfers


We didn't sign anybody permanently but we did sign two players on loan:





Our Finances


We are still in debt and expected to lose more this season but the pre-season has really helped our finances to not go out of control. Unfortunately we couldn't buy any players but we will look to strengthen our finances before we can even think about pushing for promotion to the NPower League One. I expect us to be stuck in League Two for quite a while.



Our Opening Fixtures


We open our campaign with Fleetwood at home. We will have a tough challenge against Championship side, Nottingham Forest in the Capital One Cup. My goal for the season is to avoid relegation so getting some points on the board is my primary objective. Hopefully we can stay up this season!

So many friendlies!!!