Nuneaton Borough 2 Vauxhall Motors 0
THERE was Mutch ado about injuries as the Motormen departed for the Midlands without talismanic top-scorer Paul Taylor and only enough players to carry four substitutes to Nuneaton Borough.
Andy Mutch’s small squad was ravaged by injury and illness, with the highest-profile casualty being 15-goal hotshot Taylor, who fell ill before the team travelled to their Blue Square North clash.
Influential midfielder Tom Field’s one-match ban compounded the problem.
Once the match started, Motors’ bad fortune continued as Joe McMahon, returning after seven weeks out with an ankle injury, tripped Borough’s on-loan striker Jordan Stephen just inside the box after 13 minutes.
Skipper Tom Curtis converted into the bottom left corner despite the efforts of Motors keeper Andrew Murphy.
Mark Reed then superbly set up Anthony Wright only for the Vauxhall man to be denied by the legs of Borough keeper Darren Acton from an acute angle.
The Indian sign hanging over Motors then saw McMahon forced out of action on 32 minutes with a recurrence of his ankle injury.
Veteran Ged Brannan almost restored parity for the visitors but his curling shot was palmed away by Acton.
Early in the second half Borough enjoyed a 10-minute spell of pressure and wasted a couple of chances, but for the remainder of the half were completely on the back foot as Motors took a firm hold of proceedings, pegging the hosts into their own half.
Peter Heler set up Alan Griffiths for a piledriver which Acton did brilliantly to tip over, Reed tricked his marker only to find Acton in the right place and substitute Ryan Wignall’s drive was blocked on route to goal as Motors threatened an equaliser.
But the breakthrough never arrived and right on full-time Nuneaton bagged the points with a second to give the scoreline a most flattering home victory.
Winning a throw-in near the corner flag, home substitute Danny Williams wrapped up the game when his shot slipped just inside the far post.
Vauxhall: Murphy, Owens, Dames, Smith (Wignall 60), McMahon (Holmes 32), Brannan, Heler, Griffiths, Reed, Marsh-Evans, Wright (Egerton 54).
Sub not used: Clarke.
