Pioneer sports editor Christopher Beesley concludes his two-part look at a remarkable season which saw the Motormen drop to third from bottom before soaring into a ninth-place final finish with a 13-match unbeaten run. This week, he reviews the second half of the campaign with Vauxhall manager Owen Brown.
THE phrases 'watershed' and 'turning point' are often overused in football, but if one game signalled the revival in fortunes of Vauxhall FC then it was the 3-2 victory over Southport on January 31.
Before the match, Vauxhall, still languishing third from bottom in the UniBond Premier Division table, had averaged less than a point a game and new manager Owen Brown had failed to lead his side to a single league victory in a dozen attempts.
Following their previous outing at Harrogate - an unfortunate 3-2 loss in which the Motormen had shown great promise - chairman Alan Bartlam had made the point of publicly reaffirming the commit-tee's support of Brown.
But after securing the initial league success of Brown's tenure, Vauxhall embarked on a run of championship form which would see them beaten just twice in their last 19 matches, collecting 43 points on the way, and unbeaten in their final 13 games.
Brown said: 'The first league victory was a great shot in the arm for us and gave us the confidence that we were still capable of beating teams in big games. We'd already put in some good performances in the weeks leading up to Southport and knew that a change in fortunes would come in time.
'When I took the job, I don't think I quite realised just what a state the team were in. I hadn't seen them for a while and thought that I was just inheriting a decent side who had hit a bit of bad form. I soon found that their morale was at rock bottom as they hadn't won a game in eight weeks - it was a very turbulent time.'
He added: 'My assistant Clive Evans and I looked at what the team were doing and while they were still playing lots of good stuff, we couldn't defend to save our lives. We were looking to strengthen the squad from day one. We knew we had good players but were always aware that improvements needed to be made and we needed a greater physical presence.'
Brown chased a number of potential centre-back signings without success before landing former Vauxhall player Brad Cullen, who had previously turned out for the Motormen under Alvin McDonald but had recently been restricted to Sunday League appearances due to work commitments.
Brown said: 'While we already had the likes of Craig Robinson, who we kept in the side, our good defenders were still lacking confidence because they'd been let down by the people around them. As the weeks went by, our defensive options increased as Mike Tomlinson returned from injury and we got Alan Griffiths fitter than he had been.
A major piece in the puzzle was the acquisition of Crewe Alexandra's former youth team captain Mark Roberts, on-loan from the Division One side initially for a month but eventually for the remainder of the campaign.
The tall 20-year-old displayed the poise of a veteran as he steadied Vauxhall's back line while also chipping in with a couple of important goals.
Making his Motormen debut in the momentous win against Southport, it was no coincidence that his arrival came at the same time as an upsurge in form.
Brown said: 'Mark had already been on loan at Leek in UniBond One and had done really well. He's shown that he wasn't afraid to battle it out at this level but he also tried to play in the right manner. He had a good start here and got better and better. He played a part in what we've done and we wish him all the best.'
Another relative youngster showing maturity beyond his years was former Liverpool FC academy goalkeeper Tim Dittmer, 19, who was a calming influence between the sticks.
Vauxhall remained in 20th place until early March when a brace of wins in four days (2-0 at home to Alfreton and 1-0 at Barrow) catapulted them into the top-13 Conference North qualification places and they never looked back, eventually climbing to ninth spot.
As well as personnel changes, a crucial tactical move by Brown was to install Robbie Lawton, who had been attracting interest from Southport, as captain.
Brown said: 'Our previous skipper, Kevin Lynch, was trying that hard to lead by example that the role was affecting him with things like were going astray. I always thought that Robbie had the personality to be captain and he has grown into the role.'
Although Vauxhall have been dealt the blow of losing top scorer Terry Fearns, to Southport of all teams, Brown remains upbeat about his side's chances in the new Conference North division next season.
He said: 'Terry will score goals wherever he goes but we've managed to tie Peter Cumiskey to a new deal and he got 30 despite playing half the season on the wing. We've also got young Leighton McGivern, who is a sharp, direct and exciting striker and over the summer I'm hoping to add some more firepower.
'I think the style of play in the new division will suit us because there are more footballing teams and while you've got to compete, we have technical play-ers who try to play good football. In the UniBond League, we were one of only a few sides to play that way.'
