Rivacre Road
Ellesmere Port
Cheshire
CH66 1NJ
Ground Number: 1363
Friday 11th October 2024
Vauxhall Motors 3-1 Hanley Town
NPL D1 West
Vauxhall Motors 3-1 Hanley Town
NPL D1 West
VAUXHALL MOTORS FC - A BRIEF HISTORY
Vauxhall Motors FC were established in 1963, shortly after the factory opened at Ellesmere Port. It played in the Ellesmere Port League and the Wirral Combination early in its history, but it soon grew too strong for those leagues. By 1970, the club had achieved several promotions and played at the company-owned Hooton Park. By 1987 however, they opened their present ground, Rivacre Park. The opening of the new ground was especially notable as then-England manager Bobby Robson brought several former international stars for the opening game. On the pitch, the club also started finding some success, winning its first West Cheshire League championship in 1986. The new ground and results on the pitch gave them the impetus to make the step up to semi-professional football and the North West Counties League in 1987.
They won the league's Division 2 in 1989, finishing 4th in their debut season in Division 1. In 1992, they decided to move back down to the West Cheshire League. After two third-place finishes, they won the title in 1995 and returned to the North West Counties League. Again they won Division 2 in their first season. They spent four seasons in Division 1 before winning the title in 2000. Promoted to the NPL Division 1, it was a second consecutive promotion as they finished as runners-up behind Bradford Park Avenue. In 2002, they finished as runners-up to Burton Albion, their best-ever finish in the non-league pyramid as it was the second tier at the time. In 2004, they made the cut for the Conference North but never finished higher than 11th. Due to cost reasons, they resigned from the league in 2014, rejoining the West Cheshire League. Four seasons were spent here before they won promotion in 2018 as runners-up behind South Liverpool. Three seasons were spent in the North West Counties South but results over the pandemic seasons were good enough for promotion to the Premier Division. In 2023, they were champions and currently play in the NPL D1 West.
They are generally regarded as the local team of Ellesmere Port, although two other teams, Ellesmere Port and Ellesmere Port Town, play further down the pyramid in the West Cheshire League. The population here is around 61,000. The town was originally established on the River Mersey at the entrance to the Ellesmere Canal. As well as a service sector economy, it has retained large industries including the Stanlow oil refinery, chemical works and the Vauxhall Motors car factory. Charles Bronson, also known as Charles Salvador, the "most violent prisoner in Britain" lived in Ellesmere Port in his early teens. John Prescott, ex-Deputy Prime Minister attended the Grange Secondary Modern School in the town. Other residents have included comedian Lee Evans, footballers Joe Mercer, Stan Cullis, Graham Turner and Rob Jones as well as former Aston Villa owner Doug Ellis.
MY VISIT
From my train home from Gatwick, I was pleased to tick off the John Hawkshaw Wetherspoons as it was closed at weekends and has eluded me previously. A Shawarma Wrap chips and a pint of Black Dragon were £8.88, a bargain considering the pint was £5.49 on its own. It was all excellent and I was tempted to stay for another. But with a bit of a shift on, I'd make the half-hourly train to Amersham which I did via a Northern Line train with two minutes to spare. I was back in Amersham by 7.40 and after a brief wait, home half an hour later. I had a couple of spiced runs to round off my trip and it was good to be home. It was the usual Tuesday off work and the usual walk down Wycombe. Of course with it being my day off, it rained but I managed to avoid the worst of it before getting the bus back in bright sunshine. After the afternoon at home, I went down to Chesham United v Bishop's Cleeve in the FA Cup. Of course, the rain returned but there was plenty of cover. Bishops Cleeve were delayed on the way, meaning a late kickoff of 8 PM. The visitors had a sluggish start, 2-0 down within 20 minutes and the tie was as good as over. I was pleased for a good local team who won 4-0 in the end but it wasn't much of a spectacle.
After a dull Wednesday and Thursday, I was dismayed when I got in my car and the display flashed up a low tyre pressure warning. Thinking that it would be the worst possible time to get a puncture, I went to work concerned. I also had to defrost the car which made me late. Later I was concerned when the first tyre was 8 PSI below what it should be as it would have been a pain. Thankfully they were all similar, the cold weather affecting them as it often does. It was a busy day at work as ever on a Friday but I finished on time at 1. Colin was there and waiting for me but I was concerned when the warning light stayed on, though it soon turned off when we started moving. The journey time was decent for a Friday afternoon, all of the delay coming on the M6. We were at our hotel just before 5. Having stayed there in August, it wasn't very reassuring to see that they had started charging for parking, though it was only £3.10. We had a bit of time to rest in our room before leaving. Originally the intention had been to go to a takeaway. But there was a Spoons en route and a convenient spot to pick up Ollie and Sean who were coming by public transport. The ground was in a poor location public transport wise and I'd rather my mates got there and back safe rather than walking along some dodgy unlit road with no path. We left at 6.15 and were at the Wheatsheaf Wetherspoons half an hour later. I ordered burger, chips with spicy seasoning and a non-alcoholic Kopparberg for £6.73. Far cheaper than a Chinese takeaway and we got a sit-down meal. It was very similar to the one I visited in Swindon as both had big car parks. I didn't realise that the burger came with chips anyway but demolished both portions. We met up with the lads and left around 7.20. It was only five minutes to the ground. Entry was £10, a keyring £4 and a Golden Goal £1 (59th minute)
The teams' placings could not have been more different. Vauxhall Motors sat proudly at the top of the league and had won three in a row, including Tuesday's 3-2 win at Wythenshawe Town. Hanley Town were second bottom and had not won in six league games, their last game a 1-0 loss against fellow strugglers Atherton Collieries. It was a pretty dreadful first half, devoid of entertainment. Hanley had a man sent off for kicking out just before halftime but still hit the bar with a free kick just before the break. Vauxhall got motoring in the second half, taking a Cavalier attitude and started to carve out some chances. Josh Quarless hit a shot on the rebound from the edge of the area which flew in. The hosts brought on 45-year-old Kevin Ellison, a thorn in the side of Wycombe down the years. But Hanley looked for a way back into the game, having a number of chances and looking in no way like a struggling side. Vauxhall Motors sealed the game on 81 minutes when Connor Rankin rounded the keeper and slotted into the net. Not to be outdone, Hanley Town went up the other end and scored a cracker on 84 minutes from Dylan Scott. Vauxhall restored their two-goal lead on 86 minutes, who else but Kevin Ellison at the back post. There was even time for Ellison to be subbed off after 15 minutes due to injury. Overall a decent game that took a while to get going where Hanley can count themselves unlucky.
THE GROUND
I first visited Rivacre Park on Saturday 17th September 2011 on the way back from Wycombe Wanderers' 2-0 defeat at Tranmere Rovers. It was a tidy setup with a seated stand holding 350 and a similar-sized terrace opposite. The team had just returned from Halifax Town where they gained a big 5-1 victory and I was interested to see what changes had been made and get some proper photos.
I first visited Rivacre Park on Saturday 17th September 2011 on the way back from Wycombe Wanderers' 2-0 defeat at Tranmere Rovers. It was a tidy setup with a seated stand holding 350 and a similar-sized terrace opposite. The team had just returned from Halifax Town where they gained a big 5-1 victory and I was interested to see what changes had been made and get some proper photos.
2024 GROUND UPDATE
Little had changed aside from cosmetic changes. It looked like the stand was badly designed though, with the dugouts blocking a lot of the seats. Elsewhere, the club was excellent, a massive clubhouse, a good selection of food and decent club merchandise. There was also plenty of parking. The only issue is the location for public transport, there is absolutely none to the ground. The nearest train station and Wetherspoons are 45 minutes walk away down roads without pavements which aren't much fun to drive down in the dark either.
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