[larrymcg421]

December 3

Vauxhall (9-6-7, 12th) vs. FC Halifax (10-4-8, 8th)

FC Halifax beat us on a counter and take a lead in the 23rd minute. And that's all it would take because our offense has completely disappeared. We get shutout again and have now scored 1 goal in our last 4 matches. Pathetic.

Final: FC Halifax 1, Vauxhall 0
Goals:
Assists:
Top Three: Clark 7.1, Kennedy 6.9, Walker 6.8
Worst: Dey 6.2


December 10

FA Trophy: 2nd Round

Vauxhall vs. Eastleigh

I don't really care about the FA Trophy (and neither does the board), but it is frustrating that our offense is still nowhere to be seen. It is now 1 goal in our last 5 matches.

Final: Eastleigh 1, Vauxhall 0
Goals:
Assists:
Top Three: Byrne 7.1, Blakely 6.6, Walker 6.6
Worst: Clark 5.9


December 13

Vauxhall (9-6-8, 13th) at Ebbsfleet (11-6-6, 5th)

Well it felt like we had broken out of a slump as we control the pace of the game and get an incredible 22 shots on goal. However, we can only manage 1 first half goal and it takes an own goal for us to get some separation. That own goal was crucial because Ebbsfleet pull one back in the 72nd minute. The defense is strong enough to hold the lead.

Final: Vauxhall 2, Ebbsfleet 1
Goals: Worsfold
Assists: Belhout
Top Three: Belhout 7.5, Worsfold 7.5, Kennedy 6.9
Worst: Miller 6.1


December 26

Vauxhall (10-6-8, 11th) vs. Aldershot (7-6-11, 20th)

Once again the offense is worthless. Neither team gets many opportunities and it is a scoreless tie all the way until the 88th minute when Barnett sends a terrific cross to the far post, which Clark heads in for the dramatic game winner.

Final: Vauxhall 1, Aldershot 0
Goal: Clark
Assist: Barnett
Top Three: Clark 7.3, Kennedy 7.0, Walker 6.8
Worst: Worsfold 6.4


December 28

Vauxhall (11-6-8, 9th) vs. Staines (9-4-12, 16th)

Well now this is the match we've been waiting on. Kennedy and Worsfold get goals in the first 23 minutes to stake us to an early 2-0 lead. Then an own goal right before the half gives us a comfortable margin. In the 2nd half, a slumping Hubbard finally breaks through to make it 4-0. Staines pull one back late, but we win in dominating fashion.

Final: Vauxhall 4, Staines 1
Goals: Hubbard, Kennedy, Worsfold
Assists: Khan 2, Worsfold
Top Three: Kennedy 8.4, Worsfold 8.2, Khan 8.0
Worst: Martin 6.7


December 31

Vauxhall (12-6-8, 7th) at Braintree (8-4-14, 20th)

I don't have an explanation for what happened here. Braintree take an early lead when Byrne falls asleep and lets his man run right by him. No big deal because Clark scores only 2 minutes later. I feel good at this point because we are threatening and it seems to be only a matter of time before we capitalize. In the 40th minute, Tait misses an interception and they have an easy one on one. In the 45th minute, Byrne does the same thing and we're down 3-1. Then Kennedy gets caught in no man's land trying to dribble his way down the field, gets stripped and they go up 4-1. All of this happened in a 5 minute span. We pull one back in the 2nd half, but this was a stupid loss.

Final: Braintree 4, Vauxhall 2
Goals: Clark, Hubbard
Assists: Worsfold, Clark
Top Three: Clark 8.0, Hubbard 7.2, Belhout 6.7
Worst: Byrne 4.4


*It's amazing that after all the turmoil and poor performances we went through that we still have a shot at the league title. We are only 8 pts back. If we can get back to our early season form, we can win this.

*Byrne's contract is terminated. That 4.4 is the last straw. I'll find someone on loan that can do better than that. He finishes his Vauxhall career with 25 appearances and a 6.38 average rating.

*Salisbury City offer me a job interview. They are also a Skrill Premier squad and I'd have quadruple the payroll that I have now. It's tempting, but I want to finish this season with Vauxhall and see what happens before I leave.