Ten-man Seaham out of FA Vase after heavy Vauxhall Motors defeat

The Ellesmere Port based side comfortably overcame The Star at the Syncreon Arena on Saturday afternoon, with a red card early in the second-half adding to the visitors struggles.

This was a day when things didn’t quite click for Seaham. Despite a promising start and providing flashes of genuine quality, they left Cheshire on the wrong end of a 4-0 score-line and with in-form striker Dan Wilson facing a three-game ban following a scuffle that led to his sending-off early in the second-half.

Even so, manager Mark Collingwood insisted the only way forward for himself and his side was to look at themselves, rather than others. “I’m a firm believer that you make your own luck and we haven’t done enough to make any luck today, in my opinion.”

Indeed, their opponents Vauxhall Motors showed their class over the course of the game. They managed the contest impressively to ensure that – even when their visitors did enjoy good spells – they limited the chances conceded and were primed to spring onto the attack when the ball was won.

It was this measured approach that allowed Kevin Exell and Thomas Mitchell to provide the pair of well-taken sucker-punch goals in the 8^th and 24^th minute respectively that ultimately proved to be the foundation upon which their victory was built.

Tom Murray – in the 64^th - and substitute Kieran Hamm – in the 76^th - would then provide the cake with its icing as Vauxhall utilised the man advantage in the second-period to take full control of the game’s tempo and secure their place in Monday’s Second Round Vase draw.

With the tie offering a journey further afield than most and a break in the league schedule, the visit to the North-West had been a highly anticipated one for The Star. And that mindset was on show in the opening stages, as Collingwood’s side looked to be getting a good grip on the game.

It was something that made Exell’s opener all the more significant, as he guided a well-directed cross beyond Andy Hunter with seven minutes played to temper Seaham’s early momentum.

The Star were, impressively, able to maintain their good early pattern though. They continued to enjoy good spells of possession, but clear-cut opportunities failed to materialise once more.

When captain Thomas Mitchell forced home an in-swinging corner from the left midway through the half, the visitors were left to count the cost of taking no rewards from their early efforts.

Nonetheless, the remainder of the first-period represented their best spell of the game thus far.

They began to carve a few openings, with Kyle Oliver sending a low-effort into the gloves of Kristofer Leigh from 10-yards at the end of a well-constructed counter-attack on 28 minutes and Paul Garthwaite almost lobbing the home goalkeeper from 50-yards with an effort that skidded off the moist turf moments later.

Lee Hetherington then forced Leigh into more action at the very end of the half. His 25-yard free-kick was curling and dipping towards the bottom-right corner in the 45^th minute, but the Number 1 raced across his goal-line to palm behind.

The match’s biggest turning point would arrive ten minutes after the break, though.

Wilson saw red and Collingwood was sent from the dugout when a battle for the ball on the touchline between the Seaham forward and a Vauxhall centre-back developed into a scuffle that soon involved many of those on the pitch and on both benches.

They could probably count themselves unfortunate to have been the only ones dismissed in the wake of the incident, with Collingwood saying that the red card “absolutely destroyed us” and that he “felt for” his centre-forward, citing Wilson’s impressive disciplinary record.

The manager did, though, agree it was an experience he and his side could use in future: “Lessons learnt. Dan won’t get sent off again and what’s happened in the aftermath won’t happen again.”

It may have been unsurprising, but the way in which Vauxhall controlled the game for the final 35 minutes was still impressive. Patiently moving the ball forwards and from side-to-side for sustained periods, they pressed home the man advantage in efficient fashion.

Murray’s strike in the 64^th minute was equally, if not more, eye-catching. He burst inside from the left flank and, from 20-yards, curled a superbly accurate right-footed strike into the top-right corner of the net, with Hunter helpless.

Substitute Ryan Noble steered Kyle Oliver’s excellent cross just wide of the top-left corner on the volley following a swift counter-attack 10 minutes later, but they were working against the tide.

The chances kept coming for the hosts and Kieran Hamm converted another with 15 minutes of normal time remaining, as he drilled home a right-footed shot from close-range despite Hunter getting a glove to it.

Nonetheless, the Seaham goalkeeper was nothing short of outstanding on the afternoon. And that’s even without considering the fact he played the game with a fractured left-ankle.

He made a number of fantastic saves to ensure the difference between the sides was kept to four goals.

In the final ten minutes alone, he got down superbly well to keep out Kynan Mason’s shot when the full-back looked to have rounded him and then preceded to make an astounding double-stop that saw him first palm away another long-range Murray effort, before he sprang up to keep Hamm’s rebound out with his right-boot.

Collingwood described his performance as “tremendous”, and that “it shows to me that the players do care”.

As well as emphasising the need for positivity throughout the club after the recent run of results, he continued to insist upon the importance of relying only on their own ability to improve the situation: “We cannot feel sorry for ourselves. We’ve got to just pick ourselves up, dust ourselves down and turn it round.”

The visit of Guisborough Town to the Ferguson Motors Stadium on Saturday, Seaham’s first home game in over a month, could prove the perfect opportunity for everyone at the club to help the team get back on track, and make their own luck.  

Vauxhall Motors (4-2-3-1):

1. Kristofer Leigh; 2. Tom Quinn (Scarisbrick, 67’), 4. Declan Drysdale, 5. Tom Mitchell (C), 3. Kynan Mason; 6. Haydn Cooper, 8. Tom Murray; 11. Joe Brandon, 10. Daniel Cross, 7. Kevin Exell (YC) (Edwards, 65’); 9. Ben Holmes (Hamm, 72’)

Substitutes:

12. Kieran Hamm, 14. Kyle Scarisbrick, 15. Luke Edwards, 16. Greg Drummond, 17. Ben Greenop

Manager: Mick McGraa

Seaham Red Star (4-3-3):

1. Andy Hunter; 2. Matthew Lowrie, 5.Stuart Bramley, 6. Darryll Donnelly (YC), 3. Ross Toward (YC); 7. Lee Hetherington (Noble, 60’), 4. Kyle Oliver (C), 8. Paul Garthwaite (YC) (Clarke, 74’); 11. Jon Weirs (Haley, 64’), 9. Daniel Wilson (RC), 10. Tommy Scott

Substitutes:

12. Ryan Noble, 14. Harry Jewitt, 15. Liam Haley, 16. Daley Clarke

Manager: Mark Collingwood

Referee: Dale Baines

Goals:

Vauxhall Motors:

Exell (8’)

Mitchell (24’)

Murray (64’)

Hamm (76’)

Seaham Red Star:

N/A