Tividale FC

Report

Midland Football League
Premier Division
Saturday 16th April 2022
Tividale 2-0 Romulus

Three points from the Romans 

After the heart-breaking last-minute defeat against Lichfield City 4 days ago. Hopefully, a repeat of the effort we put in would bring us some reward against Romulus. But on the other hand, a repeat of the previous 5 performances and we were going to get nothing from this game.

Dave King welcomed back skipper Matt Hunt and Luke Carter to the team but Curtis Cocking was unavailable for this game.

It was a frenetic start to the game with both teams going at each other. In the 5th minute the home side created the first chance of the game when Elliott Hartley had his original shot blocked and his 2nd effort flashed across the face of the goal. On 17 minutes Romulus forward Trea Bertie played in Deshon Carty but he could not get enough on his shot to trouble Louis Connor in the Tividale goal and the keeper had no problem collecting the ball.

A minute later and Romulus were awarded a free kick on the edge of the Tividale box. Kory Burke stepped up to take it but smashed it into the Tividale wall. Jack Whelan was first to the rebound but his shot was deflected for a corner. From the resulting corner Callum Rudd headed wide. On the half hour a hurried clearance from Connor only went as far as Beatie. His shot was beaten away as far as Kory Burke but he blazed over the bar.

On 34 minutes The Roms nearly took the lead in bizarre fashion. An in-swinging corner glanced off the head of Hunt and crashed off his own crossbar and Joe Burroughs hooked clear. Two minutes later and against the run of play Tividale were ahead. They were awarded a free kick to the right of the Romulus penalty area. Darragh Bustin stepped up and drilled his shot around the wall, past Connor Hill in the Romulus goal and into the back of the net. On 38 minutes Tividale were awarded another free kick, this time a little further out Bustin stepped up again but this time floated it into the Romulus area but Carter could not keep his header down and put it over the bar.

Tividale were now in the ascendancy and on 44 minutes. A Brad Welding free kick found Hunt at the back post. He in turn headed the ball back across the penalty area and Ethan Muckley tried a spectacular scissor kick that flew wide. That ended the first half. A half that Romulus were the better side until Bustin’s free kick and then Tividale had the upper hand.

Half Time:- Tividale 1-0 Romulus

Tividale started the second half as they ended the first, on the front foot. Another Bustin free kick on 47 minutes but this time a well-positioned Hill collected it comfortably. A minute later and from a Bustin through ball Hartley held off a couple of defenders before placing the ball past Hill and into the back of the net to make it 2-0.

Tividale were now relentless in their attacking and should have added to their two-goal lead. Welding fired his free kick over the bar on 51 minutes and on 58 minutes a long Bustin throw was headed down by Carter for Jason Wood to strike and Hill did well to push the ball out for a corner. From the corner the ball beat everyone and Bustin retrieved it from the opposite side of the pitch. His cross was met by Muckley but Hill was equal to his header.

Bustin was through again in the 60th minute but he was again denied by a flying Hill who turned the ball around the post for a Tividale corner. Bustin then fired wide after some great work by Hartley in the 62nd minute. Four minutes later and Muckley failed to hit the target when through. Tividale had a penalty shout turned down in the 71st minute when Romulus full back Rylan John looked to have handled the ball in the area. But we can only presume that Mr Patrick thought that as it was so close to the defender it was more ball to hand than the other way round.

Tividale had one last chance in the 83rd minute when Hartley found Bustin with a great ball but again Hill was equal to his shot and made a comfortable save. So, in the end after weathering the Romulus attack’s in the first 36 minutes. Tividale got the break through and in the end maybe should have scored more than the two.

There was a possible first when a couple of minutes from the end Tividale made a double substitution with Lucas Muckley replacing his brother Ethan Muckley and also Alfie Bustin replacing his brother Darragh Bustin.

Full Time:- Tividale 2-0 Romulus

Tividale: – 1. Louis Connor, 2. Tom Hurdman 3. Brad Welding, 4. Luke Carter (14. TJ Munthali 80), 5. Joe Burroughs 6. Matt Hunt, 7. Lewis McPike, 8. Jason Wood, 9. Darragh Bustin (15. Alfie Bustin 89), 10. Ethan Muckley (12. Lucas Muckley 89), 11. Elliott Hartley

Unused Subs: – 13. Peter Hawk