Tividale FC

Report

Midland Football League
Premier Division
Tuesday 31st January 2023
Stone Old Alleynians 1-0 Tividale

The goal woes continue.

Football is an easy game to understand. Your team puts the ball in the oppositions net more times than they put it in yours. Whatever happens in between matters but it’s the goals scored and conceded that count. At the moment we are doing great in two thirds of the pitch. but that final third is letting us down.

For possibly the first time this season Tividale were unchanged from the side that drew with Studley at the weekend and they soon set the pace and had the first decent chance when a Jason Wood free kick on 6 minutes cannoned off the wall and out for a corner. Within a couple of minutes Stone had a penalty appeal turned down for what looked like handball.

On 16 minutes Stone keeper Raajan Gill pulled off a fine save tipping over a Dan Smith shot after he had been put through by Malcolm Melvin. Tividale continued to threaten and on 24 minutes a Ryan Snape volley that Smith thought was going wide, and he tried to glance it home but only succeed in putting it over the bar.

In the 27th minute, Alleynians had their first real chance and should have scored when an excellent deep cross from Ryan Goodwin found striker Jack Tomlinson in acres of space at Tividale’s back post. Unfortunately for the hosts, Tomlinson could only place his shot wide. Sam Bowater then had an effort that lacked any pace and Peter Hawk saved comfortably.

Tividale continued to see most of the ball with the Old Boys defending resiliently on the edge of their penalty area. In the 38th minute, Stone managed a rare break into their opponents’ half with defender Ollie Davies getting a shot in from the edge of their penalty area, only to see it well saved by Hawks in the Tividale goal.

Tividale will feel that they should have broken the deadlock on 41 minutes when Smith pounced on a Stone mistake but his ball to Snape gave the youngster too much to do and he could only find the side netting

Half time: Stone Old Alleynians 0-0 Tividale

The second half saw Tividale having much of the play again but unable to take advantage of their supremacy in possession. Alleynians, once again, struggled to make any real headway against their visitors with chances few and far between. Five minutes into the half, home keeper Gill made a rare error when he was unable to gather the ball after a Smith shot but fortunately, defender Joe Baxter was on hand to clear the ball away from danger.

In the 55th minute, Stone’s Ollie Davies launched a long, high cross over to the right-hand side of the Tividale penalty area where he found Baxter, who had joined the attack. As the ball came down, Baxter positioned himself perfectly to slam the ball, from the edge of the Tividale area, past Hawks and into the back of the net..

Tividale continued to press forward, and a Melvin shot was deflected wide on 73 minutes. Three minutes alter and Tividale had a golden chance to draw level and end the goal drought when Smith was pushed over by Goodwin in the home box and a penalty was awarded. Melvin stepped up and took the kick, but his shot clipped the bar and went over.

In the 70th minute Arman Khoshkhoo played in Jakob Burroughs, but Gill was equal to it. Although Stone was determined to see the game out with their goal in tact they were still dangerous on the counter and In the 80th minute, good play by Alleynians set Baxter up with another opportunity for a shot at the Tividale goal. This time however it went wide.

With five minutes to go, Alleynians’ defender Goodwin missed a clearance to give the visitors a late chance to equalise, but Nashawn Blake could only shoot into the arms of Gill.

Full Time:- Stone Old Alleynians 1-0 Tividale

Tividale: – 1. Peter Hawk, 2. Jack Fletcher (15. Fortune Sibanda 93), 3. David Solademi, 4. Jakob Burroughs, 5. Zac Kourouyianni, 6. Joe Burroughs, 17. Ryan Snape (12. Nashawn Blake 81), 8. Jason Wood, 9. Dan Smith (14. Arman Khoshkhoo 73), 10. Malcolm Melvin, 11. Harry Lewis.

Subs: – 13. Louis Connor, 16. Ashley Oliver