Tividale FC

Report

Midland Football League
Premier Division
Saturday 18th March 2023
Tividale 2-0 Lichfield City

Good win on a big day

On a day that Tividale FC celebrated “The Boss” Dave King’s 300th game in the dugout. They gained a win and vital three league points for the first time since beating Atherstone at the end of November. The 13th time of asking.

Before the game, there was also a minutes silence in memory of our Assistant Manager Stuart How’s Grandad who sadly passed away in the week.

Tividale went into this game unchanged from the midweek game against Lye Town but changed the formation from a 4-4-2 to a 3-5-2. This by moving Louis Ezewele from the middle of the park to the middle of a defensive three.

Tividale were straight onto the front foot and threatened to overrun Lichfield in the opening minutes. Their first chance came on 7 minutes when a Zac Kourouyianni cross was headed back across goal by Dan Smith to Cody Mullan, but his shot was blocked. On 10 minutes Lichfield keeper James Beeson pulled off a stunning save to deny Arman Khoshkhoo.

Khoshkhoo was not to be denied on 17 minutes though when Smith found Mullan out wide right. His cross found Khoshkhoo at the back post and the forward took a touch before placing the ball past Beeson and into the back of the net.

The goal sparked the visitors into life and Luke Childs will feel he should have done better after a Lichfield break and Lewis Burnside had put him in on goal, but he shot into the side netting. Tividale’s Harry Lewis then whipped in a free kick that Joe Hawkins headed wide of Beeson’s post.

The conditions under foot where now getting a bit ropey as The Beeches was hit by a good 10 minutes of torrential rain. But there was no let-up of the action. A 38^th minute quickly taken free kick by Lichfield skipper Kyle Patterson to Matt Funge ended with the ex-Tividale loanee firing wide.

Half Time:- Tividale 1-0 Lichfield City

The second half opened with Burnside heading wide a Joe Haines cross after 48 minutes and then Funge heading wide a Patterson cross in the 55^th minute.

Tividale had a great chance to extend their lead in the 59^th minute when Smith was through on goal, but he just could not get the ball under control to get his shot off and Lichfield defender Ellis Jones was able to put in a tackle and clear the danger.

Childs then raced onto a long ball in the 64^th minute but his shot was well saved by Tividale keeper Connor. A couple of minutes later and Hawkins again failed to hit the target when he headed wide another Lewis free kick.

With the second downpour of the game came more Lichfield goalmouth action when a Mullan shot in the 72^nd minute was blocked and the follow up effort by Jack Fletcher was deflected wide for a corner. From the resulting Lewis corner the ball was cleared back out to him and his cross was headed wide by Kourouyianni.

Lichfield were immediately back at Tividale looking for the equaliser and substitute Josh Beeson’s header cleared the bar in the 75^th minute and Connor then pulled off another good save to deny another Lichfield substitute Dan Lomas.

As the game moved into the final 10 minutes Lewis shot wide on 81 minutes. Then 5 minutes later Fletcher surged into the Lichfield penalty area and goes down under the challenge of Josh Beeson. Penalty awarded and Lewis steps up and fires the spot kick into the right-hand corner sending keeper James Beeson the wrong way.

With Lichfield still trying to at least get a consolation goal. A Jordan Francis cross in the 90^th minute flashes past the Tividale 6-yard box but no one could get a touch to it. Tividale had the last chance of the game deep into stoppage time when a goal bound Callum Devlin shot was blocked by Jones.

Full Time:- Tividale 2-0 Lichfield City

Tividale: – 1. Louis Connor, 2. Zac Kourouyianni, 3. David Solademi, 4. Joe Burroughs, 5. Louis Ezewele, 6. Joe Hawkins, 17. Harry Lewis, 8. Cody Mullan, 9. Dan Smith, 10. Arman Khoshkhoo (15. Ryan Snape 73), 11. Jack Fletcher (14. Callum Devlin 90).

Unused Subs:- 12. Reinaldo Forbes, 13. Peter Hawk, 16. Kamol Campbell