Tividale FC

Report

Midland Football League
Premier Division
Saturday 17th August 2019
Gresley 1-3 Tividale

Gresley Grilled

Not many teams will go to The Moat Ground this season and dominate for as much as Tividale did in this game. Apart from a spell in the second half after Tividale gave away their now customary penalty. The home side were second best all over the park

With Luke Carter returning after the birth of his son last weekend. Manager Dave King was able to revert back to the back four that started the first two league games of the season. Due to Curtis Cocking serving the second of his 3 game ban and Harvey Walker injured. Darragh Bustin fresh from his two week holiday and missing the start of the season was drafted straight into midfield for his first game of the season.

The first few minutes was hair raising stuff as both teams went at it at full throttle with some fierce challenges. Tividale had the first chance as Jake Webb found Brad Welding with a telling ball and home keeper Ben Allsop made a stunning save to turn Welding’s shot over the bar.

On 24 minutes Gresley had their first chance when an Adrian Westwood shot fizzed over Ryan Cheshire’s bar. Tividale took the lead on 25 minutes when Lewis Probert won the ball for Tividale on the half way line drove to the edge of the Gresley area played the ball square into Bustin who absolutely lashed the ball past Allsop and into the back of the net.

Gresley striker Mark Potts had a chance to level the score when he was sent through from a Gresley lump forward a minute after going behind but he fired across Cheshire and past the keepers far post. On the half hour Gresley had another chance Tividale only half cleared a corner, the ball was pumped back in but Cheshire cleared literally off the foot of Gresley’s David Leak and from the resulting corner Albert Lansdowne headed wide. Tividale had one last chance in the half when Allsop did well to push over a Bustin free kick.

Half Time: Gresley 0-1 Tividale

The second half was only 9 minutes old when Tividale doubled their lead. A Welding corner was cleared straight back to him and his second attempt found Bustin at the back post and he buried his header into the Gresley net. Tividale should now have been in cruise control but for the third time in their first four games of the season, Tividale gave away a penalty and this had to be the softest of the lot. On 57 minutes Potts went down from an innocuous challenge from Dan Bryson and a spot kick was awarded. Jordan Fitzpatrick stepped up and despite Cheshire getting his hand to it he could not prevent the ball going in.

Gresley then had possibly their best spell of the game but as they pushed forward looking for the equaliser a compact Tividale defence and midfield made it difficult for the home side to break them down and with Welding, Webb and Dan Smith always looking dangerous on the break, conceding again was always going to be a possibility. On 62 minutes Carter shot straight at Allsop. Then on 67 minutes Allsop beat away a Bustin free kick. A minute later and Gresley had their best chance of the spell. A Fitzpatrick corner somehow landed in front of Leak a couple of yards out from Cheshire’s goal but he put the ball wide.

With 14 minutes to go Tividale should have put the game to bed when substitute Tyree Clarke (who had replaced Bustin a minute earlier) found Smith with a neat through ball but the forward fired wide. That was soon forgotten as a minute later Clarke played the ball out to Webb who beat his man down the right before crossing for Smith to head home. Gresley had one last chance when impressive substitute Devante Reitte went on another of his runs but he shot wide

Full Time: Gresley 1-3 Tividale