Tividale FC

Report

Midland Football League
Premier Division
Saturday 3rd February 2024
Congleton Town 3-3 Tividale

Pride and Passion

If there has been one thing lacking this season with this set of lads, it is consistency. So, after the tremendous performance on Tuesday night, no one really knew what to expect away at table toppers Congleton Town.

So, to be three nil down after 30 minutes with the home side rampant. It did not bode well for the rest of the afternoon. But there is an old saying that “football is a funny old game” and nothing can surprise you.

Boss Stuart How made three changes from the midweek starting eleven. Max Morris, Ewan Edwards dropping to the bench and Joe Burroughs was unavailable due to work commitment. In came Ryan Snape, Malcolm Melvin, and Lewis Wright

Congleton in front of an amazing 700 plus fans at this level of football were at the visitors from the kick off and were appealing for a hand ball and penalty within two minutes but the referee waived play on. They had their first chance on goal after three minutes when a Brian Barton shot was well held by Louis Connor although the forward looked to be offside.

Tividale’s Jack Till’s snap shot just drifted wide after 8 minutes as they tried to relieve some of the pressure, but the home side just kept on coming and a minute later they opened the scoring. A long ball over the top and Connor does well to force Barton wide, but he pulls it back into the danger area, and after a little scramble in the box Peter Williams hits it in the far corner. Two minutes later and it is 2-0. The ball played out to Max McCarthy and his low driven shot found the bottom left hand corner.

On 14 minutes McCarthy reaches a long ball into the corner skips past the defender and whips a ball into the Barton at the back post who looked to get a touch to it but couldn’t hit the target. On 20 minutes Ethan Hartshorn had a rising effort from.25 yards that just cleared the Tividale bar. But they did not have to wait long for the third. In the 30th minute Tividale lose the ball on the halfway line and three passes later, George Sankey is there to finish off the move and stroke the ball into the back of the net.

Completely against the run of play on 33 minutes, Snape latches onto a forward pass, skips past his marker and shoots past Congleton keeper Daniel Parton and into the back of the net. A minute later and it was 3-2 through Snape again, as he gets on the end of a through ball that catches the home side asleep, and he fires the ball past the advancing Parton in goal.

After being battered for 30 minutes> Somehow Tividale are still in the game, and you can bet the team talk in both dressing rooms are a lot different to what they were 15 minutes ago.

Half Time:- Congleton Town 3-2 Tividale

With their new found confidence it was Tividale who started the half the better and from their first corner of the game on 57 minutes threatened but Town cleared. In the 58th minute Williams slides a pass into the box to Needham who whips a ball in, and Barton shoots and Connor collects. At the other end Tividale are looking for an equaliser and from a free kick Ewan Edwards puts the ball over the bar at the back post. Edwards then drives down the right and his cross is flicked on at the near post and put over by Till.

The game was now literally end to end as both sides looked to the all-important next goal. On 73 minutes a chance by Needham gives Congleton another corner as his shot takes a deflection. Then on 78 minutes a Hampton header comes off the cross bar. On 81 minutes substitute Max Morris throws himself and blocks a goal bound shot.

Connor then pulled off a brilliant save denying a Congleton effort when another cross from the right was met with a near post header and he pushed it onto the crossbar and over from point blank.

The save was doubly important 5 minutes later when a cross into the box was diverted neatly by Morris and the ball flew past Parton, and into the back of the net.

It was a great comeback from Tividale after looking dead and buried the lads showed real character to come from 3 down and take a point back from the league leaders.

Full Time:- Congleton Town 3-3 Tividale

Tividale:- 1. Louis Connor, 2. Zac Kourouyianni, 4. Jakob Burroughs. 5. Joe Hawkins  6. Lewis Wright), 7. Ryan Snape,  8. Jack Till, 9. Dominic Dell (17 Ewan Edwards 63), 10. James Douglas, 11. Malcolm Melvin (16. Max Morris 46), 12. Kamol Campbell (3. Callum Gillies 46)

Unused Sub:- 14. Jamie Oliver