Tividale FC

Midland Football League
Premier Division
Saturday 6th April 2024
Tividale 1-1 Highgate United

Even more improvement

Due to The Beeches being waterlogged this game was switched to The valley Stadium home of Redditch United and for the first time tin 2024, Tividale actually put together three successive hard working performances and got their just rewards, and in doing so picked up 5 points out of a possible 9 and conceding 2 goals.

Tividale made one change to the side that were held to a 1-1 draw against Romulus in midweek. Tarryl Davis coming in for Jack Pearlman and with keeper Louis Connor unavailable, youth keeper Roman Davies was once again in between the sticks.

Highgate who are strongly fancied for a top 5 finish and a play off place immediately had Tividale under pressure and Aaron Brown shot over the Tividale bar in the 2nd minute. Then on 11 minutes Davis had to clear off the line after a Highgate long throw.

In the 19th minute Davies had to pull off a save to deny Ryan Harkin’s effort on goal from a Tyler Haddon free kick. Then a couple of minutes later Brown latched onto a long ball that bounced nicely for him, but he hammered it wide.

With Tividale struggling to get a foothold in the game and having to defend with “all hands to the pump” on 25 minutes Davis was adjudged to have brought down a Highgate player in the penalty area. Brown stepped up to take the spot kick, but he put it wide of Davies left hand post. From a 27th minute Highgate corner George Cleet headed over the bar.

It was the 31st minute when Tividale mounted their first attack when Highgate keeper Reece Francis beat away a Ryan Snape shot, but Craig Gregg smacked the loose ball over the bar. a minute later came their second effort. This time Lewis Wright shot wide of Francis’s goal.

On 41 minutes Davies ran out of his box and cleared the ball, but in a unfathomable decision the referee awarded Highgate a free kick and booked the keeper. From the resulting free kick Brown shot wide. Snape then shot wide for Tividale as they began to get a foothold in the game and then in the 2nd minute of first half added time. A long ball found Snape, who beat the offside trap and placed the ball past Francis to put the “home side” 1-0 up

Highgate were immediately on the front foot in the second period and after another long ball split the Tividale defence Nathan Pulisciano couldn’t keep his shot down and fired over the bar in the 53rd minute. Three minutes later a telling Liam Cairns cross was headed wide by Brown. Brown had another chance with his head in the 65th minute but again could not hit the target.

The pressure on the Tividale defence was now incessant and Highgate should have scored in the 72nd minute when after a Pulisciano free kick was blocked George Cleet shot over the bar when it looked easier to score. But two minutes later they were level when Harkin was able to control a ball fired into him and he was able to place his shot past Davies and into the back of the net.

Highgate were now looking for the winner and in the 77th minute Brown missed with another header. Tividale could have snatched the lead with 8 minutes to go when a Max Morris corner was met by Nashawn Blake but Reece-Francis scrambled it away for a corner.

With two minutes to go Highgate substitute Jake Collins dragged his shot wide of Davies goal and deep into injury time Kartel O’Neil-Martin headed a Pulisciano cross wide. Then in the 95th minute Tividale could have pulled off the ultimate smash and grab when a Jack Till shot across goal was deflected of a Highgate defender but fortunately it went wide of a stranded Francis’s upright.

Full Time:-Tividale 1-1 Highgate United

Tividale:- 1. Roman Davies, 2. Zac Kourouyianni, 3. Callum Gillies (12. Kamol Campbell 75), 5. Lewis Wright (8. Max Morris 61), 6. Joe Burroughs, 7. Craig Gregg, 10. Ryan Snape (17. Nashawn Blake 71), 11. Callum Powell (9. Jack Till 57), 14. Tom Cole, 15. Joel Harrison, 18. Tarryl Davies (4. Jakob Burroughs 55)

Unused Sub :- None