Tividale FC

Midland Football League
Premier Division
Saturday 22nd February 2025
Highgate United 3-1 Tividale

A win was needed and got.

Again, it was another two weeks due to a waterlogged pitch since the 8-3 defeat at Brocton and while it was good to hit the back of the net, the goals conceded in that game was a massive concern.

In a mad midweek with us having no game. On Tuesday night (18th February) Highgate beat Romulus and lifted themselves off the bottom of the league and sent us bottom. Then on Wednesday night (19th February)  Wolves Casuals lost 3-1 at Northwich Victoria and swapped places with us on goal difference

And so, onto a 6 pointer against the side now a place and two points above us….

Tividale made just the one change to the side that went down at Brocton, with Ethan Delaney returning from his three match suspension and replacing Lewis Derrick.

Tividale were on the front foot from the off and Jordon Sangha fired wide in the very first minute. For the first quarter of an hour, it was all Tividale possession but nothing to show until the 15th minute, when a Delaney cross was headed home by Sangha. Six minutes later and Highgate had their first attempt on goal when a neat ball from Devonn O’Sullivan found Randy Osei but he lingered before shooting and the Tividale defence was able to recover and clear for a corner. From the resulting Ethan Bracher corner Jack Ricketts headed wide.

Delaney then fired into the side netting on 24 minutes after an excellent run. A Bracher free kick was met by Ben McSkeane but his header was taken comfortably by Tividale keeper Ethan Hawk. On 29 minutes Alfie Higgs turned in the penalty area but his shot was well saved by Highgate keeper Tom Way, getting down to turn it around the post and 4 minutes later Higgs was through one on one with Way but helped by a poor first touch the keeper did well to smother the shot.

The game was evenly balanced with both sides pushing for the vital next goal and it was the visitors that scored it another Delaney cross and this time Higgs made no mistake turning the ball home in the 42nd minute. It could have been an even better half time break for Tividale when on 44 minutes another great ball in from Delaney found Ezekiel Agyemang but he stabbed the ball wide.

Half Time:- Highgate United 0-2 Tividale

2-0 down and the game slipping away from them as expected Highgate came out with all gun’s blazing and within a minute of a restart O’Sullivan fired over. In the 53rd minute they halved the deficit. A Bracher corner was headed home by McSkeane. A minute later and they will feel they should have been level another great Bracher cross was headed over by Osei.

Jason Wood hit a pile driver on the hour as Tividale began to settle into the second half and on 65 minutes he had another go from a good 30 yards that flashed wide of Way’s post.

McSkeane’s free kick in the 83rd minute was the last real threat to the Tividale goal but it sailed wide and with three minutes of normal time remaining, Tividale ensured that they would be taking the 3 points when Agyemang showed .his strength holding off two defenders before cutting the ball back to Sangha who swept the ball past Way

Full Time:-  Highgate United 1-3 Tividale

Tividale:- 1.Ethan Hawkes, 2. Tom Rann, 3. Sam Bratt-Wyton, 4. Jason Wood, 5. Callum Lloyd, 6 Matt Holland, 7. Jordon Sangha, 8. Eddie Rann (17. Lewis Derrick 90), 9. Ezekiel Agyemang, 10. Alfie Higgs (14. Ryan Piggott 75) 11. Ethan Delaney

Unused Subs:– 12. Aon Mohammed Abbas, 15. Michael Agyemang, 16. Myles Durham