Tividale FC

Birmingham Senior Cup
3rd Round
Tuesday 20th February 2024
Tividale 1-2 Lye Town

The cup’s run ends

At the third attempt, this game was actually played. On a as expected a very heavy pitch this was never going to be a game for the purist’s. And although the home side put up another battling performance the result was that again Tividale had nothing to show for it.

The Birmingham Senior Cup rules state that only players registered on the date of the original fixture was eligible to play and as a number of players had left since the original date, Stuart How had a bit of a headache with the team selection, so much so that he had to switch to a back three, play our full backs as a couple of wing backs and could only name two subs, one of those was coach Jamie Oliver.

Lye had the first chance when a shot skimmed the base of the post and clear. With both teams struggling with the conditions underfoot it was the 20th minute for the next chance and it went to Tividale. Ewan Edwards was sent away down the left flank and his cross found skipper Zac Kourouyianni playing in a right wing back role. But Kourouyianni could not find the target with his shot. 

Lye went ahead in the 29th minute when once again they try to overplay in the middle of the park, lose possession and the ball is whipped into Ben Billingham who fires home. The rest of the half just petered out apart from some interesting and weird decisions from the man in the middle

Again the half just seemed to amble along with nothing to report about, that was until the 60th minute, when an off the ball incident between Lye’s Nathan Kabeya and Tividale’s Jakob Burroughs resulted originally in two red cards and both teams reduced to ten, but the ref then changes his mind and downgrades the Tividale red to a yellow

The dismissal only seem to have urged Lye on and the 10 men doubled their lead 6 minutes later when a Billingham free kick was met by defender Ryan Bridgewater and his thunderous header gave  Louis Connor in goal no chance.

The goal prompted Tividale into a more attacking force and on 78 minutes, substitute Nashawn Blake tested Lye keeper Ben Newey with a rasping drive that the keeper did well to hold onto. A minute later and Joe Hawkins headed a Callum Gillies corner wide.

On 84 minutes Max Morris continued his run of goals when what looked like a short free kick was rolled to him and from about 30 yards he drilled the ball past Newey and into the back of the net. Edwards then forced Newey into a good save in the 85th minute, but although Tividale pressed in those closing minutes Lye held on and go through to the next round where they will meet Aston Villa.

Unused Sub:- 14. Jamie Oliver