Tividale FC

Report

Midland Football League
Premier Division
Saturday 4th January 2025
Tividale 0-5 OJM Black Country

Woeful

Tividale’s first game of 2025, produced the worse performance of the season. It was an accumulation of everything of what not to do in a football match. Poor in defence. Poor in attack. Poor discipline. Poor attitude

Unsurprisingly Tividale were unchanged from the side that started the game last week against Shifnal Town. But nobody could have predicted the complete contrast in the two performances.

OJM were at the home side from the off and in the first minute Tividale keeper Ethan Hawkes had to get down sharpish to deny Dan Danks after the wide man had got behind the home back line way too easily. Tividale’s first effort on goal came in the 4th minute but Ethan Delaney shot well over the bar. Two minutes later and he was much closer with a deflected shot that OJM keeper Tom Clapp clawed away but only as far as Eddie Rann but Clapp was quickly up to catch his shot.

Hawkes did well in the 19th minute to stave off an OJM break led by Lucas Edwards, who in turn put through Star Mayemba but Hawkes blocked his shot. The keeper was very fortunate a couple of minutes later when centre back Callum Nimmo met a Steven Leslie free kick but his header came back off the crossbar and into the arms of Hawkes.

Tividale did not learn by their previous mistake and after another needless foul outside their box on 23 minutes. This time Leslie’s free kick found an unmarked Mayemba in the 6 yard box and his header gave Hawkes no chance. Tividale were now all over the place and another foul led to another free kick and the second goal. This time Tividale made a mess of clearing the free kick, it landed out to Michael Nelson and despite the effort of Sam Bratt-Wyton on the line he could not prevent Nelson’s shot from going over the line.

Mayemba was nearly gifted his second and OJM’s third on 30 minutes when for some reason two Tividale defenders and a keeper were undecided to complete a simple clearance and the centre forward seized on the opportunity but Hawkes saved his shot.

Tividale’s first attack of any note since the 6th minute came in the 40th minute when Delaney did well to get to the bye line and put in a cross that found Tom Cottam but he shot straight at Clapp. With half time looming and the home side still under pressure Eddie Rann was adjudged to have brought down OJM’s Casey Collins and the referee pointed immediately to the spot and on 44 minutes, Leslie calmly rolled the ball past Hawkes and into the back of the net.

Half Time:- Tividale 0-3 OJM Black Country

OJM began the second period as they ended the first and should have been 4-0 up in the 47th minute when Edwards was able to get his cross in and an unmarked Nelson could not generate the power in the header required to trouble Hawkes. A minute later and Ryan Piggott had a great chance to pull one back for the home side but he fired over the bar. On 50 minutes a Jason Wood free kick was well held by Clapp.

Tividale were thrown a lifeline on 58 minutes when after a bit of wrestling in the penalty area Leslie looked to tread on Delaney. Again, referee Henry Gregory had no hesitation in showing Leslie the red card for violent conduct. This brought on a host of substitutions and the chance for Tividale to get at the visiting defence. But apart from a Delaney header cleared of the line on 59 minutes they never really threatened.

Delaney then got himself sent off in the 73rd minute, after a challenge that the referee felt worthy of a red card and at that point you felt that with both sides now playing with 10 men Tividale had missed their chance to get back into the game.

With 10 minutes to go OJM substitute Reece Morris somehow wiggled free from two Tividale challenges and get his shot off but again Hawkes was equal to his shot. But in the 91st minute another piece of sloppy defensive work resulted in Morris leaving Danks with just Hawkes to beat and he duly obliged. Two minutes later and with Tividale now in complete disarray Morris again allowed Danks to stroll in and make it 5-0.

Overall, it was as bad a performance that Tividale have produced all season. But on the other hand, you have to give credit to OJM. They were better all over the park and while the home side lost their discipline completely, they kept theirs.

Full Time:- Tividale 0-5 OJM Black Country

Tividale:- 1.Ethan Hawkes, 2. Tom Rann (12. Raheem Akhtar 62), 3. Sam Bratt-Wyton (14. Aon Mohammed Abbas 68) , 4. Jason Wood, 5. Callum Lloyd, 6 Harry Higginson, 7. Ethan Delaney, 8. Eddie Rann (15. Lewis Derrick 74), 9. Ryan Piggott , 10. Tom Cottam (17. Nehemia Zazi 80), 11. Ezekiel Agyemang (16. Alfie Higgs 8562)

Unused Subs:– None