Tividale FC

Report

Isuzu FA Vase

1st Round

Saturday 22nd October 2022
Tividale 1-1 Radford (4-1 Pens)

Radford penalised in the end

After a game that had everything Tividale advanced into the 2nd round of the Isuzu Sponsored FA Vase edging out Radford on penalties.

With Matt Hunt cup tied and Jamie Hunt injured. Manager Dave King brought back into the line up Joe Burroughs and Curtis Cocking to a side that were now 6 games unbeaten against a side that were battling it out at the top of the United Counties League Division One the equivalent to our Division One, so a step lower than their hosts.

Tividale would have dreamt about the start they had to the game, because after 2 minutes they were ahead. Jack Downing drilled a cross into the Radford penalty area and Taylor Townsend was at the back post to fire past Radford keeper Yinka Adebowale.

It was possibly this early setback that then gave the game a bit of an edge. As both sides settled into their work and were making sure that the opposition knew they were there. One clash resulting in a blood shirt change for Radford left back David Adegbola

With the challenges getting meatier as the game went on Tividale conceded a free kick on the edge of their box on 19 minutes. Radford’s Joe Meakin stepped up to take it, but put it wide of Louis Connor’s right-hand post.

The visitors went even closer 2 minutes later when from another Meakin free kick, Radford centre forward Jordan Alls powered in a header from 8 yards that Connor got a hand too and his defence completed the clearance.

With the visitors in the ascendancy and Tividale conceding some dubious free kicks in their final third wide man Jonathan Jebbison again was unable to find the target in the 31st minute with a shot, after Tividale failed to clear a ball into their box and a Michael Fitzhugh free kick 7 minutes later skimmed the top of the Tividale crossbar.

A minute later and the home side launched their first meaningful attack since the goal, but Dan Smith could not get his shot on target after doing well in working the space. Then on 44 minutes Smith again broke away, played in Townsend but his shot was a comfortable save for Adebowale.

In the first minute of additional time came the first major talking point. After a 50/50 challenge Tividale’s Zac Kourouyianni went down with what looked to be a head injury. The referee played on with the home side appealing to the man in the middle, that they were a man down due to a head injury. The ball then hit the referee and he then stopped the game. Joe Burroughs then went up to him and in his frustration confronted the official and argued his case. This resulted with him sent into the sin bin.

From the resulting drop ball Radford won a corner and with a central defender off the pitch, Alls headed home the Fitzhugh’s corner. For what was on the balance of play a deserved equaliser.

Half Time Tividale 1-1 Radford

Radford had the first opportunity of the second half on 48 minutes with a Greg Tobin heading over another Fitzhugh corner. Then on 50 minutes after Alls rattled the Tividale crossbar, Jebbison made a mess of the rebound firing wide with the goal gaping.

Brad Welding then hit the Radford bar on 51 minutes from a miss hit cross, the ball dropped in the 6-yard box and Dan Smith got there ahead of his marker. Smith went down, the ref blew his whistle and pointed for a free kick to Radford stating that Smith had fouled the defender.

Tividale were still conceding too many free kicks around their penalty box, but most were after the slightest of touches and over the top appealing to anything not going the visitor’s way. Including a clash between an over eager Tividale coach who was trying to retrieve the ball and an equally over eager but half the size Radford player also trying to get the ball. That ended with a booking for the coach

As the game moved into the final third the tone of the game carried on, Radford players still falling over, players and benches getting involved. Tividale defending free kicks. From one of these on the hour Meakin got one on target but was a comfortable save for Connor.

Tividale’s finished strongly in in the last 15 minutes their next chance came in the 76th minute, this time a Welding free kick failed to trouble Adebowale. And on 82 minutes a Downing header from a Welding corner was blocked on the line.

The second piece of controversy came in the 85th minute. Radford concedes a free kick outside their area and their defensive line is on the edge of the penalty area. As the ball comes in there is no doubt that defender Riqual Bakala deliberately puts his arm out towards the ball and handles it.

This is where it gets messy. The referee shows the defender the red card and to be honest the defender seemed to accept his fate and walks off. The same could not be said about a number of his team mates. Whilst all this is going on the referee’s assistant has given a penalty. Now this sparks another outburst from the Radford players and bench. Some saying it was not a penalty, others appealing that you cannot give the red card and a penalty.

Regardless of the thoughts Dan Smith had the chance to put Tividale ahead with 3 minutes plus injury time to go. But his penalty was saved by Adebowale.

As the game moved into the dying seconds there were two great chances from both sides. The first a Welding cross that flashed across the six-yard box, with no home player able to get a touch. At the other end and in the 3rd minute of injury time an even better chance when in a one-on-one situation Connor had to make a brilliant save to deny a Scott Litchfield effort.

Full Time Tividale 1-1 Radford

And so, to penalties.

Tividale had the first penalty and Malcolm Melvin despatched his 1-0

Up stepped Radford’s, Jebbison and he levelled up the scores 1-1

Next up was Townsend and he made it 2-1

Greg Tobin then blasted his effort over the bar 2-1

Snape then mad no mistake with his 3-1

The pressure was now on Fitzhugh who brought a save from Connor 3-1

Tividale now had to miss their last 2 for Radford to take it to sudden death, but the coolest head on the pitch, Welding slammed his spot kick past Adebowale to send Tividale through