Tividale FC

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Emirate Sponsored FA Cup

Preliminary Round

Saturday 20th August 2022

Witton Albion 4-1 Tividale

Tividale no match for Albion on the day

Tividale made the journey to Northern Premier League side Witton Albion in the Preliminary Round of the FA Cup and though the lads were much improved in the second half, against a quality side that where better than us on the day, the unenforced errors that we made in the first half would have seen us struggle against much lesser sides.

Tividale had to make three enforced changes from the side that beat Studley in mid-week. Taylor Townsend starting a three-game ban with Lewis Ezewele and Jason Wood both unavailable. In came Jacob Wedderburn for Ezewele, Alex Woodhouse for Wood and young Jack Fletcher making his first start of the season in place of Townsend.

Witton where immediately on the front foot and after just 2 minutes full back Jack Tinning bombing forward fired a shot over the bar. On 5 minutes Tividale keeper Louis Connor was forced to parry a Prince Haywood shot from about 30 yards, when the ball was rolled to him from a Witton free kick. The ball landing nicely for a Tividale defender to complete the clearance.

The home sides pressure got the goal it deserved in the 14th minute when Joe Duckworth got on the end of a Haywood cross and he fired it into the net from 6 yards out, this after Tividale had failed to clear their lines. Tividale’s first effort came after 16 minutes, when Jamie Hunt won the ball in the middle of the car park, played in Dan Smith but his shot was comfortably fielded by home keeper Ollie Martin. A minute later and Witton were two nil up. Again, Witton causing all sorts of problems down Tividale’s left, Duckworth’s cutting the ball back for an unmarked Taylor Kennerley to slide the ball home from about 8 yards out.

On 22 minutes it took a fine save from Connor to deny Kennerley from adding his second blocking with a boot after the wide man connected with Haywood’s deep cross on the volley. A poor Tividale clearance nearly gifted Witton a third in the 27th minute but Haywoods shot was saved by Connor. 5 minutes later and the home side were three nil up. Somehow with Tividale in comfortable possession mid-way in their own half, they succeeded in conceding a corner and from Kennerley’s ball into the box, Ollie Hitchcox helped the ball on and again a Witton player, this time Tinning was the quickest to react stabbing the ball home from inside the 6-yard box.

Tividale had the last decent effort of the half when from a Welding free kick Curtis Cocking failed to keep his effort on target

Half Time Witton Albion 3-0 Tividale

Tividale had to make a change at half time with Cameron East replacing Fletcher, and East was soon into the action assisting with Tividale’s first effort on target. His throw found Kourouyianni and Witton keeper Ollie Martin could only claw away the full back’s fierce drive. The ball then fell to Smith but he could not generate any power in his shot and Martin saved comfortably. 9 minutes after coming on East went down injured and he himself had to be replaced by Ryan Snape.

Witton again threatened on 62 minutes when Connor had to pull off another fine save. This time denying Cameron Fogarty. At the other end Kourouyianni headed a Welding free kick wide on 65 minutes. Tividale were still living dangerously at the back and on 67 minutes could have conceded again from a mix up, but this time Witton sub-Elliott Rokka could not benefit from it steering his shot wide. Kourouyianni then found Cameron in the 68th minute and the forward did well to make himself the space for a shooting opportunity but he couldn’t find the target.

Tividale made their final substitution in the 71st minute with Melvin Malcolm replacing Hunt and he made an instant impact. Within a minute of coming on he benefited from Cameron cashing in on a defensive uncertainty. The forward winning the ball he then unselfishly rolled the ball across the box into Malcolm and with his first touch of the game stroked the ball past Martin to make it 3-1

If this was the spark for an unlikely comeback it was immediately extinguished. On 74 minutes with Tividale’s defenders appealing for offside Duckworth ran onto Rokka’s pass, rounded Connor and restored the Witton three-goal advantage. The game may have been over as a contest but Tividale still created chances and in the 88th minute they came close to getting a consolation goal when a Cameron glancing header came back off the Witton bar.

Although we were never going to win the FA Cup and at the end of the day, there was no denying the difference in class between the two teams. Those first half errors gave us a mountain to climb and the host’s where never going to let that happen.

Full Time Witton Albion 4-1 Tividale

Tividale: – 1. Louis Connor, 2. Zac Kourouyianni, 3. Brad Welding, 4. Alex Woodhouse (16. Malcolm Melvin 71), 5. Joe Burroughs, 6. Jacob Wedderburn, 7. Jack Fletcher (14. Cameron East 46) (17. Ryan Snape 55), 8. Curtis Cocking, 9. Dan Smith, 10. Alex Cameron, 12. Jamie Hunt

Unused Subs: – 13. Peter Hawk., 15. Lewis Taylor Boyce, 18. Ashley Oliver, 19. Ibrahim Almane