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Midland Football League
Premier Division
Saturday 3rd October 2020
Tividale 1-2 Romulus

Ref makes Rom’s day

Tividale lost all 3 points due to two unlucky pieces of play. One of which could not have been avoided but the other most definitely could have. With Jacob Barnes now fit. He came in for Freddie Watts as the only change to the side that won at Highgate in midweek.

Tividale again got off to a dream start when after just 5 minutes, Lewis McPike cashed in on a Romulus defender’s error, he rounded keeper Stuart Parsons and rolled the ball into an empty net.

For the next 30 minutes of the half Romulus had the majority of the possession but apart from a Chad Degville-Cross effort that cleared the Tividale bar, the home side were quite comfortable.

With the half petering out, the game burst into life with 10 minutes to the break.  On 35 minutes another Romulus error and Dan Smith was through onto Parsons, the keeper did well to block the shot but Will Rawlins couldn’t find the target with the rebound.

Tividale will wonder how they did not extend the lead after 38 minutes when Smith, Ryan Grosvenor and Tom Hurdman all had shots blocked as the ball pinged about like a pinball in the Romulus area but somehow the visitors cleared the ball and kept the deficit to one.

Romulus themselves had a couple of late chances, the first when Kieron Clarke played in Kory Burns but his shot was blocked. Then a minute later Callum Rudd brought an easy save out of Tividale keeper Adam Harrison.

Half Time: Tividale 1-0 Romulus

Tividale could have started the half with another goal. After 48 minutes Grosvenor broke forward but Parsons was equal to his shot with a very good save. Then on 50 minutes Romulus midfielder Brett Fellows produced a piece of magic on the edge of the Tividale box to make himself some space but dragged his shot wide. A minute later and Romulus was awarded a free kick. Up stepped Fellows but his kick crashed back off the Tividale crossbar.

Tividale then gave the ball away in the 55th minute to Clarke, who beat his marker but shot wide. The home side had another great chance to wrap things up in the 57th minute when Smith found Rawlins in space but the wingback screwed his shot wide.

There then came another period of Romulus possession but no real threat until the 78th minute. For some unimaginable reason, if the ball is smashed against your hand from 3 yards, the fact that it is attached to your body is all that is needed now to concede a penalty. TJ Munthali the unfortunate player and Clarke scored from the spot.

Romulus substitute Mark Williams had a shot palmed away by Harrison in the 88th minute and from the resulting corner Degville-Cross’s shot was blocked by the keeper.

With the game looking to head for a draw, a Williams shot heading straight to Harrison was deflected by a Tividale defender and into the net leaving the keeper with no chance.

In the end you don’t always get what you deserve and this was one of those games.

Full Time: Tividale 1-2 Romulus