Birmingham Senior Cup
Quarter Final
Thursday 16th February 2023
Tividale 1-1 Aston Villa

(Villa win on penalties 4-2)

The Penalty Lottery

Tividale exited the Birmingham Senior Cup quarter-finals after a penalty shoot-out defeat against Aston Villa’s Under-21s.

As in all our cup matches Tividale made a number of changes. Louis Connor came in between the sticks. With Joe Hawkins cup tied Zac Kourouyianni moved from right back to centre back, with Jack Fletcher moving from midfield to right back and Malcolm Melvin taking his place in the middle of the park. The final change saw Ryan Snape coming in for Harry Lewis on the left side of attack.

Tividale started the game well and Villa keeper James Wright had to be alert to parry Fletcher’s shot in the 10th minute after the youngster had gone on a marauding run down the right flank and Josh Feeney’s reactions proving crucial as he cleared before the home side could connect with the rebound. Arman Khoshkhoo then picked up on a defensive error in the 21st minute but he saw his shot strike the base of the Villa post. A Dan Smith shot on 23 minutes after being put through by David Solademi went wide.

Villa’s first effort on goal came from Declan Firth but he shot high and wide. Tividale put together a great move on 42 minutes. A Jakob Burroughs ball into Khoshkhoo was neatly flicked on out wide to the overlapping Kourouyianni and his cross found Burroughs who had continued his run but the midfielders shot went just wide.

The hosts took the lead on 44 minutes, with Melvin curling a stunning and unstoppable free kick beyond Wright from long range.

Half Time :-Tividale 1-0 Aston Villa

Villa pressed hard for an equaliser after the break, and they had a great chance in the 53rd minute when a brilliant Frankie Ealing cross flashed across the Tividale goal, but no one could get a touch to it. On 60 minutes Frith just could not get on the end of another great cross and the ball ran through to Connor.

Chisom Afako drew Villa level in the 66th minute when Tividale failed to clear their lines and his strike from the edge of the penalty area took a deflection that took the ball past Connor and into the corner of the net.

On 70 minutes a Ealing cross was headed wide by Frith and then at the other end a 73rd minute Solademi shot was blocked on the Villa goal line. And Snape fired the rebound over the bar. Wright displayed his reflexes once again to keep out a Smith point-blank header from a Melvin free kick just six minutes later.

Both sides then cancelled each other out for the remainder of the 90 minutes.

Full Time :-Tividale 1-1 Aston Villa

And so on to penalties

Declan Frith (Villa) – Scores 1-0
Malcolm Melvin (Tividale) – Over the bar 1-0
Chisom Afona (Villa) – Scores 2-0
Nashwan Blake (Tividale) – Saved 2-0
Charlie Lutz (Villa) – Scores 3-0
Harry Lewis (Tividale) – Scores 1-3
Hayden Lindley (Villa) – Saved 1-3
Jason Wood (Tividale) – Scores 2-3
Frankie Ealing (Villa) – Scores 2-4

Penalties Result:- Tividale 2-4 Aston Villa

Tividale: – 1. Louis Connor, 2. Jack Fletcher, 3. David Solademi, 4. Jakob Burroughs, 5. Zac Kourouyianni, 6. Joe Burroughs, 17. Ryan Snape (16. Alfie Higgs 82), 8. Jason Wood, 9. Dan Smith (14. Nashawn Blake 86), 10. Malcolm Melvin, 11. Arman Khoshkhoo (12. Harry Lewis 77)

Unused Subs:– 13. Peter Hawk, 15. Kamol Campbell

Birmingham Senior Cup

Round One
Tuesday 15th November 2022
Tividale 6-1 Coventry United

 United sent to Coventry 

You have heard it said about football being a funny old game. Well, this last 7 days have proved it. Last Wednesday literally every first half shot we had went in. On Saturday we had even more chances than we did the game before yet could not get on the score sheet. Onto this game and the goals come flooding back.

Once again it was the turn of the lads that missed out on Saturdays starting lineup. So, in came Peter Hawk, Cameron East, Jamie Hunt, Matt Hunt, David Solademi, Ryan Snape, and Cody Mullan. Replacing Louis Connor, Zac Kourouyianni, Louis Ezewele, Jakob Burroughs, Jack Fletcher, Curtis Cocking and Taylor Townsend.

The game itself started at a frenetic pace with the home side twice going close in the first 6 minutes. First Dan Smith going through then laying the ball off to Townsend, but he could not get any power into his shot, and it was a comfortable save for Alfie Pyott in the Coventry goal. A minute later and Townsend definitely got hold of this shot but again Pyott was equal to it. The visitors first chance came in the 7th minute when a Tyler Haddow shot was turned away for a corner by Hawk. From the following corner Archie Gallagher drove his shot wide.

Tividale were a goal up 3 minutes later when after a driving Downing run, he found Snape at the back post, and he fired home. Coventry had a chance to level the scores 5 minutes later, but forward Jarad Bradshaw cleared the bar.

Tividale doubled their lead on 19 minutes when Coventry failed to clear their lines after numerous attempts and after two blocked shots Welding smashed the ball past Pyott. Two became three 5 minutes later when Snape cut in from the left and drilled the ball home via the underside of the crossbar.

Even at 3-0 down the visitors were not rolling over and Hawk had to dive full length to deny Brandon Williams. But they could not stop the flood of chances at the other end and Pyott did well in turning away a Welding free kick.

When you’re on a roll, thing seem to go your way and when you’re struggling then it’s the opposite. On 40 minutes Mullan was put through and as he closed down on Pyott.

It looked as though the keeper had palmed the ball away before coming in contact with the midfielder, but the referee saw it different and awarded the home side a penalty. With Snape on a hattrick there was only going to be one taker and the youngster coolly slotted home from the spot to make it 4-0. Snape tried to become provider in the last goalmouth action of the half when he played in Downing, but the wide man could not keep his shot down.

Half Time: – Tividale 4-0 Coventry United

Eight minutes into the second half and Downing was again sent away but again he failed to trouble Pyott with his shot. On 54 minutes the visitors worked another chance but again as with so many of the other’s Jack Boden fired high and wide. A minute later and Callum Ballinger had a go with exactly the same result. On the hour mark Mullan’s weighted pass into Smith had Pyott diving full length to deny the latter’s goal bound shot. A minute later and Hawk again had to pull off a brilliant save to deny Jake Williams. While at the other end substitute Townsend cut in from the flank and fired wide. Smith then shot wide on 70 minutes.

United were still creating chances and on 74 minutes Boden hit a shot straight at Hawk when a yard either side would have got them on the score sheet. But with 15 minutes to go they got what they deserved a Haddon cross was turned home by Finlay Noel.

A minute later and the 4-goal lead was re-established, A defensive mistake and Smith calmly clipped the ball over the advancing Pyott and into the back of the net. With United now well beaten they conceded a 6th on 82 minutes. Kourouyianni chased down a ball down the right flank, pulled the ball back and Townsend swept the ball home.

Full Time: – Tividale 6-1 Coventry United

Tividale: – 1. Peter Hawk, 2. Cameron East (15. Zac Kourouyianni 60}, 3. Brad Welding, 4. Jamie Hunt (16. Jakob Burroughs 72) 5. David Solademi, 6. Matt Hunt, 17. Ryan Snape (12. Taylor Townsend 65), 8. Cody Mullan, 9. Dan Smith, 10. Malcolm Melvin (14. Jack Fletcher 65), 11. Jack Downing

Unused Sub: None