Emirate Sponsored FA Cup

Extra Preliminary Round

 Saturday 6th August 2022

  Darlaston Town 1874 0-4 Tividale

Tividale take care of business at Paycare

The new Tividale era got off to a flyer in their first game under the stewardship of new Chairman Neil Male. With manager Dave King at a wedding and Assistant Manager Stuart How sunning himself in Mexico, it was coach’s Richard Upton, Wayne Shakespeare and Karl Gardner who took on the management duties.

Tividale had 6 of last season’s squad in the first eleven Louis Connor, Brad Welding, Joe Burroughs, Jason Wood, Curtis Cocking and Dan Smith. The starting eleven also had the returning Jacob Wedderburn, Jamie Hunt, and Lewis Taylor Boyce. So, there was only Louis Ezewele and Alex Woodhouse actually making their Tividale debuts

It’s well known that if you want to quieten the home crowd as a visiting side, get an early goal. If you want to silence them, then get 2 in the first 5 minutes.

The first came in the 2nd minute a Welding free kick was nodded down by Ezewele and Wood’s first-time strike was parried away by home keeper Joe Sidaway with the Darlaston defence stationary, Dan Smith was on hand to slot home the rebound. 3 minutes later and on Tividale’s next attack it was 2-0. This time Cocking’s pile driver giving Sidaway no chance.

Tividale’s only setback in a thrilling first 20 minutes was the loss of Taylor-Boyce had to go off with what looked like a hamstring injury and he was replaced by debutant Dean Fisher. It took a while for Darlaston to clear their heads but once they had recovered from the earlier setbacks they grew into the game and were unlucky not to get on the score sheet when a Dominic Dell shaved the outside of the post. It was now a much more even affair with battles going on over the park and Tividale’s Welding and Darlaston skipper Alexander Foreshaw both received yellow cards for robust challenges.

With neither side working the opposition keeper, the half seemed to be drawing to a close until on 43 minutes Smith left his marker for dead on the touch line and level with the penalty spot found Wood with a glorious pass and the midfield man who again gave Sidaway no chance with a well-placed finish. That literally killed the game as a contest.

Half Time: – Darlaston 1874 0-3 Tividale

Even though the game looked to be beyond them, the home side was never giving Tividale an easy ride and made a real game of it in the second half. Both teams had chances with substitutes Jack Fletcher for Tividale and Kieron Miller for the home side missing good chances. Connor in the Tividale goal did have to make one very good second half save when he palmed away a drive from distance.

The visitors did add a fourth in the dying seconds as a clearance found substitute and debutant Taylor Townsend wide on the right and he in turn steered the ball into the path of the unmarked Fisher, and the 17-year-old showed composure beyond his years to beat Sidaway from 12 yards out

So, it’s now a trip to Witton Albion in the Preliminary Round on Saturday 20th August.

Full Time: – Darlaston 1874 0-4 Tividale

Tividale: – 13. Louis Connor, 2. Jake Wedderburn 3. Brad Welding, 4. Joe Burroughs 5. Louis Ezewele 6. Alex Woodhouse, 7. Jason Wood 8. Curtis Cocking, 9. Dan Smith, 10. Lewis Taylor-Boyce (16. Dean Fisher), 12. Jamie Hunt

Unused Subs: – 1. Peter Hawk, 14. Nashawn Blake, 18. Cameron East, 19. Zac Kourouyianni.

Emirates FA Cup
1st Qualifying Round
Saturday 4th September 2021
Tividale 0-1 Spalding United

What if’s & Maybe’s

With the previous wins against Shifnal Town and AFC Wulfruniuns both teams playing in our division. The next round saw us against Spalding United from the Northern Premier League and playing their football at a level above us.

With the 2 Dan’s, Bryson, and Smith unavailable and Manager Dave King made three changes to the side that beat Bewdley Town on Bank Holiday Monday. In came forwards Lewis McPike for his first game of the season and Jordan Edwards who had been out since the Romulus game.

Dave also made a tactical change. Relieving Elliot Hartley of his striker’s role and putting him back into his more natural wing back role and replacing Hayden Reeves who is still not 100% fit with Tom Hurdman in the centre of defence.

It was Spalding who had the first decent chance in just the 3rd minute. When forward Greg Smith tested the capabilities of the Tividale keeper with a long-range looping shot that Adam Harrison had to scrambled back for and tipped the ball over the cross bar. Tividale’s first real attack came in the 10th minutes when a telling Hartley cross evaded Michael Duggan in the Spalding goal, but full back Glenn Yala headed the ball out for a corner at the back post.

Spalding had a spell of three corners in quick succession as they began to exert some pressure on the Tividale back line, but the home side came through with their goal intact, ending with a Scott Floyd effort that flew wide. On 27 minutes Tividale had a great chance to open the scoring. A Cameron Milne free kick was knocked down by Matt Hunt at the back post and McPike’s shot was well saved by Duggan.

A minute later and Spalding had a sniff of a chance. Tividale defender Ben Birch’s attempted pass back to Harrison was going to fall well short but the keeper was alert to the situation and raced out to lash the ball clear from the advancing Chris Assombalonga.

On 31 minutes Spalding’s Stefan Broccoli tried an effort that was blocked. A Tividale free kick on 38 minutes from the edge of the area and taken by Brad Welding forced Duggan into an excellent save. And then on 44 minutes a long throw from Welding was flicked on by Birch but Edwards could only send his cushioned volley wide

Half Time Tividale 0-0 Spalding United

The second half could not have started any worse for the home side. On 47 minutes the ball is played across the Tividale box Harrison can only palm the ball away to Floyd and his cross back into the box is deflected up in the air. The deflection flat foots the Tividale defence and the ball is not cleared, and Broccoli is there to nod the ball home from 4 yards.

Spalding were now again looking to take the upper hand and half-time substitute Marcus Maddison was looking dangerous with a couple of shots saved by Harrison. The first on 50 minutes when Assombalonga played the ball out to him on the right, he cut in and hit it forcing Harrison into a decent save and the second on 55 minutes but this one never troubled Harrison.

The game was then held up for about 8 minutes from the hour mark when Spalding defender Hugo Atkinson went down and had to be stretchered off with what we all hope was not a serious injury.

Broccoli then had a great chance when after some great work from Assombalonga on 71 minutes. The forward played the ball into Broccoli, but he shot wide from 12 yards. Tividale’s Cameron Milne was unlucky in the 74th minute when a Tividale corner landed nicely for him, but his half volley was blocked by Duggan who knew little about it.

On 75 minutes Assombalonga created another great chance for the visitors. Again, he attacked the right side of the Tividale box, gets to the bye line, pulled the ball back to Floyd who in turn rolled the ball into the path of Broccoli who again missed the target with his shot. This time blazing it over the bar.

On 84 minutes a Tividale free kick was played into the Spalding United penalty are. Tividale’s appeals for a penalty were turned down. I think VAR would have reversed the decision on the photographic evidence provided on the following page.

On 92 minutes a Spalding free kick into the box and Harrison is unable to hold the ball under pressure from Assombalonga but he was able get up and block the shot from Floyd.

Tividale had the last decent chance of the game in the 95th minute when Hunt is unable to get his header on target from a Welding free kick

Full Time Tividale 0-1 Spalding United

So Tividale bowed out of this season’s FA Cup with a battling performance that deserved at least a replay and maybe on another day they could have been in the hat for the 2nd Qualifying Round.

But best of luck to Spalding United in the next round. And the rest of their season

The news on Spalding’s Hugo Atkinson was that he was taken to hospital with possible ligament damage. We hope he makes a full and speedy recovery

Tividale: – 1. Adam Harrison, 2. Tom Hurdman, 3. Brad Welding, 4. Luke Carter (14. Brogan Halpin 76), 5. Ben Birch, 6. Matt Hunt, 7. Curtis Cocking, 8. Cameron Milne (15. Ryan Grosvenor 76), 9. Lewis McPike, 10. Jordan Edwards (12. Hayden Reeves 54), 11. Elliott Hartley.

Unused Subs: – 13. Peter Hawks.