JW Hunt Cup
Final
Tuesday 30th May 2023
Tividale 0-1 Lichfield City

Tividale not at the Races

Tividale will feel they could have done better with their performance in this cup final and Dave King’s last game in charge, but congratulations must go to Lichfield City who made the most of their chance and are the 2023 JW Hunt cup winners.

Tividale made just the one change to the side that edged past Wednesfield in the semifinal. With Nashawn Blake replacing Reinaldo Forbes as Dan Smith’s strike partner.

Tividale had the first chance on goal when a Malcolm Melvin through ball to Dan Smith, saw the forward put the ball into the back of the net but he was adjudged offside. City’s Liam Kirton was then denied by Louis Connor in the Tividale goal. Melvin then had a free kick hit that hit the bar and went over with City keeper James Beeson rooted to the spot. After a surging run by Jack Fletcher his pass found Blake and his shot was turned away for a corner by Beeson.

On 28 minutes City went ahead and Tividale’s defence will feel they should have done better in the build-up, allowing City left back Joe Haines to run unchallenged deep into the Tividale area and fire home from 8 yards. Kirton then fired past Connor, but the ball had gone out for a Tividale goal kick in the build-up. Minutes later and Kirton then fired wide.

Half time:- Tividale 0-1 Lichfield City

The second half started poorly with neither side able to keep hold of the ball and apart from a Fletcher run and shot there was nothing much to write home about. Leighton McMenemy then struck the cross bar from a corner.

City were now in the ascendancy and Childs blasted the ball into the side netting after again seeing off a number of Tividale challenges. Patterson then thought he had put City 2-0 up when the ball fell to him unmarked in the Tividale box, but he was adjudged offside. Melvin then saw another free kick flash wide, before City’s Jack Edwards also hit the side netting. That was the last of the goalmouth action as Lichfield ran out deserved winners.

Full Time:- Tividale 0-1 Lichfield City

Tividale: – 1. Louis Connor, 2. Zac Kourouyianni, 3. Kamol Campbell (15. Ryan Snape 83), 4. Joe Burroughs (14. Jakob Burroughs 46), 5. Louis Ezewele, 6. Joe Hawkins, 7. Malcolm Melvin, 8. Jason Wood, 9. Dan Smith, 10. Nashawn Blake (12. Reinaldo Forbes 46), 11. Jack Fletcher.

JW Hunt Cup
Semi Final
Tuesday 2^nd May 2023
Tividale 1-1 Wednesfield

(Tividale win on penalties 7-6)

The Penalty Lottery

After the disappointment of missing out on two semi-finals. The first the Walsall Senior Cup due to playing an ineligible player and then the Birmingham Senior Cup after a penalty shoot-out defeat against Aston Villa’s Under-21s.This was a happier ending and Tividale will compete in the JW Hunt Cup Final at The Molineux on Tuesday 30^th May after defeating a gallant Wednesfield side after a penalty shoot-out.

With Joe Hawkins now available and Arman Khoshkhoo and Cody Mullan cup tied. Boss Dave King switched to a back three with Hawkins replacing Harry Lewis and Reinaldo Forbes in for Khoshkhoo from the defeat at Darlaston 11 days ago.

Tividale and the better of the early exchanges, but Wednesfield were making sure that their opposition from a higher level were not going to have an easy ride. On 8 minutes Jack Fletcher fired over the bar but Wednesfield’s Dimitri Dunkley tested Tividale keeper Louis Connor with a shot that he collected comfortably on 11 minutes. In the 16^th minute Louis Ezewele then strode forward for Tividale and unleashed a shot that Wednesfield keeper Craig Pain pouched.

Wednesfield went ahead in the 20^th minute when Tividale gave away a needless free kick on the edge of their box and Harry Cunningham stepped up and found the back of Connor’s net via a deflection.

The lead lasted just 4 minutes when in the 24^th minute Dan Smith was pushed in the back in the penalty area and were awarded a penalty. Jason Wood stepped up and although Pain went the right way, he could not stop Wood levelling the scores.

Smith then tried an audacious scissor kick that went straight at Pain in the 29^th minute and on 32 minutes Dunkley headed over a James Griffiths cross as the game became an end-to-end affair.

Kourouyianni then whipped in a wonderful cross that Smith just failed to get on the end of and then in the last action of the half Wednesfield’s Jack Dew caught a volley perfectly from about 25 yards out and Connor had to be at his best diving full length to turn the ball over the bar.

Half Time :-Tividale 1-1 Wednesfield

Dunkley had two great chances to put Wednesfield ahead in the 48^th minute. First his shot was deflected for a corner and from the resulting corner his shot struck the cross bar.

On 58 minutes Tividale themselves had a chance to take the lead. This time Forbes was brought down by Sam Paddock in the area, but this time Pain guessed right and saved Wood’s penalty.

Dunkley again tested Connor in the 67^th minute but again Connor was equal to his effort. Kamol Campbell then made Pain work as he struck a Forbes cross, but the keeper was never troubled by it. Fisher then played in Smith, but he blasted over.

The last few minutes of the 90 was littered with chance after chance as both teams looked to win the game before the lottery of penalties. But in the end the two teams could not be separated

Full Time :-Tividale 1-1 Wednesfield

And so on to penalties

Harry Lewis (Tividale) – Missed – Saved 0-0
Harry Cunningham (Wednesfield) – Missed – Over 0-0
Louis Ezewele (Tividale) – Scores 1-0
Jake Sharman (Wednesfield) – Scores 1-1
Zac Kourouyianni  (Tividale) – Missed – Over 1-1
Aaron Handley (Wednesfield) – Missed -Wide 1-1
Joe Hawkins (Tividale) – Scores 2-1
Dimitri Dunkley (Wednesfield) – Scores 2-2
Ryan Snape (Tividale) – Scores 3-2
Jack Dew (Wednesfield) – Scores 3-3
Dan Smith (Tividale) – Scores 4-3
Connor Parker (Wednesfield) – Scores 4-4
Jakob Burroughs (Tividale) – Scores 5-4
Sam Bennett (Wednesfield) – Scores 5-5
Kamol Campbell (Tividale) – Scores 6-5
Ashley Billingham (Wednesfield) – Scores 6-6
Jason Wood (Tividale) – Scores 7-6
Sam Paddock (Wednesfield) – Missed – Saved 7-6 (Connor the hero)

Penalties Result:- Tividale 7-6 Wednesfield

Tividale: – 1. Louis Connor, 2. Zac Kourouyianni, 3. Kamol Campbell, 4. Joe Burroughs (16. Ryan Snape 83), 5. Louis Ezewele, 6. Joe Hawkins, 7. Malcolm Melvin (15. Jakob Burroughs 58), 8. Jason Wood, 9. Dan Smith, 10. Reinaldo Forbes (12. Harry Lewis 78), 11. Jack Fletcher.

Unused Subs:– 13. Peter Hawk, 14. David Solademi

JW Hunt Cup
Quarter Final
Tuesday 7th March 2023
Tividale 4-1 Paget Rangers

Tividale eased into the semi-finals of the JW Hunt Cup with a result that a couple of weeks ago could have been much different. But our performances since that Saturday against Lye Town have improved along with their confidence.

There was also debuts for youth players Callum Powell (12) and Ashley Oliver (14) both pictured and Tividale’s first set of twins to play together Harry and Oliver Fluke

After the point against Shifnal Town in the previous game confidence was high going into this game against Paget Rangers who ply their trade in the division below us. With Arman Khoshkhoo cup tied and Reinaldo Forbes unavailable from the weekends game. Jack Fletcher and Nashawn Blake replaced them in the line-up.

There was a break in play within the first minute of the game for a head injury when Paget’s Donald Egbon went down after an arial challenge. The play was held up for 7 to 8 minutes and eventually he was substituted in line with concussion protocol.

Paget scored on their first attack after the break in play. A Leslie Omorodion shot was deflected off a Tividale defender and with keeper Louis Connor wrong footed by the original shot the ball fell kindly to Harry Jackson 3 yards out and in the centre of an open goal and he made no mistake. As mentioned earlier 10 days ago this could have been the beginning of a long night but since then we are playing with a new confidence.

Tividale will wonder how they were not level within the next couple of minutes. First Dan Smith had a shot well saved by Paget keeper Tommy Doyle. Then Harry Lewis was in on goal twice but both times fired over the Paget bar.

On 18 minutes Lewis’s persistence paid off as he is brought down in the Paget box and he picks himself up and sends Doyle the wrong way. With Tividale pressing and looking to add to their score. They also had to be wary of Paget on the break and on 29 minutes the visitors had a great chance to go back in front. After some great work by Tim Oyanda he just could not hold his balance and skied his shot.

From the goal kick Tividale forced a corner and from Malcom Melvin’s in swinging delivery Blake headed past Doyle at the near post to put the home side in the lead after 30 minutes. A Jackson free kick after 38 minutes was put wide as Paget looked for an equaliser. But on 44 minutes it was 3-1 to Tividale. A tremendous run and cross from Zac Kourouyianni that picked out Smith rising like a salmon at the back post and he planted his header firmly past Doyle.

Tividale were not finished their and in the 5th minute of added time in the first half with the visitors appealing in vain for a player down with a head injury. Melvin found Fletcher with a peach of a pass and the youngster side stepped his marker and slots home.

Half Time:-Tividale 4-1 Paget Rangers

The second half was noticeable for its lack of goalmouth action. The only one of note was a Fletcher cross that Blake headed against the cross bar after 50 minutes.

Tividale once again finished the game with 10 men (after the Smith and Wood dismissals previously) when Melvin was shown a straight red after a challenge that he apologised for immediately stating that his slip made it even worse.

The number of substitutions in the second period also didn’t help the flow of the game but Tividale saw out the remainder of the game with 10 men quite comfortably in the end and hopefully will be in a better position for the massive league games to come.

Full Time:-Tividale 4-1 Paget Rangers

Tividale: – 1. Louis Connor, 2. Zac Kourouyianni, 3. David Solademi, 4. Joe Burroughs, 5. Louis Ezewele (15. Harry Fluke 58), 6. Joe Hawkins, 17. Harry Lewis (14. Ashley Oliver 82), 8. Malcolm Melvin, 9. Dan Smith (16. Oliver Fluke 58),10. Nashawn Blake (12. Callum Powel 77), 11. Jack Fletcher.

Unused Subs:- 13. Peter Hawk.