Midland Football League
Premier Division
Saturday 12th April 2025
Stone Old Alleynians 2-1 Tividale

Down but not out

Tividale’s final fixture of the season was away against Stone Old Alleynians. If Highgate United won their last game against Whitchurch Alport then we needed at least a point to be safe

The game was an even affair throughout, with Alleynians taking a first half lead and Tividale equalising shortly after the break. The Old Boys snatched the win right at the end of the game, after the sending off of Callum Lloyd for two yellows.

The game started with Alleynians going straight into the attack right from the start. Striker Jack Tomlinson made a great run down the right wing before cutting in and firing in a powerful shot. Tividale’s goalkeeper, Ethan Hawkes was equal to the task and pulled off a really good save to keep the ball out of his goal.

Three minutes later, at another corner, defender Joe Baxter almost scored as he got on to the end of a Sam Wilson near post flick. The ball was destined for the net until Tividale’s keeper just got his hands onto the ball to keep the ball out.

In the 13th minute Tividale launched an attack which almost saw them take the lead. Only the intervention of Alleynians player manager, Luke Askey, clearing a goal bound Jordon Sangha effort off the goal line, ensured that the score remained 0-0.

However, in the 26th minute, the home team took the lead when, from a corner on the left, an unmarked Jack Tomlinson rose above everyone else to head the ball strongly past visiting keeper Ethan Hawkes to make the score 1-0.

Five minutes later, Tomlinson almost added a second. The ball had been passed back to Hawkes in the Tividale goal and he was closed down quickly by the on-rushing Tomlinson. Hawkes went to clear the ball up the pitch but succeeded only in hitting it against Tomlinson. The ball rebounded back towards the Tividale goal and fortunately for the visitors, rolled just wide of their goal.

Just before the break, Alleynians winger, Kacper Mikulski went close with an effort after he had raced away from the visiting defenders down the left wing, before cutting in and firing off a powerful shot which was well saved by Hawkes.

Half time: Stone Old Alleynians 1-0 Tividale

Tividale came out for the second half with a much more positive attitude and within five minutes they had equalised. They won a corner on the right which was hit towards the Alleynians’ far post. Tividale’s Lloyd managed to rise high and he headed powerfully past Gill in the home goal to bring the scores level at 1-1.

Both sides started to be much more positive in attack, creating opportunities at both ends of the pitch. In the 62nd minute, the visitors came close to taking the lead when Lloyd, headed over the Alleynians crossbar from a very good position. Jack Bowater for Alleynians, was working tremendously hard and he had a shooting opportunity from 25 yards but could only hit the ball just over the Tividale crossbar.

In the 83rd minute, Tividale were pressing well up the pitch and gained possession on the edge of the Alleynians’ penalty area. The ball came to Alfie Higgs but he hit it straight at the relieved home keeper, Raajan Gill.

Two minutes later, Tividale’s Lloyd saw red after a second yellow card was shown to him for a poorly timed tackle on an Alleynians midfield player. This left Tividale a man down but they seemed to be coping with anything that the Old Boys could throw at them.

However, just before the end of the match, Alleynians brought on substitute Ethan Ong, who straight away joined the attack as ten man Tividale tried to see the game out. From an Alleynians freekick about 25 yards out, the ball looped into the Tividale area, where it was headed into the six yard box. With a well-timed run, the ball was met by Ong who gleefully slammed the ball home for a very late goal, making the score 2-1 to the Old Boys.

With hardly any time left, the referee soon blew the whistle and Old Alleynians took all three points.

With Highgate United also losing 4-1 to Whitchurch Alport, Tividale again survive another season in the Midland Football League Premier Division.

After having three different managers for the last three season’s and Phil Rann being appointed in the middle of June with just two players and no other staff from last season. It has taken a season to to get to grip’s with a league two step’s higher than he has ever managed before. But no one at Tividale can doubt his, his staff and his players enthusiasm and we are sure with a full pre season and a squad to start with, we will improve next season and that is all you can ask for.

Full time: Stone Old Alleynians 2-1 Tividale

Tividale:- 1.Ethan Hawkes, 2. Tom Rann (12. Joseph Garrington 80), 3. Sam Bratt-Wyton, 4. Jordon Sangha, 5. Callum Lloyd, 6 Matt Holland, 7. Ezekiel Agyemang (16. Raheem Akhtar 89), 8. Eddie Rann, 9. Alfie Higgs (15. Lewis Derrick 70), 10. Callum McKenna (14. Myles Durham 65), 11. Nathan Guest

Unused Subs:– None

Midland Football League
Premier Division
Tuesday 1st April 2025
Tividale 1-1 Northwich Victoria

Not the greatest, but its a point

After a dismal first half which was probably the worst display of football I’ve seen this season, this match livened up in the second and even became quite entertaining in the end!

There’s not a lot to say about the first 25 minutes or so, as the ball seemed to spend most of the time in the air, or bouncing off player’s feet on a hard bobbly pitch as both sides struggled to gain control. There were a couple of chances though, firstly Zac Prior in the Vics’ net had to save a scruffed Alfie Higgs shot at full length in the 9th minute before good work from Will Lloyd set up Ben Crane whose shot was well saved by Ethan Hawkes.

Vics did hit the bar in the 20th minute as a cross from Joe Hurst went over everyone and bounced off the topside of the bar and away.

Tividale were then awarded a penalty in the 27th minute after a clumsy challenge in the box by Vics. Up stepped Ezekiel Agyemang who struck it hard and low to Prior’s left who saved brilliantly only to see the rebound strike the bar and then the second rebound headed into the net by the striker. Bevan Burey then forced Hawkes to tip a fearsome shot over the bar but that was about the last of the action in a poor first half.

Half Time : Tividale 1 Northwich Victoria 0

The second half proved to be a much better affair helped by Vics equalising early on as Simba Nyanwansi did well down the left , got a cross in which Burey controlled well and slid the ball into the net under the keeper. Ben Crane then put in a great cross which just evaded the Vics’ forwards and then substitute Cory Knight sent the ball just wide of the post from a good chance. Crane was causing problems for Tividale now as Vics had for a time control of the match. In the 72nd minute, he did excellently to get to the by-line and escape his man to drive into the box, but couldn’t quite squeeze the ball into the net from a tight angle, then two minutes later he fired in a shot from the edge of the area which was narrowly wide. Tividale were getting back into it now as they searched for a winner to help their quest to avoid relegation but Vics’defence were holding firm and the match ended in the a share of the points

Full Time : Tividale 1 Northwich Victoria 1

Tividale:- 1.Ethan Hawkes, 2. Tom Rann, 3. Nathan Guest (12. Sam Bratt-Wyton 66), 4. Jason Wood, 5. Callum Lloyd, 6 Matt Holland, 7. Jordon Sangha 8. Eddie Rann (15. Callum McKenna 63), 9. Ezekiel Agyemang (16. Thomas Cottam 63), 10. Alfie Higgs, 11. Ethan Delaney

Unused Subs:- 12. Joe Garrington, 17. Nashawn Blake