Season: 2019-20

Sporting Khalsa vs Tividale

Midland Football League
Premier Division
Saturday 7th March 2020
Sporting Khalso 0-1 Tividale

Tividale Smash and Grab

There are times in football when you feel that luck is on your side or the stars are aligned for you or just for the sheer amount of effort you put into a performance you deserve something out of it. Well maybe, just maybe this was a mix of all three of them.

With it being three and a half weeks since our last competitive game, the 2-1 win against Selston. A fixture against a side who are not only championship chasing, but who also come into the game on a 7 league match winning streak is not possibly the ideal way to ease yourself back into competitive football.

The only two changes from the Selston game was Jacob Barnes in for Dan Bryson and with Darragh Bustin now a Stourbridge player, Jakob Burroughs was brought into the midfield.

Khalsa as expected where at Tividale from the kick off and after 4 minutes they had their first chance when Josh McKenzie headed a Carlo Franco cross wide. Tividale although on the backfoot had their first chance after 7 minutes when Curtis Cocking shot wide.

With Khalsa asking all the questions Sean Williams found McKenzie in the 20th minute with a neat pass into the striker but his shot was blocked by Barnes. Williams himself had a shot charged down by Brad Welding (making his 100th appearance) on 29 minutes and when Khalsa midfielder Liam Armstrong did get a shot on target 3 minutes later Tividale keeper Adam Harrison was equal to it, turning it around the post.

On 35 minutes Franco’s cross-field ball found Williams who cut in from the left flank but fired his shot into the side netting. Tividale’s second chance of the half came in the 37th minute when Dan Smith’s effort was charged down after some great work down the left from Welding.

Right on the stroke of half time Williams went even closer when he whipped in a cross come shot that came back off Harrison’s cross bar.

Half Time:-Sporting Khalsa 0-0 Tividale

It was business as usual at the start of the second half as Khalsa continued to attack and Tividale continued to defend. McKenzie will feel he should have done better in the 49th minute when from a poor Tividale clearance he had a clear sight on goal but Harrison produced a brilliant save to thwart him. In the 50th minute the visitors had another of their rare attacks when Smith did well to control the ball under pressure from Khalsa centre back Leon Miles, he then laid the ball off to Cocking but he screwed his shot wide.

McKenzie saw another header go wide when he met a Williams cross in the 54th minute and then he had his head in his hands three minutes later as he headed a Lewis Worsey cross against the top of the Tividale bar and over. Khalsa keeper Sam Arnold had his first shot to save in the 65th minute when Tyree Clarke got his shot on target but Arnold had no problems in fielding the shot lacking in power.

On 75 minutes the stars, luck, hard work all came into place when from another Khalsa attack Welding won the ball and broke free swept the ball out to Smith who went on another of his tireless runs, this time though he had a yard on the Khalsa defence and drilled the ball under Arnold and into the back of the net to put the visitors ahead.

Tividale where now going to have to defend for their lives and Khalsa had a great chance to level things up 2 minutes later when skipper Tesfa Robinson headed over a Alex Woodhouse corner. Then Tividale had a massive slice of luck when a Mykel Beckley shot hit the underside of the crossbar, bounced over the goal line and then bounced back out and into play. With the assistant not able to tell if the ball had crossed the line he gave the benefit of the doubt to the visitors.

With the game going into its final few minutes a rodent of the rat variety casually wandered onto the pitch from the opposite side of the pitch to the dugouts and decided to park himself in the centre circle. With his team a goal down with about 5 minutes to go, a visit from Roland was the last thing Khalsa manager Ian Rowe needed and with the referee’s permission he proceeded to gently remove the visitor. In a manoeuvre that would have made David Attenborough proud.

A further 7 minutes was added to the 90 mostly due to the visitor but despite Khalsa’s throwing everything at the Tividale defence they held out for the 3 points.

Although we felt that we got away with one. It was nice to be reminded by both Tividale and Khalsa fan’s that 18 month’s ago the boot was on the opposite foot

Full Time:- Sporting Khalsa 0-1 Tividale

https://www.sportingkhalsa.com/2018/08/11/result-khalsa-2-tividale-1-fa-cup-extra-preliminary-round/

 

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Tividale vs Selston

Midland Football League
Premier Division
Tuesday 11th February 2020
Tividale 2-1 Selston

No plain Sel-ing for Tivi

Tividale chalked up only their second league win in 15 games and their first since Boxing Day in this win over a much improved Selston side.

This game should have been played back in November but due to FA Vase commitments and waterlogged pitches it was a full three months before we actually faced each other here at The Beeches.

With no game at the weekend. Manager Dave King was pleased to see Tyree Clarke fit and well and he came straight in, in place of Cameron Milne as the only change to the side that fell to the 1-0 defeat against Worcester City a week ago.

In a lack lustre and scrappy first half, the only action came in the final 11 minutes. First on 34 minutes a Darragh Bustin free kick struck the upright and 6 minutes later Selston’s Scott Taylor was thwarted by a tremendous Dan Bryson challenge as he bored down on Adam Harrison’s goal.

Luke Carter then found room at the back post to get off a shot on 43 minutes but it was well saved by Selton keeper Brandon Meehan

 

Half Time:-Tividale 0-0 Selston

Not sure what was said at half time but the home side came out with all gun’s blazing and were deservedly 2-0 up after a blistering first 15 minutes of the half. Tividale were ahead after 50 minutes, when a Bustin free kick was met at the back post by Bryson and his header seemed to be going back across the 6 yard area before it was diverted into his own net by Selston defender Grant Hackett. Tividale had two chances to extend their lead in the next 4 minutes. First a Carter shot was again well saved by Meehan and then Bustin could only watch as his shot came back off the cross bar with Meehan well beaten.

Tividale did extend their lead on 59 minutes when from a brilliant 30 yard curling Brad Welding free kick, Dan Smith thumped his header home from 6 yards out. The game should have been out of sight on 65 minutes but Clarke could not find the target with his shot. The striker then had another chance 5 minutes later but again he failed to hit the target.

Those two misses could have been costly because on 74 minutes Selston halved the deficit, when after a great run from left back by Rory Davis, he played a one two with substitute Carl Moore on the edge of the Tividale box and fired his shot across Harrison and into the bottom corner of the net from 15 yards.

The goal led to a nervy last 15 minutes for the home side as Selston pressed for an equaliser and although Clarke was again off target with a shot a couple of minutes after the Selston goal, Tividale’s defence stood firm and took the valuable 3 points.

Full Time:-Tividale 2-1 Selston

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Tividale vs Worcester City

 

Midland Football League
Premier Division
Tuesday 4th February 2020
Tividale 0-1 Worcester City

Deja Vu for Tivi

At the moment Tividale must be feeling that they just cannot catch a break. Against an ever improving Worcester City side. Tividale gave as good as they got in a performance of pure grit and determination but just as it was a fortnight ago in the League Cup fixture two weeks ago. A Sean Brain goal was the difference between the sides.

Tividale made just the one change from the side that earned themselves a draw against Romulus on Saturday with Cameron Milne coming in for the injured Tyree Clarke. This resulted in a slight formation change, with Darragh Bustin up as Dan Smith’s strike partner and Milne coming into midfield.

Ex Tividale striker Demetri Brown had the first chance of the game in the 4th minute but he scuffed his shot and Tividale keeper Adam Harrison watched it drift wide. City defender Sam Hall then did well to get back and clear as Milne was put through on goal. Bustin then whipped a ball across the City area in the 12th minute and City keeper Gabriel Bajrami had to palm it away.

Brown then had another effort on goal in the 20th minute. This time Jamie Smith played him in but again he thrashed his shot wide of the post. Three minutes later and a Luke English long throw was met by fellow full back Joe Hawkins and his header was cleared off the line despite the protest’s of the City players that it had gone over the line. On the half hour, following a Jamie Smith free kick that was half cleared by Tividale’s Luke Carter, it came back out to English whose shot went wide.

Tividale finished the half the stronger. No one could get a touch to Bustin’s corner that was fired across the 6 yard box in the 35th minute and three minutes later a Cocking cross was eventually cleared for a corner by Hall after the panic button was hit in the Worcester defence.

Half Time:-Tividale 0-0 Worcester City

The visitors were much more composed after the half time break and began to exert some pressure on the home side. Tividale skipper Dan Bryson did well to deny Brown a shooting chance 10 minutes in and a minute later Liam Lockett blazed over the Tividale bar from 8 yards out.

The Bryson challenge proved to be Brown’s last act of the half and he was replaced by Sean Brain on 58 minutes. Brain’s first touch of the game was to run onto a Jordan Harrison through ball but Tividale’s Alex Harrison was alert to the danger and saved the subs shot with his legs. Tividale then had two great chances to go ahead First on 62 minutes Dan Smith could not find the target with his back post header from a Brad Welding cross and then Smith turned provider in the 64th minute when his cross fell to Luke Carter at the far post but the midfielder put his shot over the bar.

Those two misses proved costly because on 67 minutes Worcester took the lead. A hopeful punt up field and Welding seemed to have it covered but just as he went to nod it back to his keeper, he slipped and he failed to get a decent connection on the header and it dropped short of the advancing Harrison and in front of Brain who rounded the stranded keeper and side footed into an empty net.

Tividale then took the game to the visitors but just could not find that decisive pass in the final third as the balls they delivered into the City area failed to find a touch from a Tividale player and where dealt with by the City defence. They did have one great chance on 87 minutes to get an equaliser when a Bryson pass found Ryan Boothe on the edge of the City box but his shot was palmed over the bar by keeper Bajrami.

In the end the visitors held on to take the three points home with them and left Tividale ruing the string of missed chances. But we brush ourselves down and move onto our next adventure.

Full Time:-Tividale 0-1 Worcester City

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Tividale vs Romulus

Midland Football League
Premier Division
Saturday 1st February 2020
Tividale 1-1 Romulus

Romans Stalled

On a pitch that was heavy in places and fine in others and also a gale force wind to contend with, Tividale battled their way to a point against one of the title contenders.

With Jacob Barnes, absent Matt Hunt came back in to partner skipper Dan Bryson at centre back. and Tyree Clarke came in for Sam Prince as Manager Dave King reverted to a 4-4-2 line up.

As predicted the visitors were quickly out of the blocks and Lewis Archer had the first attempt on goal after just 2 minutes, dragging his shot wide. Tividale were soaking up the Romulus pressure and hitting them on the counter and on 14 minutes the plan worked as Curtis Cocking after some good work down the right played in Clarke and he rifled his shot into the roof of the net.

The visitors came roaring back and on 22 minutes Adam Harrison in the Tividale goal did well to block an Archer shot. Archer was first to the rebound and his cross into the area was headed over his own bar and to safety by Dan Bryson. Tividale had a great chance to extend their lead 2 minutes later when Dan Smith found Liam Wilkinson on the edge of the Romulus box but Wilkinson lofted his shot over the bar.

In another frantic couple of minutes around the half hour mark in the home penalty area. Tom Fishwick had a shot blocked by Bryson. Jordan Nadat had a header saved by Harrison and Nadat had a free header from a Alex Tomkinson corner again well saved by the Tividale keeper. and finally a Chad Degville-Cross – cross found it’s way to the Tividale back post were it was met by full back Niall Rowe but he shot wide.

Tividale did have the last couple of decent chance of the half. First on 40 minutes a Brad Welding corner was headed goal bound by Matt Hunt but a Romulus defender headed it clear. Then on the stroke of half time. After great work by Smith he teed up Darragh Bustin but he shot over the Romulus bar.

Half Time:-Tividale 1-0 Romulus

The second half started as the first one did with Romulus on the ascendency. On 56 minutes Dean Rathbone tried his luck with a free kick from distance that cleared the cross bar. Bustin then broke down the Tividale left beating two Romulus defenders. His cross found Cocking 8 yards out but he put his shot over the bar.

Romulus got the equaliser their play deserved on 71 minutes. When Rathbone met a corner with a looping header that beat everyone and nestled in the back of the net. The closing minutes of the game provided some  frantic end to end stuff but neither team could snatch the winner. The best chance being in the 85th minute when Nadat burst through a static home defence but Harrison was on hand to save the resulting shot

Full Time:-Tividale 1-1 Romulus

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