Midland Football League
Premier Division
Saturday 9th April 2022
Tividale 2-3 Lichfield City

Much Better

Manager Dave King asked for a response in these last three games of the season and he got one today in as good a performance as we have produced all season and on another night against a lesser side, we would have got at least a point out of it. But good teams never stop going and Lichfield are a very good team.

Once again, the Boss had to swap and change for this one. With the two Dan’s, Smith, and Bryson both out for the season. We also lost skiipper Matt Hunt and Luke Carter to illnesses. So, in came TJ Munthali and Jason Wood the latter had missed Saturday’s defeat at Walsall Wood due to work commitments.

Lichfield started the game much the better and were dominating possession but Tividale’s defence were up to the task and it was the home side who had the first sight of goal. A 9th minute Lewis McPike free kick that was comfortably held by Lichfield keeper James Beeson. Lichfield’s first effort on goal came two minutes later when a Dan Lomas shot went wide. On the quarter hour a good effort from Sam Fitzgerald was gathered at the second attempt by Tividale keeper Louis Connor.

Tividale were making a game of this and in the 26th minute had a glorious chance to open the scoring. After some great work from Darragh Bustin, he played in Ethan Muckley one on one with Beeson. The keeper beat away his shot and it fell to Elliott Hartley who fired wide with the goal at his mercy. McPike then tried a shot from about 25 yards that Beeson had no problem with.

On the half hour the deadlock was broken. From a Fitzgerald corner, Lomas flicked the ball on from the front post and Chandler Pegg was there to head into the roof of the net home from 6 yards out. Tividale stepped up the pressure after conceding and on 40 minutes Bustin had his shot cleared off the line by Lichfield defender Max Black and then Hartley saw his shot saved by Beeson.

As we moved into injury time a Bustin long throw was partly clear by the Lichfield defence. The ball fell to Wood on the edge of the box and his superb strike is curled inside Beeson’s left-hand post for his first Tividale goal and to level up the scores at half time.

Half time: Tividale 1-1 Lichfield City

The second half kicked off and Tividale were immediately on the attack Muckley just could not get his shot off and the ball ran through to Beeson. From his clearance the ball was played into the Tividale area and in a case of Deja Vu it was cleared to the edge of the box and this time Fitzgerald met it and his strike beat Connor and put Lichfield 2-1 up within 60 seconds of the restart.

While Lichfield had the majority of the time on the ball and the chances. Tividale were still creating chances of their own. Straight from going behind again Bustin had another chance that Beeson got down to picking up an injury for his trouble and Muckley saw his shot blocked. While at the other end Connor does well to get to a Jack Edwards shot and pushes the ball away from a lurking Cameron Dunn. As the game goes into the final few minutes, from a Lichfield corner Lomas head’s wide.

With two minutes left of the 90, Tividale drew level. They win a corner that Lichfield keeper Beeson completely miss judges the flight of the ball and Curtis Cocking nod’s in at the back post. Straight from the kick off Lichfield win a corner. It is taken by Fitzgerald and an unmarked Leighton McMenemy head’s home to put the visitors back ahead. Tividale tried their best to get another equaliser but the visitors held out quite comfortably to win the game and pick up the three points.

Tividale: – 1. Louis Connor, 2. Tom Hurdman 3. Brad Welding, 4. TJ Munthali, 5. Joe Burroughs 6. Jason Wood, 7. Lewis McPike, 8. Curtis Cocking, 9. Darragh Bustin, 10. Ethan Muckley (12. Owen Waterfield 77), 11. Elliott Hartley

Unused Subs: – 14. Alfie Bustin 15. Lucas Muckley

Midland Football League
Premier Division
Saturday 9th April 2022
Walsall Wood 2-0 Tividale

Groundhog Day

Tividale’s woes continued as Walsall Wood mirrored their result 4 days ago with another 2-0 win. Tividale’s poor run now reads 5 defeats and a draw in their last 6 games. The last four games all defeats and only one goal scored in those 4 games.

We have never been a free scoring team but we have always prided ourselves with our goals conceded record. And even in this run there is no let up on the work rate of the lad’s. It’s just that they cannot catch a break.

Manager Dave King’s team selection was again dictated by unavailability. With a very small squad, Dan Smith suspended, Dan Bryson injured, Luke Carter covid and Jason Wood having to work was always going to be a body blow. But Joe Burroughs and 16 year old Owen Waterfield had the chance to get a start.

Tividale’s issues in front of goal was summed up in the first goal action of the game after just 4 minutes. Some great work down the Tividale right by Darragh Bustin and he cut the ball back into the path of Ethan Muckley but from just outside the 6 yard box Muckley failed to get a decent contact on the ball and Wood keeper Callum Smith collected the ball as it rolled to him. Then a whipped in Brad Welding cross from the left just evaded both Muckley and Bustin in the area.

The Wood were now warming to the task and on 20 minutes Maxin Zeuloveot found Stuart Hendrie but he skied his effort. The game was fairly even for most of the half but neither side could create that decisive opening and it was’nt until the 40th minute before The Wood created the next good chance when from a throw Zeuloveot fired a shot that was heading for goal but Tividale captain Matt Hunt got his body in the way and it was deflected for a corner.

Deep into first half stoppage time Zeuloveot was again in the the thick of the action when his shot was scrambled away but the ball ran into the path of Hendrie who hit the post with his effort and Hunt cleared

Half Time Walsall Wood 0-0 Tividale

The second period was only 45 seconds old when the home side took the lead. From a corner Tividale cleared the ball to the edge of their box and Mitchell Tolley took one touch and then smashed the ball past Cconnor and into the back of the net.

The Wood should have doubled their lead on 50 minutes when a Zeuloveot cross was headed wide by Adam McGurk and minute later Jai Verma’s cross found Hendrie but he in turn fired over the bar. On 57 minutes McGurk had another chance to extend the lead as the home side exerted more  pressure on the Tividale back line, but he could not find the target with his shot and it flashed wide of Connor’s post.

While Wood were looking threatening. Tividale were struggling to get a decent opening against a solid looking Wood defence and it wasn’t until the 78th minute when they had their first real chance of the half when Elliott Hartley was put through but his shot took a deflection and flew wide. This a minute after Wood had another chance to extend their lead when Zeuloveot was put though one on one with Connor but blazed over.

It was the 92nd minute of the game when Wood did get the second goal. Connor pulled off a fine stop to deny Wood sub sam Unitt but the ball bounced up in the 6 yard box and Verma was the first to react and nodded the ball home at the back post. Giving Walsall Wood a second 2-0 win over Tividale within 5 days.

Tividale: – 1. Louis Connor, 2. Tom Hurdman 3. Brad Welding, 4. Darragh Bustin 5. Joe Burroughs 6. Matt Hunt, 7. Lewis McPike, 8. Curtis Cocking, 9. Ethan Muckley (14. TJ Munthali 81), 10. Owen Waterfield (12. Lucas Muckley 55), 11. Elliott Hartley

Unused Subs: – 13. Peter Hawk

Midland Football League
Premier Division
Tuesday 29th March 2022
Wolverhampton Casuals 4-1 Tividale

It’s oh so Casual for Wolves

Tividale’s current form continued to go south as they suffered a second successive defeat. This time at the hands of Wolves Casuals. Yet for the first 30 minutes no one could have seen this result coming.

With Lewis McPike unavailable Ethan Muckley was brought back into the starting eleven. The other change to the personnel was Peter Hawk back in between the stick’s in place of Louis Connor. On the bench Dan Bryson was out injured but Brad Welding was back in the squad and on the bench after his 4-match holiday.

As mentioned previously it was a very good and if anything, the visitors had the better of the chances in the first 30 minutes and Tividale had taken the lead after just 4 minutes when a Hawk clearance was helped on by Curtis Cocking to Dan Smith and the striker beat Casuals keeper Jake Daniels with a crisp finish.

Casuals may feel a little aggrieved when forward Ronan Sheehan looked to have gone down under a Hawk challenge after 18 minutes but the man in the middle waived play on. Smith then whipped in a brilliant cross on 20 minutes that Muckley just could not get a touch too. Six minutes later Smith was again the provider’ This time finding Darragh Bustin with a pull back from the bye line, but Bustin could not keep his shot down. On the half hour Sheehan then went on a mazy run from one side of the pitch to the other but his resulting shot was gathered comfortably by Hawk.

In the 32nd minute the scores were level when Tividale failed to clear a Casuals left wing cross and Josh Hesson unmarked from 6 yards out fired home. The home side went close to taking the lead after 34 minutes when a Tom Cole free kick was struck into the side netting. On 41 minutes they were in front and beginning to boss the game. Tividale skipper Matt Hunt turning a Sheehan right wing cross past Hawk and into his own net.

Sheehan again created another chance a couple of minutes before the break when he found Hesson but the forward was unable to get his second goal with the chance ending with the ball going into the side netting.

Half Time Wolverhampton Casuals 2-1 Tividale

The first half had some robust challenges in it and the second half saw no let up. Bustin had the first decent chance of the second period when he worked himself into a shooting position but his shot lacked the power to worry Daniel and the keeper collected with no worries. Casuals were now well in control and Hawk did well to deny Cole in the 58th minute.

The game was over as a contest with 13 minutes to go. First on 70 minutes Tividale’s Smith was shown a straight red card for a challenge that was classed as serious foul play. Then 7 minutes later a direct Musa Ceesay free kick flew past Hawk and into the net to make the score 3-1.

Casuals were now making a mockery of their lowly position and threatened to run away with the scoring as Tividale were now in all defend mode and on 82 minutes the home side added a 4th. With Hesson grabbing his second tap of the night in after a right-wing cross. Hawk did well to keep Casuals from getting a 5th with a flying save in the 88th save to deny Roger Bosio.

Full Time Wolverhampton Casuals 4-1 Tividale

Tividale: – 1. Peter Hawk, 2. Tom Hurdman 3. Elliott Hartley, 4. Luke Carter (14 Joe Burroughs 82), 5. Lucas Muckley (15 Brad Welding 82), 6. Matt Hunt, 7. Jason Wood, 8. Curtis Cocking, 9. Dan Smith, 10. Ethan Muckley (12. Owen Waterfield 82), 11. Darragh Bustin.

Unused Subs: – 13. Louis Connor