Season: 2024-25

Brocton vs Tividale

Midland Football League
Premier Division
Saturday 8th February 2025
Brocton 8-3Tividale

Careful what you wish for

Tividale came into this game with the unwanted statistic of not scoring in any competition since Aon Mohammed Abbas’s 67th minute free kick against Dudley Town on the 14th December 2024. Which equated to eight weeks or if you include injury time over 8 hours of football.

Today they ended that drought, but in a game of which team could make the least defensive errors, Tividale were a sorry second.

The visitors made just the one change from the side that were unlucky in the 2-0 defeat last time out against Stourport Swifts two weeks ago. With the more attacking midfielder Lewis Derrick coming in for the holding midfielder Raheem Akhtar

As expected, high flying Brocton were at the visitors from the start and went ahead after 9 minutes when Brocton captain Connor Haddaway fired home from close range after a Tividale defender had blocked the original shot. The long wait was over 10 minutes later as Tividale drew level. A Jason Wood free kick was half cleared and after a number of blocks in the Brocton area, the ball came out to Jordon Sangha, who fired past Brocton keeper Tony Allsopp.

Tividale had a great chance to go ahead 2 minutes later when from a Derrick free kick Matt Holland headed just wide, As the game raced from end to end Brocton’s Will Whieldon’s 24th minute free kick found Jake Thomas but he dragged his shot wide. A minute later and they were back in front through a great pass by Regan Smith to Weldon who was left one on one with Hawkes and he put the ball past him and into the back of the net.

In the 28th minutes after the first of the errors it was back at 2-2. Tividale’s Ezekiel Agyemang cashing in on a massive Brocton mix up. After a long kick from Hawkes, Brocton defender Kenny Devoir’s weak header to Allsopp was well short and left the keeper in no man’s land and Agyemang nipped in and finished.

On 34 minutes Tividale returned the favour. A poor back pass to Hawk, and his attempted clearance was blocked by Smith and the forward rolled the loose ball into the net. Alfie Higgs had a chance to put Tividale level for a third time in the 40th minute but Allsopp was down to his shot comfortably.

Brocton went further ahead in the 42nd minute with their 4th. Whieldon collected a cross field ball cut inside and fired into Hawkes’s far corner.

Half Time:- Brocton 4-2 Tividale

Whieldon opened the second period with what would have been a spectacular goal but his back post volley sailed over the bar, From a 49th minute Sangha corner Hollands back post header found the back of the net and it was 4-3. Then after good work from Sangha,  Agyemang missed the target with a chance of getting the visitors back on level terms.

In the 55th minute, Brocton scored their 5th. When Smith was allowed to turn and shoot, beating Hawkes at his near post. Two minutes later and it was six. An Allsopp clearance found Whieldon and his first time cross fell to Christian Blanchette at the back post and he turned the ball home.

Six became seven in the 59th minute when Whieldon collected the ball, ran into the box unchallenged and fired past Hawkes for his hat-trick.

Thankfully for Tividale there then came a number of substitutions that halted the Brocton momentum and it was not until the 71st minute when they hit their 8th. Substitute Jude King was again allowed to pick up the ball on the left and unchallenged, curled a shot into the top corner. King was close to his second in the final minute of the game as his shot beat Hawk but it brushed the outside of the post.

In the end a chastening defeat against a very good side who will punish any side at this level that makes as many mistakes or wrong decisions as we did. But the plus if you can call it a plus is that at least we have added to the goals scored column.

Full Time:- Brocton 8-3 Tividale

Tividale:- 1.Ethan Hawkes, 2. Tom Rann, 3. Sam Bratt-Wyton (15. Jevani Robinson 63), 4. Jason Wood, 5. Callum Lloyd, 6 Matt Holland, 7. Jordon Sangha, 8. Eddie Rann (12. Raheem Akhtar 67), 9. Ezekiel Agyemang (17. Aon Mohammed Abbas 80}, 10. Lewis Derrick (16. Ryan Piggott 62), 11. Alfie Higgs (14. Myles Durham 72)

Unused Subs: None

Tividale

1Ethan Hawkes Goalkeeper
2Thomas Rann Defender
3Samuel Bratt-Wyton 15 Defender
4Jason Wood Midfielder
5Callum Lloyd Defender
6Matt Holland Defender 49'
7Jordon Sangha Midfielder 19'
8Edward Rann 12 Midfielder
9Ezekiel Agyemang 17 Forward 28'
10Lewis Derrick 16 Midfielder
11Alfie Higgs 14 Midfielder
12Raheem Akhtar 8 Defender
14Myles Durham 11 Midfielder
15Jevani Robinson 3 Defender
16Ryan Piggott 10 Forward
17Aon Mohammed Abbas 9 Midfielder
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Tividale vs Stourport Swifts

Midland Football League
Premier Division
Saturday 25th January 2025
Tividale 0- 2 Stourport Swifts

No goals No points.

Don’t get it wrong. You finish where you deserve to finish in any league as it’s based on performances and results over a season, but at times you feel that the God’s are against you. But you have to pick yourself up, dust yourself down and go again. This was one of those days. After playing almost all game as well as at any time this season, a point was cruelly snatched from us at the end of normal time.

After the previous performance against table toppers Lichfield City. It was no surprise that the same starting eleven started this game.

After a fairly quiet opening minutes Stourport had the first shot on 11 minutes but Ryan Snape’s shot was high and wide. The visitors were now exerting a great deal of pressure and 3 minutes later Jim Hanson saw his shot go wide and then it was Jack Cresswell’s turn to have a go on 20 minutes but although his effort was on target Tividale keeper Ethan Hawkes was equal to it.

Tividale’s first effort came half way through the half when skipper Sam Bratt-Wyton drove from his left back position to the edge of the Stourport box and unleashed a shot that Stourport keeper Dom Richards could only parry away. Tividale made Richards work again on 39 minutes when from a corner, Callum Lloyd hooked the ball into the box Ezekiel Agyemang got his head to it and Richards had to tip the ball over the bar.

At the end of a great Tividale spell before the half time whistle Jordon Sangha fired over the bar after Alfie Higgs chested a ball down for him.

Half Time:- Tividale 0- 0 Stourport Swifts

Stourport were the ones with the better start to the half and they actually had the ball in the net on 54 minutes through Connor Deards, but the goal was chalked off due to a handball in the build-up. Deards should have put the visitors in front in the 66th minute when Matt Harland made the most of indecision in the home defence, cut the ball back to Deards on the edge of the 6 yard box and in the centre of the goal, but somehow, he shot over the bar.

Again, it was half way through the half before Tividale threatened, this time an Aon Mohammed Abbas free kick cleared the bar.

With Tividale defending well and looking like holding on for a valuable point Stourport had a penalty appeal turned down in the 88th minute when Stourport substitute Kai Adams failed to get his shot off after a challenge from Lloyd.

Less than a minute later from a ball played into the Tividale area defender Raheem Akhtar clearly chested the ball away only for referee Michael Jones with no hesitation point directly to the spot even though he was on the blind side of the incident. Making the penalty decision either a complete guess or to make up for the one that he felt he should have given before. Either way Dale Edwards scored from the spot and absolutely killed the home sides resolve.

With Tividale pushing forward and looking for the equaliser Stourport added a second deep into injury time when Edwards broke on the counter found Adams and he beat Hawkes with his shot to wrap up the three points.

Full Time:- Tividale 0- 2 Stourport Swifts

Tividale:- 1.Ethan Hawkes, 2. Tom Rann, 3. Sam Bratt-Wyton, 4. Matt Holland, 5. Callum Lloyd, 6 Raheem Akhtar, 7. Jordon Sangha, 8. Eddie Rann (16. Nehemia Zazi 74) , 9. Ezekiel Agyemang (15. Ryan Piggott 63}, 10. Jason Woods , 11. Alfie Higgs (12. Aon Mohammed Abbas 65)

Unused Subs:14. Lewis Derrick,17. Myles Durham

 

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Lichfield City vs Tividale

Midland Football League
Premier Division
Saturday 18th January 2025
Lichfield City 2- 0Tividale

Better, but still no points

After our dismal performance last time out against OJM Black Country and a two week break. A visit to league leaders Lichfield City is possibly not the ideal fixture to come back to.

Manager Phil Rann made four changes from the OJM game. With Ethan Delaney suspended, Harry Higginson, Tom Cottam unavailable and Ryan Piggott on the bench. In came Raheem Akhtar, Jordon Sangha after his 3 game ban. Matt Holland for his first appearance since the first game of the season. Alfie Higgs back after injury.

The first real chance of the game came after 2 minutes when Lichfield’s Jack Edwards cuts in from the left and the Ethan Hawkes makes a good save at his near post. On 12 minutes, a great chance from a Sangha Tividale corner, with Holland at the back post with a free header but he puts it wide. Lichfield’s Joe Haines then tried his luck from distance but the ball sailed over Hawkes crossbar.

After the goalmouth action in the opening minutes, the game then settled down a bit with both teams looking for the breakthrough. Lichfield with all the possession, but the visitors looking dangerous on the counter.

In the 30 minutes’ Lichfield keeper Brendan Bunn with a miss kicked a clearance straight to Sangha who looks to beat him from distance but hit it well wide and in the 38th minute Agyemang also had a shot that cleared the bar. Callum Griffin was even closer with his effort at the end of the half but again he failed to hit the target just skimming the Tividale cross bar.

Half Time:- Lichfield City 0-0 Tividale

Within two minutes of the restart Hawkes had to get down to push away a Haines drive. Then on 52 minutes the home side went ahead with a free kick that looked to have come straight off the training ground. Haines played the ball into the near post on the  edge off the Tividale 6 yard box and Callum Rudd met it and placed the ball over Hawkes and into the back of the net.

Five minutes later and they doubled their lead, and as good as the first was a piece of quality, the second was anything else. An Edwards corner caught Hawkes in no man’s land. The ball went over him and also Tom Rann on the back post. The ball then came off the inside of the upright and into the back of the net.

The visitors had a great chance to get back into the game when on the hour Rudd handled in the area, but Lichfield debutant keeper Brendon Bunn dived down low to his right to push away the Sangha spot kick.

This rest of the game saw Lichfield fairly comfortable as Tividale never really threatened to cut the deficit and the league leaders marched on with another three points in the bag. It was a vast improvement from Tividale but again their mistakes at the back were punished and they did not carry enough of a threat in the attacking third.

Full Time:- Lichfield City 2-0 Tividale

Tividale:- 1.Ethan Hawkes, 2. Tom Rann (16. Nehemia Zazi 77), 3. Sam Bratt-Wyton, 4. Matt Holland, 5. Callum Lloyd, 6 Raheem Akhtar, 7. Jordon Sangha, 8. Eddie Rann (15. Lewis Derrick 61), 9. Ezekiel Agyemang (14. Ryan Piggott 68}, 10. Jason Woods (17. Myles Durham 80), 11. Alfie Higgs (12. Aon Mohammed Abbas 74)

Unused Subs:None

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Tividale vs OJM Black Country

Midland Football League
Premier Division
Saturday 4th January 2025
Tividale 0-5 OJM Black Country

Woeful

Tividale’s first game of 2025, produced the worse performance of the season. It was an accumulation of everything of what not to do in a football match. Poor in defence. Poor in attack. Poor discipline. Poor attitude

Unsurprisingly Tividale were unchanged from the side that started the game last week against Shifnal Town. But nobody could have predicted the complete contrast in the two performances.

OJM were at the home side from the off and in the first minute Tividale keeper Ethan Hawkes had to get down sharpish to deny Dan Danks after the wide man had got behind the home back line way too easily. Tividale’s first effort on goal came in the 4th minute but Ethan Delaney shot well over the bar. Two minutes later and he was much closer with a deflected shot that OJM keeper Tom Clapp clawed away but only as far as Eddie Rann but Clapp was quickly up to catch his shot.

Hawkes did well in the 19th minute to stave off an OJM break led by Lucas Edwards, who in turn put through Star Mayemba but Hawkes blocked his shot. The keeper was very fortunate a couple of minutes later when centre back Callum Nimmo met a Steven Leslie free kick but his header came back off the crossbar and into the arms of Hawkes.

Tividale did not learn by their previous mistake and after another needless foul outside their box on 23 minutes. This time Leslie’s free kick found an unmarked Mayemba in the 6 yard box and his header gave Hawkes no chance. Tividale were now all over the place and another foul led to another free kick and the second goal. This time Tividale made a mess of clearing the free kick, it landed out to Michael Nelson and despite the effort of Sam Bratt-Wyton on the line he could not prevent Nelson’s shot from going over the line.

Mayemba was nearly gifted his second and OJM’s third on 30 minutes when for some reason two Tividale defenders and a keeper were undecided to complete a simple clearance and the centre forward seized on the opportunity but Hawkes saved his shot.

Tividale’s first attack of any note since the 6th minute came in the 40th minute when Delaney did well to get to the bye line and put in a cross that found Tom Cottam but he shot straight at Clapp. With half time looming and the home side still under pressure Eddie Rann was adjudged to have brought down OJM’s Casey Collins and the referee pointed immediately to the spot and on 44 minutes, Leslie calmly rolled the ball past Hawkes and into the back of the net.

Half Time:- Tividale 0-3 OJM Black Country

OJM began the second period as they ended the first and should have been 4-0 up in the 47th minute when Edwards was able to get his cross in and an unmarked Nelson could not generate the power in the header required to trouble Hawkes. A minute later and Ryan Piggott had a great chance to pull one back for the home side but he fired over the bar. On 50 minutes a Jason Wood free kick was well held by Clapp.

Tividale were thrown a lifeline on 58 minutes when after a bit of wrestling in the penalty area Leslie looked to tread on Delaney. Again, referee Henry Gregory had no hesitation in showing Leslie the red card for violent conduct. This brought on a host of substitutions and the chance for Tividale to get at the visiting defence. But apart from a Delaney header cleared of the line on 59 minutes they never really threatened.

Delaney then got himself sent off in the 73rd minute, after a challenge that the referee felt worthy of a red card and at that point you felt that with both sides now playing with 10 men Tividale had missed their chance to get back into the game.

With 10 minutes to go OJM substitute Reece Morris somehow wiggled free from two Tividale challenges and get his shot off but again Hawkes was equal to his shot. But in the 91st minute another piece of sloppy defensive work resulted in Morris leaving Danks with just Hawkes to beat and he duly obliged. Two minutes later and with Tividale now in complete disarray Morris again allowed Danks to stroll in and make it 5-0.

Overall, it was as bad a performance that Tividale have produced all season. But on the other hand, you have to give credit to OJM. They were better all over the park and while the home side lost their discipline completely, they kept theirs.

Full Time:- Tividale 0-5 OJM Black Country

Tividale:- 1.Ethan Hawkes, 2. Tom Rann (12. Raheem Akhtar 62), 3. Sam Bratt-Wyton (14. Aon Mohammed Abbas 68) , 4. Jason Wood, 5. Callum Lloyd, 6 Harry Higginson, 7. Ethan Delaney, 8. Eddie Rann (15. Lewis Derrick 74), 9. Ryan Piggott , 10. Tom Cottam (17. Nehemia Zazi 80), 11. Ezekiel Agyemang (16. Alfie Higgs 8562)

Unused Subs:– None

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