Tividale FC

Report

Midland Football League

Premier Division
Saturday 26th December 2020
Lye Town 3-1 Tividale

Christmas Hangover

Our proud unbeaten record was always going to end in a league of this quality. Yes we was disappointed that it ended against our neighbours. But what really hurt was the manner that it came. Due to a performance that can only be politely put as poor. You can not come up against any team and produce the first half effort that we did without ending up in serious trouble.

Manager Dave King had Adam Garmson back from his 3 game suspension but Jacob Barnes was unavailable and he could not start Liam Wilkinson due to an illness putting him on the bench. Dan Bryson came in for Barnes.

Garmson resumed his partnership with Dan Smith up front, allowing Darragh Bustin to take the Wilkinson position in the middle of the park. The other change from the impressive performance against Khalsa 4 days earlier was Elliott Hartley replacing Brad Welding at left wing back.

Lye were at it from the off and the warning bells should have been loud and clear after just 4 minutes when a Colin Smith shot was deflected wide for a Lye corner. The hosts were ahead 3 minutes later when an attempted Joe Hawkins clearance struck the back of a fellow defender dropped at the feet of Smith and he casually chipped Tividale keeper Adam Harrison.

Tividale’s first effort on goal came on 14 minutes from Bustin. When his free kick was headed clear. Two minutes later and Lye doubled their lead. Some poor defending was punished when a Smith shot beat Harrison but came back off the post. Fellow striker Jordan Harrison was the first to react and smacked home the rebound. Lye were threatening to run away with it and Harrison may feel he should have done better on 23 minutes when he shot wide.

Tividale just could not get started as Lye dominated the midfield and their front three of Smith, Harrison and Sammy Prince were able to run freely at the Tividale defence. The visitors frustration culminated in some petty free kicks.

Smith had another chance in the 43rd minute when he was put through on the Tividale goal but this time Harrison was equal to his shot and pulled off a comfortable save. Tividale did have the final chance of the half when in the 45th minute a Bustin shot was deflected for a corner after he was put through by Hartley

That was the end of the first half action. A half one team was glad was over and the other side wished it could have carried on.

Half Time:- Lye Town 2-0 Tividale

Tividale made a change at half time, bringing on Wilkinson for Lewis McPike. McPike could have felt unlucky as anyone of the 10 outfield players could have been substituted on the first half performance.

The visitors had to raise their game and in the 50th minute they were back in the game. A ball into the Lye penalty area and Lye skipper Joe Colley went crashing into the back of Bustin and there was not a lot of home side complaints as the referee pointed immediately to the spot. Carter placed the ball on the spot and beat Lye keeper Ben Newey and halved the deficit. Garmson then made space for a shot in the 53rd minute but his effort went straight at Newey.

On 63 minutes in a spell of Tividale dominance, the visitors thought they had levelled when Carter headed home a Bustin cross. But the assistant raised his flag immediately and the goal was wiped off.

Tividale were now putting the Lye back line under pressure but never really worked Newey and as shown in the first half they had to be wary of being hit on the counter. And on 77 minutes that was what happened. Lye Sub Brad Lawley found Prince wide on the right and his turn of pace took him past the Tividale defence. He then cut in and beat the onrushing Harrison with an excellent finish.

From thinking they had got the game back to parity to then going back to a 2 goal deficit took the momentum out of Tividale while it settled Lye down and apart from a Garmson free kick that again Newey collected comfortably the game meandered to a close and a well deserved Lye Town win.

Tividale have the chance to get back on track against Gresley Rovers in their next game but whatever happens then, they will still be feeling the disappointment of this Boxing Day derby loss

Full Time:- Lye Town 3-1 Tividale

Tividale: 1. Adam Harrison, 2. Tom Hurdman (15. Will Rawlins 77), 3. Darragh Bustin, 4. Dan Bryson, 5. Joe Hawkins, 6. Matt Hunt (c), 7. Lewis McPike (12. Liam Wilkinson 46), 8. Elliott Hartley (14. Cameron Milne 77), 9. Dan Smith, 10. Adam Garmson, 11. Luke Carter

Unused Subs: 13. Peter Hawk 16. Brad Welding