vs

Results

TeamGoals
Highgate United0
Tividale1

Details

Date Time Competition Season
August 28, 2021 3:00 pm MFL Premier 2021-22

Report

Midland Football League
Premier Division
Saturday 28th August 2021
Highgate United 0-1 Tividale

The High’s and Low’s

There are times when football just doesn’t seem to matter and this was one of those day’s. On the morning of the game the news came that Highgate United Captain, Leader and Legend Samuel Oji had lost his toughest challenge and had sadly passed away.  Absolutely awful news. Our thoughts and condolences are with Sam’s wife, children, family, friends and everyone at Highgate United.

Tividale went into this game with just the one change from the side that beat AFC Wulfruniuns in the FA Cup last Saturday. Cameron Milne coming in for the unavailable Ryan Grosvenor.

Tividale had the first chance when a ball over the top in the 2nd minute from Curtis Cocking sent Dan Smith away but his shot was blocked by Highate defender Aaron Brown. Brown came to the rescue again in the 7th minute when Cocking found Elliott Hartley but the defender did just enough to ensure the striker could not get his shot away.

Highgate’s first chance came on 8 minutes when after good work from Connor Doyle he fired a cross come shot across the face of the Tividale goal. On 12 minutes Highgate had a penalty appeal when Tividale defender Ben Birch tangled with Highate’s Ryan Boothe in the area but the referee waived play on. 3 minutes later and Tividale were awarded one. Again some tenacious tackling by Luke Carter won the ball back from Highgate’s Basit Mandey. His little chip split the home defence and left Smith one on one with Highgate keeper Brad Catlow. Catlow came out  to meet Smith but only ended up bringing him down, and though the keeper guesed the right way for Carters spot kick into the bottom left hand corner, he could not get near it.

On 25 minutes a slalom of a run by Highgate left back Kieran Westwood ended witrh an effort that Brad Welding had to head out for a corner. From the corner Kyle Batchelor’s header was touched over by Harrison. Tividale were close to going 2-0 up on 28 minutes when Hartley met a Milne near post corner with a glancing header that went just the wrong side of the post. The dangerous Doyle then tried to clip one in the top right hand corner of Harrison’s goal but it went wide. Highgate then looked to have got behind the Tividale defence but Harrison was quick off his line to smother the ball. On 36 minutes Doyle is again through but again he fails to hit the target.

It’s now end to end as Hartley had a good chance on 38 minutes to double Tividale’s lead when Smith puts him through but he does not put enough on his chip and Catlow collects comfortably. On 40 minutes from a Carter free kick Birch flashes a header across the face of the Highgate goal.

HALF TIME: Highgate United 0-1 Tividale

Highgate made a change at half time bringing on the journey man Lee Chilton for Mandey and they were immediately on the front foot. But as much as they pressed they never really troubled the visitors back line and it was Tividale who had the first chance of the second half on 53 minutes when a well worked short corner between Hartley and Hurdman ended with the latter’s cross headed over the bar by Smith. Straight from the goal kick Tividale concede a free kick. Corey Currithur’s free kick is headed partly clear by Matt Hunt straight to Doyle on the edge of the box and his shot is turned away by Harrison. The ball is kept alive by Boothe but Tividale defend well and clear the danger.

Big chance for Tividale on the hour as Dan Smith wriggles his way through the Highgate defence then has all the goal to aim at, as Catlow goes down early but he can’t get enough whip on his shot and it goes wide of the mark. Welding then has an effort well wide after a spell of Tividale pressure on 70 minutes. Highgate then break and Harrison pulls off a great save to deny Chilton in the 77th minute.

Highgate although throwing caution to the wind never looked like out maoevering the Tividale back line and when they did Harrison was there and to round off his decent day. Deep into injury time he again denied Chilton with another fine save

FULL TIME:- Highgate United 0-1 Tividale

Tividale: – 1. Adam Harrison, 2. Tom Hurdman, 3. Brad Welding, 4. Ben Birch, 5. Dan Bryson, 6. Matt Hunt, 7. Curtis Cocking 8. Cameron Milne, 9. Dan Smith, 10. Luke Carter, 11. Elliott Hartley (12. Hayden Reeves 89)

Unused Subs: – 13. Peter Hawk, 14. Tj Munthali