Tividale FC

Report

Midland Football League

Premier Division
Saturday 2nd October 2021
Tividale 3-0 Uttoxeter Town

Three points well earned

After the well needed 10 day break. The lads were now going into a run of Saturday, Tuesday games due to the run of  County Cup and Charity competitions.

Once again it was all change from the 2-2 draw with AFC Wulfruniuns. With Adam Harrison moving to Worcester City and Niall Maher replacing him. Ben Birch unavailable, Brogan Halpin out injured and Tyree Clarke taking a break from football.

In a game played in torrential rain throughout. it was a cagey start to the game but Uttoxeter shoulkd have gone ahead in the 9th minute when Maher got undernath a Jake Avery cross and the keeper did well to palm it away but it landed at the feet of right winger Ollie Ritchie but he lashed the ball over the bar.

After the first quarter, Tividale were getting more of the ball and doing the majority of the pressing and a Brad Welding free kick was the first Tividale shot on target but Uttoxeter keeper Jack Tolley made a comfortable save.

With Tividale’s high pressing and Uttoxeter trying to play the ball out of defence error’s were going to occur and the home side should have made the visitors pay on 19 minutes. A mix up in the heart of the Uttoxeter defence and Elliott Hartley was away but he fired wide. A minute later though and Tividale were ahead. From a Uttoxeter throw in, Hayden Reeves won the ball, his through ball was flicked on by Dan Smith into the path of Hartley who sprinted past his marker and slotted the ball past Tolley and into the back of the net. On 24 minutes it was Smith that was put through but he was foiled by some brave goalkeeping by Tolley.

A minute later and it was the vistors on the attack. Maher saving a Avery shot after he benifitted from a Jack Derbyshire cross. Tolley was again in action on 28 minutes when after some great work dowmn the right hand side by Darragh Bustin he laid the ball off to Luke Carter but Avery parried away his pile driver from point blank range and Hartley could not cash in on the rebound.

Uttoxeter were definitely not out of this game and on 32 minutes this time it was Jack Hassall who shot over the bar. Then Welding tried to whip one in at Avery’s far post in the 40th minute but his shot just drifted wide of the upright.

Half Time: Tividale 1-0 Uttoxeter Town

Tividale had the ball in the net after 48 minutes when Bustin played in Smith but the assistant’s flag ruled it out. While the lead was only one goal there was always the chance that Uttoxeter may get something out of the game and on 50 minutes it took a great Hayden Reeves tackle to stop Dan Harper after he was put in by another one of Douglas Price’s searching passes. On the hour Welding tested Tolley with another effort that the keeper turned over the bar,

Tividale doubled their lead in the 63rd minute when from a Hartley cross Smith met it but his shot was blocked by Tolley, the ball fell to Bustin who hammered home the rebound. Maher was perfectly placed a minute later to field a shot from Utoxeter’s Ross Haig. This brought on a spell of Uttoxeter pressure that the home side had to defend well to avoid conceding and they always looked dangerous on the counter and when Price had to pull up with what looked like a hamstring injury, he left Hartley one on one with Tolley but again he was up to the task pulling off a fine save.

The game was all over with 5 minutes to go when from another counter attack Bustin rolled the ball to substitute Cameron Milne and he beat Tolley with a crisp effort. Tividale finished the game strongly and Bustin and Jordan Edwards both had chances to extend the Tividale lead but some great last ditch defending by the visitors kept the score at 3-0.

Full Time: Tividale 3-0 Uttoxeter Town

Tividale: – 1. Niall Maher, 2. Tom Hurdman, 3. Brad Welding, 4. Luke Carter, 5. Hayden Reeves, 6.Matt Hunt (14. Dan Bryson 86),  7. Darragh Bustin, 8. Curtis Cocking, 9. Dan Smith (15. Jordan Edwards), 10. Lewis McPike (12. Cameron Milne 71), 11. Elliott Hartley

Unused Subs: – 13. Peter Hawk 16. TJ Munthali

CLICK FOR MATCH PHOTOGRAPHS by Focus Dunn Photography