Tividale FC

Report

Midland Football League

Premier Division
Saturday 11th December 2021
Haughmond 1-2 Tividale

Road Trip Victory

The point that we dug in for against high flying Worcester City was just what we needed prior to our visit to Haughmond another side that had recently found some form. Although in the bottom half after 17 games, Haughmond have picked up over 75% of their total points tally in the previous six games. So, this was going to be another toughie. Added to this away day was the continued unavailability to Manager Dave King of the players in the squad. In a week that saw Nail Maher, Dan Greatex and Adam Garmson all the leave the club for one reason or another.

For this game Dan Bryson and Joe Burrough’s were also both unavailable and Cameron Milne was injured in the Worcester game. The good news is that his ankle injury is not as serious as first thought. If you could call a cracked bone and soft tissue damage not as serious. So, with only fourteen players available player/coach TJ Munthali had to make another appearance in the centre of defence replacing Dan Bryson in what was the only change to the actual starting line-up against Worcester City.

Tividale got off to a flyer and from the kick-off were playing a quality passing game and after just 5 minutes Luke Carter found Curtis Cocking and his shot from the edge of the box whistled over the Haughmond cross bar. With most of the play in and around the Haughmond area, Tividale deservedly took the lead. Great persistence from Darragh Bustin who latched onto a short Haughmond pass, wins the ball, and carries it forward, then lays it to Cocking who finds the corner of home keeper Sam Jones’s net from twenty yards via the post.

For some reason after the goal instead of pushing on, Tividale backed off their host’s and let them grow into the game and from a Joe Pratt free kick in the 24th minute, Tividale birthday boy keeper Peter Hawk celebrating his 21st. birthday comfortably took a Harry Morris’s header. Haughmond had another great chance 2 minutes later when the lively Sam Yeardley was allowed to attack the Tividale box, but his final shot was deflected for a corner and from the resulting corner Morris headed wide.

Haughmond were now in control of the game and Hawk did well in saving a goal bound effort from Scott Ryan on 39 minutes. Tividale nearly ended the half by doubling their lead, when Eshan Greer headed down for Bustin, who tried an outrageous volley that just cleared the cross bar.

Half Time: – Haughmond 0-1 Tividale

Tividale started the second half as they did the first with Cocking trying to return Bustin the favour in the 50th minute but Jones saved brilliantly. Haughmond were soon back at the visitors and a minute later a Harvey Lewis shot was deflected for a corner.

The game was now opening up with chances coming from both sides, Haughmonds Lewis found Ryan on the edge of the Tividale box, but he failed to hit the target with his shot.  Young Ethan Muckley replaced Eshan Greer on the hour and almost made an instant impact with his pace. Jones parried his initial shot, then neither Bustin nor Hartley could not force the ball over the line.

On 65 minutes Elliott Hartley was booked after going on a run into the box and going down under the challenge of two Haughmond defenders. We can excuse the referee for not giving a penalty from twenty yards away, but to add insult to injury he then booked Hartley for diving. One of 5 Tividale bookings in the game.

On 72 minutes Haughmond got the equaliser they deserved. Yeardley’s run down the right was finished off with a cross into the box, and Morris rose unchallenged to plant the ball past a stranded Hawk and into the back of the net. It was now game on, and Lewis’s free kick 3 minutes later could have given them the lead had it not been for Hawk punching clear at full stretch.

Haughmond had a great chance on 82 minutes when a Brad Welding slip let in Haughmond sub Louis Irvine but he blazed the ball over. Two minutes later and Tividale’s own number 12 showed how it is done After another spell of Haughmond pressure, Tividale were away on the counterattack. Hartley’s deft flick-on was perfect for Muckley to run on to, outpacing the Haughmond back line. Then calmly he sat the keeper down and passed the ball in the back of the net.

Haughmond were not out of it and on 88 minutes after some splendid work in getting himself into a shooting position Josh Jones fired over the bar. Tividale could have extended the lead in injury time when Jones pulled off another great save when palming a Bustin free kick over the bar.

In the end the result was a little tough on Haughmond especially in the middle hour where they were the better side. But Tividale have been there many times and Haughmond’s squad of players will continue moving up the table.

Full Time:- Haughmond 1-2 Tividale 

Tividale: – 1. Peter Hawk, 2. Tom Hurdman, 3. Brad Welding, 4. Luke Carter, 5. TJ Munthali, 6. Matt Hunt, 7. Elliott Hartley, 8. Curtis Cocking, 9. Eshan Greer (12. Ethan Muckley 61), 10. Jason Wood (14. Lewis McPike 77), 11. Elliott Hartley (15. Jake Tam 89)

Unused Subs: –