Tividale FC

Report

Midland Football League
Premier Division
Saturday 26th February 2022
Uttoxeter Town 2-2 Tividale

Two’s Up in Town

After the defeat at the hands of AFC Wulfrunians, two weeks ago. You felt it was imperative that they put that result behind them and concentrate on the much improved second half performance.

Uttoxeter was another new ground to visit and as we have found with all our travel’s this season a very welcoming club they are too. Manager Dave King was without Jason Wood and Dan Bryson from the AFC defeat and so Joe Burroughs and Dan Smith were brought into the side. With Bryson out, Tom Hurdman was moved to centre back and Burroughs came in at right back.

A change of formation meant that Tividale were now going 4-4-2 instead of the regular 4-3-3, with Smith pushed up alongside Ethan Muckley in attack. Elliott Hartley and Darragh Bustin the two wide men with Curtis Cocking and Luke Carter anchoring the midfield.

The kick off was preceded by a minute’s applause for the 2nd anniversary of the untimely death of former Uttoxeter Town manager Dean Arnold. Coming from a club that has had its fair share of heartbreak and pain over recent years. The love for Dean at Uttoxeter Town was there for all to see.

The game itself started really slowly. The home side doing the pressing while Tividale were just happy to slowly settle into the games and neither keeper was troubled for the first 18 minutes. The first decent effort from Tividale was a Cocking shot that was deflected out for a corner. Five minutes later and Uttoxeter were ahead. Reuben Kenny whipped in a cross that Paul Hughes just failed to get his head too. The ball was swung back into the box where Kenny met at it the far post. His header back into the mix was met by Hughes who got his head to the ball before the punch from Tividale keeper Peter Hawk and the ball looped over the keeper and into the back of the net.

Tividale were not behind for long though. On 28 minutes Cocking was brought down on the edge of the Uttoxeter box. Carter stepped up and his shot skimmed off the surface and bounced over the home keeper Jack Tolley and into the back of the net. Bustin almost put Tividale in front on 33 minutes when after a great run he saw his shot beat Tolley but come back off the base of the upright.

Uttoxeter were back in front a minute before the break, when Hawk seemed to slip and failed to gather cleanly a high ball into his area and Kenny was there to stab home the loose ball.

Half time: Uttoxeter Town 2-1 Tividale

Muckley had the first chance of the second period when he hooked his shot over the bar in the 48th minute. Then on 54 minutes a great cross by Uttoxeter right back Jack Derbyshire was headed wide by Kenny. A mistake by a Tividale defender in the 56th minute left Uttoxeter’s Kyle Esplin unmarked and clear on goal but he put his shot wide.

From a 58th minute Hartley corner, Hunt headed it back across goal to Carter, who’s header brought off a point blank save by Tolley turning the ball around the post for another corner. Again, from the corner Hartley found Hunt and again Carter was on the end of the ball back across the 6-yard box, but this time Carter volleyed the ball over the bar.

As the game stretched there were more chances at both ends. Uttoxeter’s Harry Griffiths 66th minute free kick was comfortably gathered by Hawk. Then Carter headed a Hurdman cross wide in the 74th minute. In the 79th minute once again Uttoxeter’s Hughes was given to much time to work himself a shooting chance but again he dragged his shot wide.

On 82 minutes whilst hunting down the ball from his left back position Welding was shown a straight red for a challenge on an opposition player that referee Harry James adjudged was serious foul play. With a goal down and a man down Tividale would have taken anything from this game and they were given their chance in the 85th minute when a rash challenge by Douglas Price on Muckley in the penalty area awarded Tividale a penalty and Carter made no mistake from the spot.

The home side had the final chance deep into injury time but again Price’s free kick failed to worry Hawk

 

Full time: Uttoxeter Town 2-1 Tividale

Tividale: – 1. Peter Hawk, 2. Joe Burroughs (16. TJ Munthali 55), 3. Brad Welding, 4. Luke Carter, 5. Tom Hurdman 6. Matt Hunt, 7. Darragh Bustin, 8. Curtis Cocking, 9. Dan Smith (12. Lewis McPike 72), 10. Ethan Muckley, 11. Elliott Hartley

Unused Subs: – 14. Cameron Milne, 15. Owen Waterfield.