Tividale FC

Report

Midland Football League
Premier Division
Saturday 23rd April 2022

Tividale 0-0 Hanley Town

No Handing it to Hanley

This was the end of a long season and after the Bank Holiday performance, possibly the last team you would want to meet (apart from Wolves Casuals. Bewdley Town and Haughmond who were all still trying to avoid relegation on the last day) is the newly crowned league Champions.

The remit from Dave, the staff and players was lets congratulate Hanley on their brilliant achievement by giving them a guard of honour and applauding them onto the field. But once kick off comes along, let’s put on the sort of display that saw us earn a point at Hanley in the reverse fixture.

Dave was able to welcome back Jason Wood, Curtis Cocking and Lucas and Ethan Muckley, who all missed the Shifnal loss but, Lewis McPike was unavailable for this game. The opening minutes was a cagey affair and the first chance fell to the visitors when an interchange of passes between skipper Louis Dodds and Jake Avery led to the latter just failing to get a shot off due to some good defensive work from Tividale defender Joe Burroughs. A minute later and Tividale had their first chance when Matt Hunt got on the end of a Brad Welding free kick but could not get his shot on target.

The home side had a great chance to open the scoring when Elliott Hartley was put through but he fired over the Hanley bar and 5 minutes later Dodds tried his luck from distance but it was a comfortable save for Peter Hawk in the Tividale goal. Tividale went close again when a Darragh Bustin effort was deflected for a corner.

A great ball in from Aaron Cole in the 29th minute had Hawk caught in no man’s land but again Avery just could get the decisive touch and Tividale cleared. The game was already stretched with both teams going at it hammer and tong but the final ball was just missing from both sides.

In the 44th minute Bustin found Ethan Muckley with a peach of a ball and the striker’s shot was well blocked by Hanley keeper Ben Chapman. Then on the stroke of half time Chapman’s weak clearance was intercepted by Bustin, but the keeper redeemed himself, turning the strikers shot around the post for a corner.

Half Time:- Tividale 0-0 Hanley Town

Hanley created the first clearcut chance of the second period in the 56th minute when a half time substitute Kyle Stubbs headed a Jake Twyford corner straight into the arms of Hawk. Then a minute later a dangerous Ryan Campbell-Gordon crossed was cleared by Brad Welding. On the hour Hanley’s Rowley had a half chance that he put wide and as the champions exerted more pressure on the home defence Josh Green fired wide in the 65th minute.

Tividale had a great chance on 75 minutes but Ethan Muckley could not pick out a team mate in the area after some great work. Then on 77 minutes Cocking found Muckley with a great ball but the young forward’s shot was deflected wide for a corner. Ryan Shotton somehow found himself clean through with just Hawk but the keeper pulled off an excellent save.

Tividale survived the 20 minutes of Hanley pressure and as the game moved into the final 15 minutes had some great chances of their own. The first on 79 minutes when Bustin found Cocking but his shot came back off Chapman’s post. Cocking tried another effort in the 84th minute this time from 25 yards out that flashed wide.

With 3 minutes of normal time to go Tividale substitute Lucas Muckley played in his brother Ethan and his shot beat Chapman but hit the cross bar. As the game moved into the final minute again Shotton was foiled by Hawk with a great block and from the resulting corner Shotton headed wide

So, the game finished honours even for the second time this season against the deserved champions. We had the satisfaction of not only being the only team not to be beaten by them in the league but also the only team not to concede to them in our two fixtures.

 

Full Time:- Tividale 0-0 Hanley Town

Tividale: – 1. Peter Hawk, 2. Tom Hurdman 3. Brad Welding, 4. Luke Carter, 5. Joe Burroughs 6. Matt Hunt, 7. Jason Wood (12. Lucas Muckley 80), 8. Curtis Cocking, 9. Darragh Bustin, 10.Ethan Muckley, 11. Elliott Hartley

Unused Subs: – 13. Louis Connor, 14. TJ Munthali, 15. Owen Waterfield