Tividale FC

Report

Midland Football League
Premier Division
Saturday 27th August 2022
Walsall Wood 3-0 Tividale

Tividale get lost in the Wood

Very rarely, if ever do our management team use the players unavailable card as an excuse for a poor display and don’t get it wrong Harry Harris and Steve Hinks have a very good side at Walsall Wood. But you cannot help but think that with the 8 players that were missing (although they may not have changed the result), would have at least give Walsall Wood a game.

The pattern of the game was set in the opening minutes with the Wood on the front foot. After 4 minutes what looked like a foul on Tividale right back Cameron East was waived by the man in the middle and Jai Verma’s shot was parried away by Tividale keeper Louis Connor and cleared. 5 minutes later and the home side were ahead. This time a complete about turn by the man in the middle gifted The Wood a free kick after the most innocuous of challenges by Joe Burroughs on thew Wood’s Ryan Boothe inside the “D.”

After about 3 “to me to you’ s” Ryan Boothe stepped up and planted a daisy cutter past Connors left hand and into the bottom corner of the net. A couple of minutes later and Tividale had their first effort on goal. A neat through ball from Malcolm Melvin put Ryan Snape through on goal but the angle was always against him and he shot over the bar. Snape was involved again in Tividale’s next foray forward. This time a neat interchange with strike partner Dan Smith ended with the latter’s shot comfortably saved by Wood keeper Lewis Landers.

Walsall Wood continued to dominate the possession as Tividale had no answers and anything in the home sides third was dealt with by the Wood back line. But with the score at 1-0 there was always a chance that the visitors could find a goal from somewhere. It became twice as difficult after 36 minutes. First of all, a short Wood corner to Verma, caught the Tividale defence napping. He let fly and Connor did well to turn it around the post for a corner. From the resulting corner though an unmarked Asa Charlton gave Connor no chance with a thumping header.

The Wood was not done there and as we moved into first half stoppage time defender Carter Lycett roamed forward unchallenged but his shot went over the bar. Then in the 49^th minute Verma was again allowed to cut in on his right but this time he missed the target. Tividale had to show a massive improvement in the second period or there was a chance of a real hiding

Half Time: Walsall Wood 2-0 Tividale

If thing’s were not bad enough, Tividale’s Alex Woodhouse had to be replaced at half time through injury. Sam Oakley making his debut in his place. This also brought a change in formation with Tividale switching from a 4-4-2 to 4-3-3. This didn’t stop the home sides offensive on our goal and Purves should have done better from a Lycett corner in the 53^rd minute, heading wide. Purcell then should have made it 3-0 on 55 minutes, when again he was allowed to run unchallenged his shot coming off the underside of the bar and clearly coming down over the goal line. Well clear to everyone but the men in the middle, who waived play on.

On the hour mark Tividale committed the cardinal error of letting a lofted ball bounce on the edge of their penalty area and Walsall Kaden May latched onto it but his shot lacked the power to cause Connor any problems. Tividale had not learnt there lesson’s in defence and on 62 minutes they were punished again. Verma again allowed to run unchallenged and this time his shot from the edge of the box beat Connor at his near post to make it 3-0. Tividale’s first shot on target in the half came on 68 minutes when from a Connor clearance, Snape got in between the Wood defence but his shot was dealt with by Landers.

Wood was now coasting as could have added more. On 78 minutes a Daniel Gyasi shot was scrambled clear. Tividale had a decent chance in the 78^th minute when from their first corner of the game taken by Oakley was steered wide of the near post by Dan Smith. The day turned from bad to worse when 10 minutes to go Tividale full back Zac Kourouyianni was sin binned for 10 minutes for what we all presume something he said to the referee.

The troublesome Verma had the last meaningful effort off the game when he was again allowed to cut in from the left wing and shoot, this time he dragged his shot wide of Connor’s post.

Full Time: Walsall Wood 3-0 Tividale

Tividale: – 1. Louis Connor, 2. Cameron East, 3. Brad Welding, 4. Alex Woodhouse (15. Sam Oakley 46), 5. Zac Kourouyianni, 6. Joe Burroughs, 7. Malcolm Melvin (14. Jacob Wedderburn 68), 8. Curtis Cocking, 9. Dan Smith, 10. Ryan Snape (16. Ibrahim Almane 74), 12. Jamie Hunt

Unused Subs: – 13. Peter Hawk. 19. Dean Fisher