Tividale FC

Report

Midland Football League
Premier Division
Wednesday 12th April 2023
Market Drayton Town 2-3 Tividale

Youngster’s hold out for win

Tividale’s third game in five days produced another win on the road against a Market Drayton Town side that although already relegated showed a fighting spirit that will surely keep them in good stead for the future.

With a total of eight regular players unavailable including four centre backs. This was always going to be a tough one. With the centre back shortage, manager Dave King decided to switch to a 4-4-2 line up. He brought in youth team player Ashley Oliver at centre back and he wore the No. 6 shirt that his dad Jamie had worn in the win against Wolves Casuals 2 days before.

Zac Kourouyianni was moved to centre back alongside Ashley and Ollie Fluke brought in at right back. Harry Lewis paired up with Jason Wood in the engine room, with Renaldo Forbes and Jack Fletcher providing the width. With Dan Smith and Arman Khoshkhoo in attack.

The home side buoyed from their win against Lichfield City last time out Started the best and soon had the visitors under pressure In the first minute but Callum Parker was unable to turn the ball home from a ball into the box and Tividale managed to clear.

Tividale were not helping themselves with a list of poor clearances and not winning first or second ball as Town won a succession of corners.

Yet it was Tividale who took the lead. In their first decent piece of play, a great ball from Khoshkhoo into Smith left him one on one with Town keeper George Scott. In an attempt to get to the ball, the keeper went to ground and brought Smith down. Up stepped Lewis to put Tividale 1-0 up after 10 minutes.

Town put the setback behind them and continued taking the game to the home team. On 19 minutes Alfonso Castellano volleyed over the Tividale bar a Rune Corinaldi corner and immediately after Charlie Cooper went on a superb run but his shot was disappointing.

Wood fired in a shot on 21 minutes after a great team move, but Scott turned it around the post. Town’s Jack Howse tried his luck from range in the 24^th minute but Connor took it quite comfortably.

On 31 minutes the home side were stunned again when Khoshkhoo was adjudged to have been brought down inside the area and Lewis stepped up again to double his tally and Tividale’s lead.

Tividale were now in total command and where 3-0 up on 33 minutes when after Town failed to put any distance on a clearance of  a ball into the box, Lewis whipped a sent it to the back post and Smith was there to head home.

Town were still struggling to convert their chances as a Josh Wycherely free kick found an unmarked Tom Messham in the Tividale area, but he lashed his shot wide.

Half Time: Market Drayton Town 0-3 Tividale

Town had the first chance of the half as Tividale failed to deal with a 47^th minute Corinaldi free kick and the ball landed at the feet of Cooper but again he failed to hit the target.

.Smith then had a go on 52 minutes from a good 25 yards, but it sailed over the bar. Khoshkhoo and Fletcher then split the Town defence open with a great one two on 55 minutes that left Fletcher one on one with Scott but the keeper made a fine save with his feet.

At the other end Wycherley failed to beat Connor from a Josh Williams free kick on the hour and a 71^st minute Parker free kick shot grazed the post

As Tividale began to tire with a couple of players going down with cramp and then going down to 10 men when Campbell was sin binned, Town upped the pressure and they eventually found a breakthrough in the 80^th minute. A Castellano shot was parried by Connor and Wycherley was the first to the loose ball and smashed the ball past Connor and in.

More Town pressure led to a second goal in the 88^th minute when Castellano again tried his luck from around 25 yards. This time the ball took a deflection and beat Connor.

Town threw everything at the visitors in the closing minutes but could not find an equaliser and Tividale held on for their fourth consecutive win.

Full Time: Market Drayton Town 2-3 Tividale

Tividale: – 1. Louis Connor, 2. Oliver Fluke (14. Joel Harrison 77), 3. Kamol Campbell, 4. Harry Lewis, 5. Zac Kourouyianni, 6. Ashley Oliver, 7. Renaldo Forbes, 8. Jason Wood, 9. Dan Smith (12. Nashawn Blake 60), 10. Arman Khoshkhoo (15.Callum Powell 72), 11. Jack Fletcher.

Unused Subs:- None