Tividale FC

Report

Midland Football League
Premier Division
Tuesday 20th August 2019
Tividale 2-2 Haughmond

Nothing Mondane about this thriller

There is not many times that when you speak to both managers after a draw they both feel they have dropped two points. But this was one of them.

With top goalscorer Dan Smith absent, Manager Dave King gave Emile Beckford his first start in an otherwise unchanged side that beat Gresley at the weekend.

Haughmond were absolutely brilliant from the off as Tividale could get nowhere near them in the first 10 minutes and they should have been ahead after 5 minutes when Joe Parry broke through the Tividale back line but was thwarted by a great Lewis Probert block. The reprieve only lasted another 4 minutes when from a Haughmond free kick Ryan Cheshire blocked a point blank Joe Parry header, but Parry reacted first to the rebound and stabbed the ball home. A minutes later and the visitors were through again but after a neat back heal by Jack Leask into the Jordan Davies the midfielder fired over. This was now threatening to be a repeat of the 4-0 drubbing Haughmond gave Tividale here last season as they seemed to cut through the Tividale back line at will.

It was 17 minutes into the game before Tividale first threatened as Beckford headed over a Jake Webb cross although he was flagged offside. Then on 24 minutes Webb found Darragh Bustin but he fired over. Tividale were now making a game of it and looked to have ridden the storm. But on 33 minutes a minute after Tividale had cleared another Haughmond attack Davies picked his way into shooting range and put the ball into the bottom right hand corner of Cheshire’s net. Tividale immediately went on the attack and a Webb volley was beaten away by Haughmond keeper Oliver Hawkins.

With half time approaching Welding again beat his marker and his low cross was turned home by Beckford at the near post at the second attempt. In the second minute of first half injury time and against all the odds Tividale could have actually gone in level. Welding was brought down in the box and Bustin stepped up to take the penalty and Hawkins saved it.

Half Time: Tividale 1-2 Haughmond

Haughmond started the second period on the front foot and Cheshire had to be at his best to deny Haughmond striker Steve Hole. A minute later and Leask somehow got back to deny Welding as he homed in on the Haughmond goal. Leask then threatened at the other end on 51 minutes but he shot wide after some good Haughmond possession. Typical of this end to end game a minute later and Tividale were level Bustin tried a speculative shot from the edge of the box and it somehow squirmed under Hawkins and into the net.

Probert headed a Webb free kick just wide after 56 minutes. Cheshire was again equal to a Haughmond effort on 58 minutes and then 4 minutes later a Bustin free kick hit the bar and went over. Tividale were now looking like the team more likely to take the points. On 65 minutes Beckford was put through but he was unable to keep down his shot and it cleared Hawkins’s bar. Three minutes later and a Welding free kick produced an excellent save from Hawkins.

With the game now going into the final few minutes Beckford headed wide from a Probert cross with what was his last offering of the game. With 3 minutes to go his replacement Tyree Clarke was unceremoniously upended by Hawkins as he went through resulting in another Tividale penalty. This time it was Clarke himself who lined up the spot kick but the result was the same as the one at the end of the first half with Hawkins producing another fine save to thwart Clarke.

In the end Haughmond will feel that after their first half dominance to lose a two goal lead will be disappointing. While Tividale will feel that with all their chances in the second half and two penalty misses. All three points were there for the taking.

Full Time: Tividale 2-2 Haughmond