Tividale FC

Report

JW Hunt Cup
1st Round
Tuesday 18th October 2022
Tividale 1-0 Wolverhampton Sporting
Tividale edge past a sporting Wolves

Tividale began their quest in the JW Hunt cup with a tricky fixture against Division 1 side Wolverhampton Sporting Community. A side that whose aim was a place in next season’s Premier Division and were lying in 5th position at present.

Tividale were able to rest a few of the lads that were carrying slight knocks from the past month’s intensive schedule these included Peter Hawk, Taylor Townsend, Jamie Hunt, Louis Ezewele and Joe Burroughs. Start a few of the injured including club captain Curtis Cocking, Brad Welding and Jason Wood, squad lads, Louis Connor, Ibrahim Almane, Nashawn Blake and Lewis Taylor-Boyce and also young keeper Roman Davis from the youth squad.

Tividale absolutely dominated the first 20 minutes as they completely passed the visitors off the park, and it looked like the visitors were going to try and extend our injury list with some meaty challenges that led to two early bookings.

Somehow in that period of domination Sporting only conceded the one goal on 12 minutes, when Jack Downing cut in from the right, rode a couple of challenges and rifled the ball into Sporting’s keeper Ben Woods far corner of the net. With the goal the visitor’s sprung into life and began to play some decent football
and create their own chances as they fought back. On 19 minutes a Sporting cross was cleared from Matt Hunt to the edge of the box and Jacob Gwilt tried his luck that flew wide. Tividale then went close on 20 minutes. A Welding corner was headed wide by Kourouyianni. Then Sporting’s Kieran Francis tried a cross come shot on 22 minutes that beat keeper Louis Connor but come back off his post. A minute later Cocking found Jack Downing with a great ball, but he shot wide.

On the half hour Dan Smith found Ryan Snape on the counterattack, but he could not find the target with his shot. at the other end Francis went much closer with his attempt on 37 minutes. This time Connor could only parry his blistering drive and the ball was hooked clear. Snape had another chance to increase the home lead in the 40th minute but again he shot wide. Then in first half stoppage time Francis played the ball into Ellis Jones but his shot never troubled Connor.

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Half Time:- Tividale 1-0 Wolverhampton Sporting

Sporting started the second period as they ended the first with a 47th minute Ellis shot that made Connor make a comfortable save. A minute later and Connor was at full stretch to push a Gwilt shot around the post for a Sporting corner.

Sporting was now the dominant side and Tividale were struggling to gain a foothold in the game and whatever possession they had they were relinquishing it almost immediately. On one of these occasions in the 54th minute.

Gwilt pounced on the error and was through on Connor and again Connor was equal to the task. Pushing his shot out for a corner. With an hour gone it looked as though it would only be a matter of time before Sporting drew level. As a Stefan Walker shot was scrambled clear by the Tividale defence.

On 73 minutes Welding nearly doubled the home sides lead with a shot that crashed off the crossbar after cutting in from the left wing. Tividale were now getting more joy as Sporting committed men forward looking for the equaliser that would bring penalties and Snape cleared the bar in the 78th minute with
an overhead kick from a Taylor-Boyce cross.

Tividale had now weathered the storm and were now managing the tiring Sporting threat and had chances of their own to increase the score line. The closest in the 88th minute, when Taylor-Boyce found Cocking on the edge of the box but again the woodwork saved Woods as his shot came back off his crossbar.

In the end Tividale go into the second round, but Sporting can justly feel that they were unlucky not at least take the game to penalties.

Full Time Tividale 1-0 Wolverhampton Sporting

Tividale: – 1. Louis Connor, 2. Jack Fletcher, 3. Brad Welding, 4. Jason Wood (15. Jakob Burroughs 66), 5. Zac Kourouyianni, 6. Matt Hunt, 17. Ryan Snape, 8. Curtis Cocking (12. Ibrahim Almane 90), 9. Dan Smith (14. Lewis Taylor-Boyce 69), 10. Malcolm Melvin, 11. Jack Downing (16. Nashawn Blake 87)