Tividale FC

Report

Walsall Senior Cup
Round Two
Tuesday 3rd December 2019
Rushall Olympic 3-1 Tividale

It has been a tough few weeks for the lad’s with us not being able to get even one game a fortnight in. So on the back of that, this performance against a very good step 3 should put us in good stead.

Apart from  Freddie Watts, Tyree Clarke and Jake Webb all unavailable, Manager Dave King had a full strength squad to select from. He went for a 4-3-3 line up with Curtis Cocking making his first start since limping off against Lye Town on August Bank Holiday Monday.

It was a difficult start for Tividale as Rushall were soon in their stride with some neat interchanging of passes and they created the first decent chance after just 2 minutes but Tividale keeper Louis Connor gathered Jon Letchford’s shot. On 10 minutes the powerful Levi Rowley showed a brilliant piece of finesse when curling a beauty just wide of Connor’s right hand post and 10 minutes later he had another chance that just cleared the bar.

Tividale were now slowly getting into the game and had a couple of decent chances themselves through Darragh Bustin and Dan Smith before Connor saved again from Retford on the half hour. The reprieve meant that the visitors could springboard into attack and from a 32nd minute long ball, Smith’s flick on found Bustin and he calmly lobbed Rushall keeper Jonathon Flatt. Smith then saw his shot blocked on the line and a Brad Welding effort was well saved as Tividale looked for a second but Rushall held firm and on 42 minutes they were level. From what looked like a comfortable position on the halfway line, Tividale give the ball away and within two passes the ball is bundled into the Tividale net by Danny Waldron to make the scores level at half time.

Half Time:- Rushall Olympic 1-1 Tividale

Tividale had a great chance to go back into the lead at the beginning of the first half but failed to hit the target. On the hour Rushall went ahead when Letchford showed great strength in holding off the challenge of Matt Hunt and sliding the ball past Connor and into the back of the net. 5 minutes later and Tividale were close to drawing level in unexpected circumstances, when Dan Smith charged down a Flatt clearance but the ball just bounced wide. 7 minutes later and it was 3-1. A long throw was flicked on at the near post and Letchford reacted first and nodded the ball home from a yard out.

Tividale now had to go for broke and with 10 minutes to go a great spell of play ended with Welding heading over a Tom Hurdman cross. Then Liam Wilkinson had two good chances within a minute. The first under pressure he steered the ball over the bar from 5 yards out, then he fired a rasping drive that just cleared Flatt’s bar. It was Letchford who had the last chance of the game and his chance of an hattrick when he powered in on the Tividale goal but Jacob Barnes forced him wide and his shot could only find the side netting.

So in the end it was Rushall that on the balance of play deserved their win but Tividale can be pleased with their effort and their part in a tremendous cup tie.

Full Time:- Rushall Olympic 3-1 Tividale

Tividale:- 1. Louis Connor, 2. Joe Burroughs (15. Tom Hurdman 71), 3. Lewis Probert ||(12. Dan Bryson 70), 4. Jacob Barnes, 5. Lue Carter, 6. Matt Hunt 7. Darragh Bustin, 8. Liam Wilkinson, 9. Dan Smith, 10.Brad Welding, 11.Curtis Cocking (16. Cameron Milne 71)

Unused Subs:- 14. Lee Smith