Tividale FC

Report

Midland Football League
Premier Division
Saturday 27th January 2024
Tividale 0-3 Dudley Town

The Torment Continues

Once again Tividale found a way to end up with no points and be well beaten in the process. as the dark cloud of relegation that hovers over the club, got a whole lot bigger.

It was 14 days without a game all due to first frozen pitches caused by the artic conditions as the temperature dipped well below freezing point and then as the temperatures became milder, the inevitable waterlogging of the pitches.

Once again, the changes rang out after the poor defeat in the league cup against Highgate United two weeks earlier. In came Louis Connor, Callum Gillies, Joe Burroughs, Jakob Burroughs, Lewis Wright, Jack Till, Ewan Edwards, and Tarryl Davis replacing Tim Beech, Kamol Campbell, Joe Hawkins, Max Morris, Arman Khoshkhoo, Lewis Taylor-Boyce, Dominic Dell, and James Douglas

The game couldn’t have got off to a worse start for the home side when after just 6 minutes Dudley were ahead. Tividale lost possession on the edge of the visitors box and Connor Archer sweeps the ball from right to left and finds Harry Crook who’s cross is turned home by Ethan Muckley. It should have been 3-0 within a few minutes, when Crook spurned two great chances. First 5 minutes later when Crook again hit Tividale on the counter but fired wide and then on 18 minutes Connor turned his shot around the post. Muckley had a chance to make it 2-0 on 25 minutes, but he headed straight at Connor.

It wasn’t until the 27th minute that the home side threatened the Dudley goal, and it was Edwards that saw his near post shot brilliantly turned around the post by the Dudley Town keeper Alex Graham.

Tividale were getting a bit of a foothold in the game and on 31 minutes a Jakob Burroughs long throw was cleared back to him, and his first time shot went wide. But within two minutes Dudley had doubled their lead. From a Tividale corner Dudley broke the ball is played out to Muckley and his cross is turned home by Crook

A Snape free kick in the 38th minute was again turned around the post by the Graham and in the last bit of first half action Jordan Davies fired well over the bar in the 42nd minute.

Half Time:-Tividale 0-2 Dudley Town

A Snape free kick in the 61st minute that sailed wide was the first real effort on goal in the second half from either side and a minute later a Jakob Burroughs long throw found Till at the back post, but he fired over from 6 yards.

The visitors were soon back in their stride and Connor did well to deny Crook with his legs on 64 minutes and an Alex Perry header from a Davies free kick on 68 minutes was well held by Connor. But on 76 minutes Dudley scored their third. A Davies free kick found an unmarked Jamie Beddall  and the centre half thundered his header past Connor and into the net.

A minute later and Tividale’s misery was complete when Snape was brought down in the Dudley area, he got up, picked up the ball, placed it on the spot and yes you guessed it, smacked the ball high and wide. With 10 minutes to go Till had the chance for a consolation goal when through on goal but again he failed to beat Graham with his shot.

It has to be said that although we do not have the greatest of fanbase in this league, those who pay their money and the volunteers who give up their precious spare time for the club, expect the lads who step over the white line in a Tividale shirt, to give their all for the 90 plus minutes. We did not get anywhere near that today. This was a woeful performance, and we are now circling the drain of relegation.

Full Time:-Tividale 0-3 Dudley Town

Tividale:- 1. Louis Connor, 2. Zac Kourouyianni, 3. Callum Gillies (12. Kamol Campbell 85), 4. Jakob Burroughs.  6. Joe Burroughs (16. Max Morris 85), 7. Lewis Wright (9. Dominic Dell 58), 8. Jack Till, 14. Cody Mullan, 15. Ryan Snape, 17. Ewan Edwards, 18. Tarryl Davis (10. James Douglas 64)

Unused Sub:- 11. Malcolm Melvin