Tividale FC

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Emirate Sponsored FA Cup

Extra Preliminary Round

 Saturday 6th August 2022

  Darlaston Town 1874 0-4 Tividale

Tividale take care of business at Paycare

The new Tividale era got off to a flyer in their first game under the stewardship of new Chairman Neil Male. With manager Dave King at a wedding and Assistant Manager Stuart How sunning himself in Mexico, it was coach’s Richard Upton, Wayne Shakespeare and Karl Gardner who took on the management duties.

Tividale had 6 of last season’s squad in the first eleven Louis Connor, Brad Welding, Joe Burroughs, Jason Wood, Curtis Cocking and Dan Smith. The starting eleven also had the returning Jacob Wedderburn, Jamie Hunt, and Lewis Taylor Boyce. So, there was only Louis Ezewele and Alex Woodhouse actually making their Tividale debuts

It’s well known that if you want to quieten the home crowd as a visiting side, get an early goal. If you want to silence them, then get 2 in the first 5 minutes.

The first came in the 2nd minute a Welding free kick was nodded down by Ezewele and Wood’s first-time strike was parried away by home keeper Joe Sidaway with the Darlaston defence stationary, Dan Smith was on hand to slot home the rebound. 3 minutes later and on Tividale’s next attack it was 2-0. This time Cocking’s pile driver giving Sidaway no chance.

Tividale’s only setback in a thrilling first 20 minutes was the loss of Taylor-Boyce had to go off with what looked like a hamstring injury and he was replaced by debutant Dean Fisher. It took a while for Darlaston to clear their heads but once they had recovered from the earlier setbacks they grew into the game and were unlucky not to get on the score sheet when a Dominic Dell shaved the outside of the post. It was now a much more even affair with battles going on over the park and Tividale’s Welding and Darlaston skipper Alexander Foreshaw both received yellow cards for robust challenges.

With neither side working the opposition keeper, the half seemed to be drawing to a close until on 43 minutes Smith left his marker for dead on the touch line and level with the penalty spot found Wood with a glorious pass and the midfield man who again gave Sidaway no chance with a well-placed finish. That literally killed the game as a contest.

Half Time: – Darlaston 1874 0-3 Tividale

Even though the game looked to be beyond them, the home side was never giving Tividale an easy ride and made a real game of it in the second half. Both teams had chances with substitutes Jack Fletcher for Tividale and Kieron Miller for the home side missing good chances. Connor in the Tividale goal did have to make one very good second half save when he palmed away a drive from distance.

The visitors did add a fourth in the dying seconds as a clearance found substitute and debutant Taylor Townsend wide on the right and he in turn steered the ball into the path of the unmarked Fisher, and the 17-year-old showed composure beyond his years to beat Sidaway from 12 yards out

So, it’s now a trip to Witton Albion in the Preliminary Round on Saturday 20th August.

Full Time: – Darlaston 1874 0-4 Tividale

Tividale: – 13. Louis Connor, 2. Jake Wedderburn 3. Brad Welding, 4. Joe Burroughs 5. Louis Ezewele 6. Alex Woodhouse, 7. Jason Wood 8. Curtis Cocking, 9. Dan Smith, 10. Lewis Taylor-Boyce (16. Dean Fisher), 12. Jamie Hunt

Unused Subs: – 1. Peter Hawk, 14. Nashawn Blake, 18. Cameron East, 19. Zac Kourouyianni.