Tividale FC

Report

Midland Football League
Premier Division
Tuesday 30th January 2024
Stourport Swifts 3-2 Tividale

Close but no cigar

We called for a response after Saturday’s abject display and we got one. On a bitterly cold night, the lads literally rolled up their sleeves and battled it out toe to toe with their high flying host’s but not for the first time,  they came away with no points just as they did on Saturday.

After the weekends defeat, changes were somewhat inevitable and in came for Kamol Campbell for Callum Gillies, Joe Hawkins for Tarryl Davis, James Douglas for Lewis Wright, Max Morris for Cody Mullan and Dominic Dell for Ryan Snape

Swifts started brightly, and after two minutes Jim Hanson was found by a Matt Harland long ball and he tested Louis Connor in the Tividale goal with a 25yarder which he tipped over the bar at full stretch, and two minutes later brother Matt provided a pin point cross from the left for Goodluck Eke to rise at the far post and place an angled header past Connor.

Tividale levelled the score after 14 minutes from a well worked corner routine which saw Max Morris drive high into the net past Jamie Emery. Aaron Birch tested Connor again with a low shot following a Meddows’ corner, and Ethan Tivey almost made it two for the Swifts after a smart knock down from Eke.

The visitors could have gone in front on the half hour when Jack Till burst through on goal, but delayed just long enough for Ethan Hanson to get back and block his shot with a fine tackle.

Eke was on hand to score his second on 36 minutes when he forced the ball home from close range after another Meddows corner to put the Swifts in front, but Tividale hit back quickly, and only saves in succession by Emery first from a clever flick from Dominic Dell on 43 minutes, and then on the stroke of half time a snapshot from Ewan Edwards, kept Stourport’s in front.

Half Time:- Stourport Swifts 2-1 Tividale

Tividale started the second period as they ended the first on the front foot and had a great chance on 53 minutes when Emery failed to hold onto a Till cross, but no Tividale player was on hand to cash in. Then a Douglas cross on the hour mark was headed straight into Emery’s arms by substitute Malcolm Melvin in what was his first touch of the ball.

At the other end the impressive Jamie Meadows fired high and wide. Eke had the chance for his hat trick on the 67 minutes after being put through by Meddows, but his fierce effort was well saved by Connor, then Meddows took a long range crack himself which skidded just wide.

As we moved into the last 10 minutes of the game, a Snape free kick found the head of Hawkins, but Emery saved comfortably.

With 8 minutes to go Swifts added a third when Meddows cut in from the right past two defenders. picked his spot and drilled a low shot just inside the left hand post from the edge of the box, but Tividale would not lie down, and responded immediately when Till won the ball just in the Stourport half and laid it off to Snape. His pass found Melvin who fired in a rising 20yarder that although Emery got a hand to it, he couldn’t keep it out to give Stourport an anxious last five minutes.

And in that time tividale had two chances to find an equaliser. First on 86 minutes when Till lobbed Emery but a defender got back to clear off the line. And then from a Snape corner Jakob Burroughs volleyed wide.

Full Time:- Stourport Swifts 3-2 Tividale

Tividale:- 1. Louis Connor, 2. Zac Kourouyianni, 12. Kamol Campbell (3. Callum Gillies 70}, 4. Jakob Burroughs. 5. Joe Hawkins  6. Joe Burroughs 8. Jack Till, 9. Dominic Dell (11. Malcolm Melvin 58), 10. James Douglas (18. Tarryl Davis), 16. Max Morris ( 7. Lewis Wright 73). 17 Ewan Edwards (15. Ryan Snape 73),

Unused Sub:- None