Tividale FC

Report

Midland Football League
League Cup
Tuesday 21st January 2020
Tividale 0-1 Worcester City

City much slicker

Tividale bowed out of their second cup competition in the space of 8 days and although the score line was a major improvement on last weeks demolition by the Wolves U23 side. There was not that much difference in the way visitors went about their business. If anything Worcester’s performance was better due to the heavy pitch that this game was played on.

Manager Dave King made a few changes from Saturday’s win with Matt Hunt, Lewis Probert and Jakob Burroughs (cup tied) making way for Jakob Barnes, Luke Carter and Tom Hurdman and they were under the cosh from the off. . After 6 minutes, when City’s Sam Hall’s header was well blocked on the Tividale line.

Tividale actually had the ball in the net after 11 minutes when Curtis Cocking turned the ball home but the referee had blown for a foul on a City defender. Josh Willis was next to test Harrison with a shot that he held comfortably. On 21 minutes City forward Sean Brain had his first threat on goal but he could not keep his shot down. Then on 23 minutes on loan keeper Adam Harrison made the first of a number of brilliant saves when from a Willis cross Craig Jones met it with a thumping point blank header and he just managed at full stretch to just push the ball up and round the angle of post and cross bar.

It was Dan Bryson’s turn to get in on the spectacular when on the half hour mark, Mooney broke into the box but after settling himself with a touch Bryson came from nowhere to slide in and block the shot. The home side had a great chance on 40 minutes when Darragh Bustin burst through on goal but he dragged his shot wide of City keeper Gabrial Bajrami’s far post

Half Time:-Tividale 0-0 Worcester City

City had the ball in the net after 48 minutes when Mooney lofted the ball into the back of the net but it was ruled out for offside. And the same player was foiled by Harrison in what to him was a pretty regular save 3 minutes later. On 54 minutes came the best Harrison save of the night. From a Luke English long throw, Joel Caines met it on the volley and must have thought he had opened the scoring, only to see Harrison get behind it and beat it away.

Worcester took the lead on 63 minutes, when referee Charlie Dickens gave City a penalty when Brad Welding was adjudged to have his arm up when the ball struck him on it in the penalty area. Brain stepped up and sent Harrison the wrong way.

It was City with the next chance also on 63 minutes when Brain had his shot charged down. with 15 minutes to go Tividale had a rare chance on goal when from a Bustin long throw, the ball fell nicely to Curtis Cocking but it was deflected for a corner. From the corner Jacob Barnes rose above everyone to head home but it was ruled out for a foul on the keeper Bajrami.

With 9 minutes to go referee Charlie Dickens had to be replaced when he could take no further part with what looked like some sort of strain. With 85 minutes on the clock from a ball into the box City’s Jordan Harrison let’s loose a shot but his namesake in the Tividale goal did brilliantly to turn it round the post.

As in the first half it was the home side who created the last decent chance, when in the 92nd minute Welding sent in a cross that Dan Smith just failed to get his foot to and Bajrami collected comfortably.

The following 6 minutes of injury time due to the stricken referee went by without incident and City ran out deserved winners.