Tividale FC

Report

Buildbase FA Vase
Second Qualifying Round
Saturday 14th September 2019
Tividale 1-2 Droitwich Spa

Sorry Tividale not Spa-red by Droitwich

At all level’s of football you will get so called giant killings but at this level it is more a case of teams comfortably competing with sides level’s above them. This was one of those games, that unless you knew before hand you would assume that Droitwich would be the higher ranked side. In the end Droitwich were up for it from the off and Tividale were just awful.

Manager Dave King made a number of changes from the side that were beaten 3-0 at Long Eaton last weekend. He reverted back to three centre backs, with Matt Hunt joining Dan Bryson and Freddie Watts in the heart of defence. Darragh Bustin and Lewis Probert started as wing backs with Tom Hurdman starting on the bench. Luke Carter and Liam Wilkinson were in the engine room and Emile Beckford started up front replacing Tyree Clarke and Kyle Bramley replaced Brad Welding.

Droitwich had their first chance after just 3 minutes when James Lemon was given time to get his shot off but Tividale keeper Louis Connor gathered the effort that lacked power comfortably. Probert then cleared another Lemon effort off the line on 12 minutes as Tividale could not get near the visitors. Droitwich took a deserved lead 2 minutes later. Jack Davies was sent down the right and despite pressure from Matt Hunt he calmly slid the ball past Connor and into the net. The visitors had no intention of sitting on their laurels and were unlucky not to go 2-0 up on 17 minutes. Both Davies and Melon had shots blocked on the line before the ball fell for Ben Tilbury but Connor was equal to his pile driver and turned the ball around the post.

It was the 27th minute before Tividale threatened Droitwich’s goal when Bustin tried an effort from distance but keeper Matt Oliver held it comfortably. Droitwich were immediately back on the attack when from a Lewis Phillips throw, Connor Collins flicked the ball neatly into the path of of Davies but he lofted his shot over Connor’s bar.

The game was opening up a bit now and Tividale striker Dan Smith saw his crisp low effort pushed clear by Oliver on the half hour. Five minutes later and Droitwich doubled their lead. Tividale made a complete mess of what should have been a comfortable clearance and Collins stole in nicked the ball and fired past Connor. Droitwich had another great opportunity before the break When Collins played the ball into Lemon who in turn laid the ball back to Tilbury but he failed to hit the target.

With half time beckoning Droitwich had one last chance, From a Tividale corner in the 42nd minute, the visitors won the ball and broke in numbers but the counter attack ended with Tilbury forcing another save from Connor. It would have been a lovely worked goal and also emphasised the away sides first half dominance.

.Half Time: Stafford Town 0-1 Tividale

Tividale made a couple of changes at the start of the second half. Bringing on Jake Webb and Welding in place of the unfortunate Beckford and Bramley. Unfortunate because any of the outfield 10 could have been replaced at half time. Webb immediately made an impact when his cross a minute into the second period was headed over by Smith. Then a Bustin corner was met at the back post by Hunt and his headed knockdown was met by Probert but he could not keep down his shot down.

Tividale had a golden chance to get back in the game on the hour, when a Welding cross was fumbled by Oliver and as Smith moved in to cash on the error the keeper brought him down. Bustin stepped up and his spot kick crashed back off the cross bar. Making it only the one penalty converted out of the 6 we have had awarded to us so far this season.

It was a distinct improvement by Tividale in the second half but while they huffed and puffed they never really threatened a well drilled Droitwich defence, epitomised when Probert found Welding and two defenders threw their bodies on the line to deflect his shot wide. Tividale made it a nervy last few minutes for Droitwich when from a Bustin long throw, the visitors failed to clear and Carter nodded the ball home,

Tividale pushed for the equaliser but Droitwich stood firm in the closing minutes and in the end it was the men from Division One of the West Midland football League who deservedly go into the First Round draw.

Full Time: Tividale 1-2 Droitwich Spa

Tividale:- 1. Louis Connor, 2. Lewis Probert, 3. Darragh Bustin, 4. Dan Bryson, 5.Freddie Watts (15. Tom Hurdman 51), 6. Matt Hunt 7. Luke Carter, 8. Liam Wilkinson, 9. Dan Smith, 10. Emile Beckford (16. Brad Welding 46), 11.Kyle Bramley (17. Jake Webb 46)

Unused Subs:– 12. Tyree Clarke, 14. Jacob Barnes.