Birmingham Senior Cup
Quarter Final
Thursday 16th February 2023
Tividale 1-1 Aston Villa

(Villa win on penalties 4-2)

The Penalty Lottery

Tividale exited the Birmingham Senior Cup quarter-finals after a penalty shoot-out defeat against Aston Villa’s Under-21s.

As in all our cup matches Tividale made a number of changes. Louis Connor came in between the sticks. With Joe Hawkins cup tied Zac Kourouyianni moved from right back to centre back, with Jack Fletcher moving from midfield to right back and Malcolm Melvin taking his place in the middle of the park. The final change saw Ryan Snape coming in for Harry Lewis on the left side of attack.

Tividale started the game well and Villa keeper James Wright had to be alert to parry Fletcher’s shot in the 10th minute after the youngster had gone on a marauding run down the right flank and Josh Feeney’s reactions proving crucial as he cleared before the home side could connect with the rebound. Arman Khoshkhoo then picked up on a defensive error in the 21st minute but he saw his shot strike the base of the Villa post. A Dan Smith shot on 23 minutes after being put through by David Solademi went wide.

Villa’s first effort on goal came from Declan Firth but he shot high and wide. Tividale put together a great move on 42 minutes. A Jakob Burroughs ball into Khoshkhoo was neatly flicked on out wide to the overlapping Kourouyianni and his cross found Burroughs who had continued his run but the midfielders shot went just wide.

The hosts took the lead on 44 minutes, with Melvin curling a stunning and unstoppable free kick beyond Wright from long range.

Half Time :-Tividale 1-0 Aston Villa

Villa pressed hard for an equaliser after the break, and they had a great chance in the 53rd minute when a brilliant Frankie Ealing cross flashed across the Tividale goal, but no one could get a touch to it. On 60 minutes Frith just could not get on the end of another great cross and the ball ran through to Connor.

Chisom Afako drew Villa level in the 66th minute when Tividale failed to clear their lines and his strike from the edge of the penalty area took a deflection that took the ball past Connor and into the corner of the net.

On 70 minutes a Ealing cross was headed wide by Frith and then at the other end a 73rd minute Solademi shot was blocked on the Villa goal line. And Snape fired the rebound over the bar. Wright displayed his reflexes once again to keep out a Smith point-blank header from a Melvin free kick just six minutes later.

Both sides then cancelled each other out for the remainder of the 90 minutes.

Full Time :-Tividale 1-1 Aston Villa

And so on to penalties

Declan Frith (Villa) – Scores 1-0
Malcolm Melvin (Tividale) – Over the bar 1-0
Chisom Afona (Villa) – Scores 2-0
Nashwan Blake (Tividale) – Saved 2-0
Charlie Lutz (Villa) – Scores 3-0
Harry Lewis (Tividale) – Scores 1-3
Hayden Lindley (Villa) – Saved 1-3
Jason Wood (Tividale) – Scores 2-3
Frankie Ealing (Villa) – Scores 2-4

Penalties Result:- Tividale 2-4 Aston Villa

Tividale: – 1. Louis Connor, 2. Jack Fletcher, 3. David Solademi, 4. Jakob Burroughs, 5. Zac Kourouyianni, 6. Joe Burroughs, 17. Ryan Snape (16. Alfie Higgs 82), 8. Jason Wood, 9. Dan Smith (14. Nashawn Blake 86), 10. Malcolm Melvin, 11. Arman Khoshkhoo (12. Harry Lewis 77)

Unused Subs:– 13. Peter Hawk, 15. Kamol Campbell