Midland Football League
Premier Division
Saturday 26th October 2024
Tividale 3-3 Lichfield City

Two points dropped

After last week’s FA Vase win against Cranfield United, Tividale went into the clash against top of the league Lichfield City with an unchanged starting line-up and after playing so well we had to settle for the one point. We would have accepted that at 3pm, but it still feels that it was two points dropped

After a cagey start Ethan Delaney flashed a ball across the Lichfield 6 yard box that Ryan Piggott just failed to get on the end of. Then on 11 minutes Harry Higginson headed wide from a Tividale corner. Lichfield were limited to a couple of Jack Edwards long range efforts that never really troubled Ethan Hawkes in the Tividale goal, while at the other end Delaney found Jordon Sangha with a great ball but his shot was blocked.

Tividale got the goal they deserved on 32 minutes when a Hawkes long clearance was knocked down to Alfie Higgs and his rising right foot drive gave Lichfield keeper James Beeson no chance

A couple of minutes later and Callum Lloyd hit the post with a header from a Luke Postle cross and then saw his follow up shot blocked as Tividale were well worth their goal lead.

Half Time: Tividale 1-0 Lichfield City

Not a lot happened in the opening minutes of the second period until a Josh Mansell cross was glanced home by Edwards to bring Lichfield level in the 57^th minute. 5 minutes later and Tividale were back in front, A Taylor Homer free kick was picked up by Delaney at the back post. He in turn played the ball into Lloyd and the centre half smashed the ball across Beeson and into the top corner

On 71 minutes it was 3-1. A homer corner was cleared to the edge of the box and Piggott volleyed the ball through a crowd of players past Beeson and into the back of the net.

Lichfield got themselves back in the game on 81 minutes when Edwards beat Hawkes with a free kick but Tividale should have regained their two goal lead

Tividale had a great chance to regain their two goal lead in the 4^th minute of injury time when Homer broke free but his effort to beat Beeson from distance came to nothing and seconds later a ball over the top was not dealt with by the Tividale defence and Jude Taylor stole in and hit the equaliser

Full Time: Tividale 3-3 Lichfield City

Tividale: 1. Ethan Hawkes, 2. Tom Rann (14. Jamie Hunt 94), 3. Jevani Robinson, 4. Ethan Delaney, 5. Callum Lloyd, 6. Harry Higginson, 7. Jordon Sangha, 8. Eddie Rann (12. Jason Wood 69), 9. Ryan Piggott, 10. Alfie Higgs (17. Lewis Derrick 46), 11. Luke Postle (15. Taylor Homer 60)

Unused Subs: 16. Ezekiel Agyemang

Midland Football League
Premier Division
Saturday 12th October 2024
Atherstone Town 3-2 Tividale

Fightback too late

After the brave, battling effort that still ended in defeat against Stone Old Alleynians. Tividale kicked off with just the one change to the previous weeks starting line-up Aon Mohammed Abbas replacing Nashawn Blake and it was fair to say that boss Phil Rann at least expected the same amount of effort against this week’s opposition Atherstone Town. What he and the rest of us that made the trip witnessed was an absolute horror show of a first half.

Yet the game started quite evenly and apart from a 3rd minute effort from Atherstone striker Lewis Collins that visiting keeper Ethan Hawkes dealt with comfortably. Tividale if anything were the better side in the first 15 minutes and had two great chances. First Ethan Delaney saw his shot blocked on the line after 10 minutes and Luke Postle forced Adders keeper Finn Osborn into a great save turning his shot around the post for a corner two minutes later.
Then on 15 minutes the wheel fell off the Tividale waggon. A free kick into the Tividale box was not dealt with and a knock down for Toby Nicoll to pounce on and he fired home low at close range.

On 20 minutes Tividale found themselves 2-0 down, A poor Hawkes clearance fell to Lewis Noon and his cross to the back post was hammered home by Lewis Collins.

Tividale found a bit of momentum in the last 10 minutes of the half and Abbas was unlucky in the 37th minute with an effort that came back off the Adders cross bar and Jordon Sangha again worked Osborn with a shot from distance in the 42nd minute. Tividale’s best chance of the half though came in the 44th minute when a Postle shot was turned away by Osborne into the path of Delaney but his shot was again blocked.

Right on the stroke of half time the home side added a third. A corner was worked short and whipped to the back post by Noon, Adders skipper Connor Gudger rose unmarked to knock the ball down for Nicoll to score his second and Atherstone’s third of the half.

Half time: Atherstone Town 3-0 Tividale

Tividale had the first decent chance of the half when a Postle cross fell to Ezekiel Agyemang but he could not find the target with his shot. The Adders should have made it 4-0 in the 53rd minute when Hawkes failed to hold onto a cross and the loose ball fell to Collins but somehow Hawkes regained his composure to save from close range.

Tividale were handed a lifeline on the hour when the referee awarded a penalty for a handball against Gudger and Ryan Piggott sent Osborn the wrong way.

Atherstone carried on pressing and had chance to regain the three goal lead with both Collins and Harkin having good chance but both denied by Hawkes.

With ten minutes remaining, Tividale got a fortunate second as a cross from  Delaney was inadvertently turned into his own net by the unlucky Gudger. The visitors suddenly had their tails up and it was set up for a nervy finish for the home side, but they could not find the equalising goal and in the end the final whistle signalled that a hard fought three points had been secured by the home side,

Full Time: Atherstone Town 3-2 Tividale

Tividale: 1. Ethan Hawkes, 2. Jevani Robinson, 3. Brandon Mossini (17. Sam Bratt-Wyton 55), 4. Ethan Delaney, 5. Mohammad Sahil Sajad (12. Callum Lloyd 85), 6. Harry Higginson, 7. Jordon Sangha, 8. Alfie Higgs, 9. Ezekiel Agyemang, 10. Aon Mohammed Abbas (15. Ryan Piggott 46), 11. Luke Postle (14. Eddie Rann 85)

Unused Subs: 16. Nashawn Blake

Midland Football League
Premier Division
Saturday 5th October 2024
Tividale 0-2 Stone Old Alleynians

A little flat

On the back of a disciplined 1-0 win in midweek and 4 points from our last two games. Tividale were going into this game with some confidence. But the same old failings in front of goal and a lapse of concentration at the back meant that we fell to another defeat.

With Callum Lloyd serving a one match suspension Mohammed Sahil Sajad moved to centre back and Brandon Mossini came into the left back position. This was the only change to the side that started the midweek win at AFC Wulfrunians.

A Thomas Thorley corner headed over the Tividale bar by Sam Wilson after 6 minutes was as close as either team got in the opening minutes. Tividale should have taken the lead when Aon Mohammed Abbas made a good run down the left and crossed the ball into the Stone penalty area. Fortunately for Stone, Alfie Higgs hit his shot wide. A minute later and Stone’s Kacper Mikulski saw his shot comfortably saved by Ethan Hawkes.

On 22 minutes, Alleynians almost broke the deadlock when Will Bailey sent in a shot from the edge of the area that went wide of the Tividale goal. Five minutes later, Tividale’s Higgs went on a good run beating a couple of defenders before firing in a shot which forced Stone keeper Xander Parke to pull off a save. A couple of minutes before the break, Stone’s Sam Minshall sent in a 25 yard effort which was just tipped over by home keeper Hawkes.

Half time: Tividale 0-0 Stone Old Alleynians

Within a minute of the restart, Alleynians had taken a 1-0 lead. Tomlinson got hold of the ball on the left-hand edge of the Tividale penalty area and then cut inside onto his right foot before unleashing a powerful shot which swerved at just the right moment to fly past the despairing dive of Hawkes and into the top corner of the Tividale goal.

On 56 minutes,  Abbas beat a couple of Stone defenders before his pull back to Higgs left him with a clear shot at goal, but he could not hit the target. On the hour Tomlinson had a chance to double Stone’s lead but he could only find the side netting with his shot.

Tividale were now pressing for an equaliser and in the 67th minute Tividale had a golden chance to equalise when Stone keeper Parke fumbled a Jordon Sangha free kick it fell to Harry Higginson, who headed over. Then on 72 minutes Ezekiel Agyemang’s first time shot went straight at Parke. A minute later and Agyemang went close again, this time heading an Ethan Delaney cross over the bar. Delaney himself saw a fine effort graze the top of the Stone crossbar with 15 minutes to go.

Stone were now defending for their lives and did well to block a Higgs shot after fine work from Sangha in the 84th minute and on 86 minutes another Delaney cross was met by Agyemang but again Parke could not be beaten.

One minute into injury time Stone sealed the points, a Sam Wilson shot was deflected in the air off a Tividale defender and Stone substitute Harry Minshall was quickest to react and headed the ball past Hawkes.

 

Full Time: Tividale 0-2 Stone Old Alleynians

Tividale: 1. Ethan Hawkes, 2. Jevani Robinson, 3. Brandon Mossini, 4. Ethan Delaney, 5. Mohammad Sahil Sajad, 6. Harry Higginson, 7. Jordon Sangha, 8. Alfie Higgs, 9. Ezekiel Agyemang,10. Nashawn Blake (14. Ryan Piggott 60), 11. Aon Mohammed Abbas (16. Luke Postle 67).

Unused Subs: 15. Nicholas Fitzgerald, 17. Sam Bratt-Wyton