Midland Football League
Premier Division
Saturday 15th April 2023
AFC Wulfrunians 1- 2 Tividale

Five on the bounce

Five league wins in a row is not easy at any level. But when they come from a side with relegation hovering over them at the start of the run and in the space of just 15 days. It is proof of the togetherness of the management, coaching and playing staff.

It is always an enjoyable trip to our friends at the Castlecroft and a win makes it an even better day. With so many players in the Wulf’s side that Tividale are familiar with, including Curtis Cocking and Brad Welding who have both made over 100 appearances for Tividale in their ranks this was always going to be a strategy battle and in the first half we struggled but in the second half we dominated.

With defenders Joe Burroughs, Louis Ezewele and David Solademi returning after missing the Market Drayton win. Tividale reverted back to a 5-3-2 formation.

The first half was fairly poor from both sides as Tividale failed to put any real pressure on the home side and Wulf’s failed to take advantage of it and put the game out of sight.

It did not help with some awful officiating that due to the inconsistencies and poor decisions. It meant frustrated players on both sides and the game never flowed.

Tividale were already under the cosh when an Ethan Jarrett cross was somehow turned into his own net by Louis Connor in the 9^th minute. Connor lost his bearings when trying to palm the cross over away and did not get the ball over his bar.

Welding had a sight of goal on 16 minutes, but his shot sailed wide, and Jake Webb saw his shot on 31 minutes parried by Connor and although Webb was first to the rebound Solademi blocked his follow up.

Tividale’s only chance of the half was also the best move of the half. Jason Wood fired a pass into Dan Smith whose neat touch put in Arman Khoshkhoo, but he failed to hit the target with his shot..

Half Time: AFC Wulfrunians 1-0 Tividale

You felt that the second half had to improve and for Tividale it did. Tividale switched to a 4-3-3 formation at the beginning of the half with Reinaldo Forbes coming on in a wide right position replacing centre back Solademi and the switch brought dividends within the first 10 minutes.

In the 55^th minute Tividale with more width to their attacking play got in behind the Wulf’s defence and worked the ball out to Wood on the edge of the box who fired home past the despairing dive of Wulf’s keeper Jake James.

On 72 minutes a Jordan Davies shot after he was put in by Jarrett was brilliantly turned over by Connor, but to the surprise of everyone in the ground a goal kick was given.

Tividale should have taken the lead on 79 minutes when somehow Wulf’s kept out efforts from Smith and Khoshkhoo in what was a mad scramble in their area.

Wulf’s had a chance to get back in the lead on 81 minutes when a Jacob Gwilt cross was turned over the visitor’s bar by Tom Poole. But it was Tividale who hit the winner on 90 minutes.

A Smith break down the Tividale right attracted 3 Wulf’s defenders leaving Khoshkhoo unmarked racing down the left. All Smith had to do was find him with a pass in which he obliged and Khoshkhoo with just James to beat made no mistake.

Full Time: AFC Wulfrunians 1- 2 Tividale

Tividale: – 1. Louis Connor, 2. Zac Kourouyianni, 3. Kamol Campbell, 4. Joe Burroughs, 5. Louis Ezewele, 6. David Solademi (14. Reinaldo Forbes 46)  , 7. Harry Lewis, 8. Jason Wood, 9. Dan Smith (12. Nashawn Blake 92), 10. Arman Khoshkhoo, 11. Jack Fletcher.

Unused Subs:- 15. Ashley Oliver, 16. Callum Powell

Midland Football League
Premier Division
Wednesday 12th April 2023
Market Drayton Town 2-3 Tividale

Youngster’s hold out for win

Tividale’s third game in five days produced another win on the road against a Market Drayton Town side that although already relegated showed a fighting spirit that will surely keep them in good stead for the future.

With a total of eight regular players unavailable including four centre backs. This was always going to be a tough one. With the centre back shortage, manager Dave King decided to switch to a 4-4-2 line up. He brought in youth team player Ashley Oliver at centre back and he wore the No. 6 shirt that his dad Jamie had worn in the win against Wolves Casuals 2 days before.

Zac Kourouyianni was moved to centre back alongside Ashley and Ollie Fluke brought in at right back. Harry Lewis paired up with Jason Wood in the engine room, with Renaldo Forbes and Jack Fletcher providing the width. With Dan Smith and Arman Khoshkhoo in attack.

The home side buoyed from their win against Lichfield City last time out Started the best and soon had the visitors under pressure In the first minute but Callum Parker was unable to turn the ball home from a ball into the box and Tividale managed to clear.

Tividale were not helping themselves with a list of poor clearances and not winning first or second ball as Town won a succession of corners.

Yet it was Tividale who took the lead. In their first decent piece of play, a great ball from Khoshkhoo into Smith left him one on one with Town keeper George Scott. In an attempt to get to the ball, the keeper went to ground and brought Smith down. Up stepped Lewis to put Tividale 1-0 up after 10 minutes.

Town put the setback behind them and continued taking the game to the home team. On 19 minutes Alfonso Castellano volleyed over the Tividale bar a Rune Corinaldi corner and immediately after Charlie Cooper went on a superb run but his shot was disappointing.

Wood fired in a shot on 21 minutes after a great team move, but Scott turned it around the post. Town’s Jack Howse tried his luck from range in the 24^th minute but Connor took it quite comfortably.

On 31 minutes the home side were stunned again when Khoshkhoo was adjudged to have been brought down inside the area and Lewis stepped up again to double his tally and Tividale’s lead.

Tividale were now in total command and where 3-0 up on 33 minutes when after Town failed to put any distance on a clearance of  a ball into the box, Lewis whipped a sent it to the back post and Smith was there to head home.

Town were still struggling to convert their chances as a Josh Wycherely free kick found an unmarked Tom Messham in the Tividale area, but he lashed his shot wide.

Half Time: Market Drayton Town 0-3 Tividale

Town had the first chance of the half as Tividale failed to deal with a 47^th minute Corinaldi free kick and the ball landed at the feet of Cooper but again he failed to hit the target.

.Smith then had a go on 52 minutes from a good 25 yards, but it sailed over the bar. Khoshkhoo and Fletcher then split the Town defence open with a great one two on 55 minutes that left Fletcher one on one with Scott but the keeper made a fine save with his feet.

At the other end Wycherley failed to beat Connor from a Josh Williams free kick on the hour and a 71^st minute Parker free kick shot grazed the post

As Tividale began to tire with a couple of players going down with cramp and then going down to 10 men when Campbell was sin binned, Town upped the pressure and they eventually found a breakthrough in the 80^th minute. A Castellano shot was parried by Connor and Wycherley was the first to the loose ball and smashed the ball past Connor and in.

More Town pressure led to a second goal in the 88^th minute when Castellano again tried his luck from around 25 yards. This time the ball took a deflection and beat Connor.

Town threw everything at the visitors in the closing minutes but could not find an equaliser and Tividale held on for their fourth consecutive win.

Full Time: Market Drayton Town 2-3 Tividale

Tividale: – 1. Louis Connor, 2. Oliver Fluke (14. Joel Harrison 77), 3. Kamol Campbell, 4. Harry Lewis, 5. Zac Kourouyianni, 6. Ashley Oliver, 7. Renaldo Forbes, 8. Jason Wood, 9. Dan Smith (12. Nashawn Blake 60), 10. Arman Khoshkhoo (15.Callum Powell 72), 11. Jack Fletcher.

Unused Subs:- None

Midland Football League
Premier Division
Monday 10th April 2023
Tividale 2-1 Wolverhampton Casuals

Nothing Better Than a Stoppage Time Winner

Tividale ended their home campaign with another 3 points, making it three league wins on the bounce for the first time this season. It was not the greatest of games but that 93rd minute Jack Fletcher strike made the previous 92 quite bearable.

In what was the final home league game of the 2022/23 campaign. Tividale were able to welcome back Jason Wood after his weekend break but had defender Joe Hawkins unavailable on a holiday break. Wood replaced Harry Lewis who needed a rest, and the experienced Jamie Oliver came in for Hawkins.

Once again Tividale were slow starting and Casuals should have been a goal up in the 6^th minute, when a Joe Clarke ball found Umaro Saho but with only Louis Connor to beat he hit the post.

Tividale’s first attack on the Casuals goal came from a Kourouyianni long throw in the 9^th minute that caused the Casuals keeper Jake Granaghan initial problems but he managed to get control of the ball at the second attempt. From his long kick, Casuals forward  Joe Brown just could not catch up with it and it bounced into the arms of Connor.

Tividale were ahead in the 14^th minute with a well worked corner. Malcolm Melvin found Dan Smith at the front post and his flick was met by Kourouyianni and his header beat Granaghan.

Tividale were now the team on top and a quick Kourouyianni throw in the 24^th minute sent Arman Khoshkhoo on his way and his shot flashed across the face of Granaghan’s goal.

A Casuals corner to the near post in the 33^rd minute was dealt with by Joe Burroughs who headed behind for another corner. This time it was hit short for Brown and Burroughs in his haste to get to the forward brought him down in the box. Clarke stepped up and gave Connor no chance from the spot.

Half Time:- Tividale 1-1 Wolverhampton Casuals

In the first minute of the second period Smith played in Lewis (who had come on for Khoshkhoo after 40 minutes) but he fired just wide of Granaghan’s left upright. A couple of minutes later in the 48^th. An overhit Melvin corner was retrieved and put back into the box by Lewis and Louis Ezewele met it first time but his shot came back off the upright.

That was the last of any meaningful action in a drab next 25 minutes, before all action Jack Fletcher got to a ball, he had no right to, laid the ball back to Kourouyianni whose first time cross found Smith but his scissor kick went straight into the arms of Granaghan.

Casuals then had their first chance of the half in the 76th minute when from a Roger Bosio free kick. Louis Lake rose unmarked but headed straight into the arms of Connor.

Fletcher and Smith then both had efforts. While Granaghan had to work to save Fletcher’s shot. He watched Smith’s go comfortably wide.

As the game went into the dying minutes it was Casuals who looked the team to grab a winner and they had two particularly good chances. First an 83^rd minute Marcus Beckford free kick from the edge of the box was watched over the bar by Connor and then a superb Brown strike in the 88^th minute that had goal written all over it, until Connor literally flew across his goal to tip the ball around the post.

But in the end, it was the home side that took the three points when in the 93^rd minute Lewis found the Casuals by line and cut the ball back straight to the advancing Fletcher and without breaking stride, he hammered the ball past the despairing dive of Granaghan and into the back of the net.

Queue a shirt off celebration (and a booking for the goal scorer) and the whole of The Beeches erupting. We reckon with the amount of people who offered to pay Fletchers fine after that goal. The total would have been a very tidy sum.

In the end it was not the greatest of games, but the 3 points stayed at The Beeches and the confidence high going into our last three league games of the season all away.

Full Time:- Tividale 2-1 Wolverhampton Casuals 

Tividale: – 1. Louis Connor, 2. Zac Kourouyianni, 3. Kamol Campbell (12. Harry Lewis 70), 4. Joe Burroughs, 5. Louis Ezewele, 6. Jamie Oliver, 7. Malcolm Melvin, 8. Jason Wood, 9. Dan Smith, 10. Arman Khoshkhoo (14. Renaldo Forbes 40), 11. Jack Fletcher.

Unused Subs:- 15. Cody Mullan, 16. David Solademi, 17. Oliver Fluke

Midland Football League
Premier Division
Saturday 8th April 2023
Uttoxeter Town 1-3 Tividale

Away Days. Still the Best Days

After taking 7 points from our last 4 league games. Our league place secure and a cup semi-final to look forward to. A coach trip to Uttoxeter Town (one of our favourite away grounds) on a gorgeous Saturday afternoon is simply perfect.

To then come away with a win, beers, and some great initiation songs from a number of  our players including two lads from our youth team made it a Carlsberg Day.

Tividale made just the one change from the midweek Romulus win. Harry Lewis in for the unavailable Jason Wood

The first chance of the game came on 3 minutes when Malcolm Melvin tried a long-range daisy cutter, but it was comfortably taken by Uttoxeter keeper Lennon Grimley

Tividale went ahead after just 6 minutes when Harry Lewis took a free kick awarded on the edge of the Uttoxeter penalty area and drove it past the side of the wall and beat Grimley at his near post.

Due to an injury to Zac Kourouyianni the visitors had to make an early change after just 17 minutes, replacing him with Ollie Fluke.

Uttoxeter were level after 35 minutes when a ball crossed into the box after the visitor’s gave away a needless free kick and left back Julius Ndene headed home with a free header.

Just as the home side were getting the upper hand, they were struck a blow when right back Tom Thorley was shown a second yellow card in first half stoppage time.

Half Time:- Uttoxeter Town 1-1 Tividale

For the first 10 minutes of the second half, it looked as though Tividale were playing with a man less as Uttoxeter dominated the possession. But on 55 minutes Tividale counter attacked and doubled their lead. Kamol Campbell’s initial dipping shot came off Grimley’s crossbar, but Dan Smith was Johnny on the Spot and nodded the ball into an unguarded net.

10 minutes later and the game was all over, as Jack Fletcher turned home an Arman Khoshkhoo cross after the young striker had found the bye line with a great run and cross.

That was the end of the reported goal mouth action as the visitors ground out the result with one great free kick in the first half and two well worked goals in the second.

Full Time:- Uttoxeter Town 1-3 Tividale

Tividale: – 1. Louis Connor, 2. Zac Kourouyianni (15. Ollie Fluke 17), 3. Kamol Campbell (14. David Solademi 70), 4. Joe Burroughs (17. Ashley Oliver 83), 5. Louis Ezewele, 6. Joe Hawkins, 7. Malcolm Melvin, 8. Harry Lewis, 9. Dan Smith (12. Reinaldo Forbes 68), 10. Arman Khoshkhoo (16. Callum Powell 78), 11. Jack Fletcher.

Unused Subs:- None