Midland Football League
Premier Division
Tuesday 4th April 2023
Tividale 1-0 Romulus

A Massive Result

Tividale ended their relegation fears with a real backs to the wall display that was also another step in the right direction. Against a side who was on a win streak of 5 games in all competitions this was going to be a severe test for us.

Tividale made just the two changes from the 0-0 draw against Stourport Swifts in their last fixture. With David Solademi and Cody Mullan both rested and on the bench. Kamol Campbell and Malcolm Melvin replaced them, respectively.
Romulus were absolutely rampant in the opening minutes as the Tividale goal led a charmed life.
5 minutes into the game a Dylan Hadley shot took a deflection off Tividale defender Joe Hawkins and came back off Louis Connor’s post.
Three minutes later it was Owen Watkins turn to see his shot come off the post. This time it was via a great Connor save.
With Tividale unable to get out of their half for the first 20 minutes, they went ahead on their first attack. Arman Khoshkhoo did well to hold up a long ball and played in Dan Smith who was brought down in the Romulus penalty area. Jason Wood stepped up and although his penalty was saved by Romulus keeper Josh Benton, Khoshkhoo was first to the rebound and steered the ball past Benton and put the home side 1-0 up.
Smith then tried an effort from distance in the 29th minute but it was well wide. On 33 minutes Luke Kean tried an ambitious volley after a Watkins shot was blocked but he also failed to hit the target.
A Wood effort on 33 minutes caused Benton no difficulties in a simple save and a Jon Dodd attempt from distance deep into first half injury time in turn caused Connor no concern.

Half Time:- Tividale 1-0 Romulus

The second half started with Romulus’s Umar Zaman shooting wide after just 48 minutes. Then a Hadley effort was well saved by Connor.
Tividale had their chances in the game but a couple of efforts from Melvin failed to trouble Benton. And a Mullan corner was put over the bar by Khoshkhoo.
Otherwise, it was all one-way traffic as the visitors piled on the pressure. But Tividale were superb in defence and special mention has to go to the two Joe’s Hawkins, Burroughs, and Louie Ezewele, who between them won nearly header and if not then every second ball as they limited Romulus to long range efforts and when the visitors did get past them Connor was in brilliant form. First pushing wide, a Watkins shot at full stretch and keeping out a Cameron Lee header from a Kyle Burke free kick.
But Tividale held out to record a great victory and can now go into the last 5 league games of the season with no pressure on.

Full Time:- Tividale 1-0 Romulus

Tividale: – 1. Louis Connor, 2. Zac Kourouyianni 3. Kamol Campbell, 4. Joe Burroughs, 5. Louis Ezewele, 6. Joe Hawkins, 7. Malcolm Melvin, 8. Jason Wood (14. Cody Mullan 64), 9. Dan Smith (15. Reinaldo Forbes 64), 10. Arman Khoshkhoo (17. Harry Lewis 75), 11. Jack Fletcher.

Unused Subs:- 12. David Solademi, 16. Olly Fluke

Midland Football League
Premier Division
Saturday 1st April 2023
Tividale 0-0 Stourport Swifts

Getting There

Tividale took another step towards mathematical safety in this match against play off chasing Stourport Swifts and the lad’s can be pleased with their overall performance. All that was missing was a goal or two for us and it would have been the perfect day.

Tividale made just the one change from the defeat against Highgate United, with David Solademi replacing Kamol Campbell. But they welcomed back Malcolm Melvin (suspension) and Harry Lewis (illness) who both started on the bench.

Both teams were at it from the first whistle and Tividale striker Dan Smith after just three minutes brought the first save of the game with Josh Bishop in the Swifts goal having no problem with it.

On 10 minutes Tividale old boy Lee Chilton will feel that he should have given Swifts the lead, but after some great work his shot lacked any power and Louis Connor saved comfortably. With 20 minutes on the clock Tividale’s Cody Mulan fired over and three minutes later a Chilton cross was headed into the arms of Connor by Jordan Annear.

The game continued its end to end theme and on 31 minutes Connor was again untroubled in dealing with a Drew Canavan shot. Solademi was next to fire in a shot that Bishop did well to get down to.

Tividale’s best chance of the half fell to Dan Smith in the 41^st minute when he was through one on one with Bishop but the keeper thwarted him with a fine block.

Tividale had the last chance of an entertaining half on 43 minutes when Joe Hawkins headed wide a Cody Mulan corner.

Half Time:- Tividale 0-0 Stourport Swifts

Tividale also had the first chance of the second period when a 48^th minute Mulan corner fell to Louis Ezewele, but his volley cleared Bishop’s bar. Annear then hit the Tividale crossbar with a great header in the 53^rd minute.

Tividale’s appeal for a penalty is then waived away as Kourouyianni goes down after what looked like a challenge from behind. Stourport immediately swept forward, and Nathan Binner shoots over the bar.

On 65 minutes it was Tividale substitute Malcolm Melvin’s turn to come close when his free kick was deflected wide of Bishop’s post. Then Cameron Philip headed a Chilton corner wide.

As the game moved into the final few minutes, both teams had great chances to grab the winner. First on 83 minutes a great ball from Reinaldo Forbes found Lewis and his thumping drive was heading for the bottom left hand corner when a fully stretched Bishop somehow got enough on the ball to divert it around the post.

Then with 3 minutes of normal time left Swifts Jack Watts went down in the Tividale area under the most innocuous of challenges, but Canavan blazed the spot kick over the bar. In what was the last meaningful chance on goal.

Full Time:- Tividale 0-0 Stourport Swifts

Tividale: – 1. Louis Connor, 2. Zac Kourouyianni 3. David Solademi (15. Owen Woodhouse 68), 4. Joe Burroughs, 5. Louis Ezewele, 6. Joe Hawkins, 7. Cody Mullan (14. Malcolm Melvin 60), 8. Jason Wood (12. Harry Lewis 74), 9. Dan Smith (16. Reinaldo Forbes 82), 10. Arman Khoshkhoo, 11. Jack Fletcher.

Unused Subs:- 18. Kamol Campbell

Midland Football League
Premier Division
Tuesday 21st March 2023
Highgate United 2-0 Tividale

Still Small Steps

Even with Tividale’s improvement and consistency over the last few games. This games was always going to be a tough one. Midweek, away from home against genuine title contender’s.

Tividale were forced into a couple of changes to the side that got the vital three points against Lichfield City the previous weekend. With David Solademi in Cardiff for his trial with Cardiff City and Harry Lewis going down ill. In came Kamol Campbell and Jason Wood.

On the bench for this game was local Tividale lad Owen Woodhouse. Owen is on a scholarship at Forest Green Rovers and the League One club were kind enough to allow him to end the season on a work experience contract with us.

Tividale had the first sight on goal in the opening minute when full back Zac Kourouyianni got forward and tried an effort that went wide. Highgate’s first effort fell to Connor Mooney, but he fired high and wide.

Tividale’s Dan Smith was denied by Highgate keeper Reece Francis. But the forward was flagged offside anyway.

Although Highgate had the majority of the possession they was not causing the visitors many problems as all their efforts came from outside the Tividale penalty area.

Tividale again went close on 26 minutes when Jack Fletcher played in Arman Khoshkhoo but again Francis pulled off another great block.

Highgate went ahead on 32 minutes when a low James Wilcocks cross was parried away by Tividale keeper Louis Connor. The ball then bounced about in the Tividale area before ex Tividale striker Ethan Muckley forced the ball over the line.

Mooney then went a slalom of an attack beating three Tividale players before dragging his shot wide in the 41st minute. Then a minute later Francis again denied Tividale. This time it was Fletcher who failed to beat the Highgate keeper in a one-to-one situation.

On 42 minutes Wood released Smith. But he couldn’t find Khoshkhoo with his pass and the Highgate defence got back to clear.

On the stroke of half time the league’s top scorer Ryan Harkin had his first sight of goal in the game but shot over.

As the game moved into the second period of first half injury time Cody Mullan tried his luck but again Francis was equal to the shot.

Half Time:- Highgate United 1-0 Tividale

Harkin had the first effort of the half on 53 minutes, but he dragged his shot wide.

In the 55th minute Joe Hawkins can well feel aggrieved when he was booked for bringing down Muckley on the edge of the area although he looked to have played the ball. From the resulting Mooney free kick, Connor touched the ball over the bar.

Hawkins was at the rescue when his last-ditch tackle denied Harkin a shooting opportunity in the 65th minute and two minutes later Highgate substitute Jack Till could only find the side netting when played in by Ben Vallance.

The home side increased their lead on 78 minutes. Tividale lost the ball in the middle of the park and a missed tackle left Harkin one on one with Connor who he rounded and rolled the ball home.

From an 80th minute corner Louis Ezewele had an effort that cleared the Highgate bar as they hunted for at least a consolation goal. But Highgate also were looking to extend their lead and Connor had to pull off another great save to deny Harkin as he met Till’s cross deep into injury time.

Full Time:- Highgate United 2-0 Tividale

Tividale: – 1. Louis Connor, 2. Zac Kourouyianni (14. Ryan Snape 82), 3. Kamol Campbell (15. Owen Woodhouse 70), 4. Joe Burroughs, 5. Louis Ezewele, 6. Joe Hawkins, 7. Cody Mullan (12. Reinaldo Forbes 76), 8. Jason Wood, 9. Dan Smith, 10. Arman Khoshkhoo, 11. Jack Fletcher.

Unused Subs:- 13. Peter Hawk, 16. Jamie Oliver

Midland Football League
Premier Division
Saturday 18th March 2023
Tividale 2-0 Lichfield City

Good win on a big day

On a day that Tividale FC celebrated “The Boss” Dave King’s 300th game in the dugout. They gained a win and vital three league points for the first time since beating Atherstone at the end of November. The 13th time of asking.

Before the game, there was also a minutes silence in memory of our Assistant Manager Stuart How’s Grandad who sadly passed away in the week.

Tividale went into this game unchanged from the midweek game against Lye Town but changed the formation from a 4-4-2 to a 3-5-2. This by moving Louis Ezewele from the middle of the park to the middle of a defensive three.

Tividale were straight onto the front foot and threatened to overrun Lichfield in the opening minutes. Their first chance came on 7 minutes when a Zac Kourouyianni cross was headed back across goal by Dan Smith to Cody Mullan, but his shot was blocked. On 10 minutes Lichfield keeper James Beeson pulled off a stunning save to deny Arman Khoshkhoo.

Khoshkhoo was not to be denied on 17 minutes though when Smith found Mullan out wide right. His cross found Khoshkhoo at the back post and the forward took a touch before placing the ball past Beeson and into the back of the net.

The goal sparked the visitors into life and Luke Childs will feel he should have done better after a Lichfield break and Lewis Burnside had put him in on goal, but he shot into the side netting. Tividale’s Harry Lewis then whipped in a free kick that Joe Hawkins headed wide of Beeson’s post.

The conditions under foot where now getting a bit ropey as The Beeches was hit by a good 10 minutes of torrential rain. But there was no let-up of the action. A 38^th minute quickly taken free kick by Lichfield skipper Kyle Patterson to Matt Funge ended with the ex-Tividale loanee firing wide.

Half Time:- Tividale 1-0 Lichfield City

The second half opened with Burnside heading wide a Joe Haines cross after 48 minutes and then Funge heading wide a Patterson cross in the 55^th minute.

Tividale had a great chance to extend their lead in the 59^th minute when Smith was through on goal, but he just could not get the ball under control to get his shot off and Lichfield defender Ellis Jones was able to put in a tackle and clear the danger.

Childs then raced onto a long ball in the 64^th minute but his shot was well saved by Tividale keeper Connor. A couple of minutes later and Hawkins again failed to hit the target when he headed wide another Lewis free kick.

With the second downpour of the game came more Lichfield goalmouth action when a Mullan shot in the 72^nd minute was blocked and the follow up effort by Jack Fletcher was deflected wide for a corner. From the resulting Lewis corner the ball was cleared back out to him and his cross was headed wide by Kourouyianni.

Lichfield were immediately back at Tividale looking for the equaliser and substitute Josh Beeson’s header cleared the bar in the 75^th minute and Connor then pulled off another good save to deny another Lichfield substitute Dan Lomas.

As the game moved into the final 10 minutes Lewis shot wide on 81 minutes. Then 5 minutes later Fletcher surged into the Lichfield penalty area and goes down under the challenge of Josh Beeson. Penalty awarded and Lewis steps up and fires the spot kick into the right-hand corner sending keeper James Beeson the wrong way.

With Lichfield still trying to at least get a consolation goal. A Jordan Francis cross in the 90^th minute flashes past the Tividale 6-yard box but no one could get a touch to it. Tividale had the last chance of the game deep into stoppage time when a goal bound Callum Devlin shot was blocked by Jones.

Full Time:- Tividale 2-0 Lichfield City

Tividale: – 1. Louis Connor, 2. Zac Kourouyianni, 3. David Solademi, 4. Joe Burroughs, 5. Louis Ezewele, 6. Joe Hawkins, 17. Harry Lewis, 8. Cody Mullan, 9. Dan Smith, 10. Arman Khoshkhoo (15. Ryan Snape 73), 11. Jack Fletcher (14. Callum Devlin 90).

Unused Subs:- 12. Reinaldo Forbes, 13. Peter Hawk, 16. Kamol Campbell