Midland Football League
Premier Division
Wednesday 31st August 2022
Lichfield City 1-0 Tividale

Better, But a blank Bank Holiday

After a poor display 4 days earlier, the last team you want to face is one of the fancied sides for the title. Lichfield City came into this game unbeaten in all competitions this season while Tividale were looking to bounce back from back-to-back defeats and conceding 7 goals in the process.

Manager Dave King made 4 changes to the side from Saturday. With goalkeeper Louis Connor unavailable, Peter Hawk made his first appearance of the season. The Boss was also able to welcome back Louis Ezewele into the heart of the defence. On his return to the club Jakob Burroughs came in to the midfield and Dean Fisher also was recalled. Those three replacing Brad Welding and Alex Woodhouse both injured and Jamie Hunt on holiday. It meant Kourouyianni switching to left back to replace Welding with Ezewele taking up his role at centre back. Jakob Burroughs into the Woodhouse holding midfield role and with a slight change of formation, Fisher in a more attacking role

Tividale were at it from the off and Snape had three good chances in the first 18 minutes. The first in the 6^th minute after Dan Smith played him through but Lichfield defender Luke Childs got a foot in as he shoots and that takes the pace off it. A minute later and Snape had another chance, he had a little space in the penalty box, but blazed over. His 3rd and best chance came in the 18^th minute after a flicked header from a free-kick he was free in the box but Lichfield goalkeeper James Beeson was quickly off his line to smother it out for a corner.

City’s first chance came in the 20^th minute. Cameron Dunn played a brilliant through ball to Ethan Muckley. The ex-Tividale man’s shot produces a great save from Hawk. Snape had another chance in the 22^nd minute when put through but again Beeson foils him. On 26 minutes Jakob Burroughs carried the ball from midfield and is invited to shoot but it just clears Beeson’s crossbar. Fisher then fired just wide on the half hour mark.

And that ended a very entertaining half where Tividale would rue those missed chances.

Half Time: Lichfield City 0-0 Tividale

The second half started the same as the first half with Curtis Cocking with a shot off target and a couple of Lichfield attacks that came to nothing. On 57 minutes the deadlock was broken Lichfield skipper Kyle Patterson ran onto a ball over the top and went down in what looked like little if any contact in the area and to the amazement of the Tividale players and many of the home side a penalty was awarded. Sam Fitzgerald stepped up and sent Hawk the wrong way from the spot.

The rest of the half became messy with petty fouls, petty decisions, substitutions, and time wasting and the only real bit of football worth mentioning was a Cameron East long throw 4 minutes from the end that caused havoc in the City penalty area but after a spell of pin ball it was forced wide

Full Time: Lichfield City 1-0 Tividale

Tividale: – 1. Peter Hawk, 2. Cameron East, 3. Zac Kourouyianni, 4. Jakob Burroughs, 5. Joe Burroughs, 6. Louis Ezewele (15. Ibrahim Almane 66), 7. Malcolm Melvin (14. Sam Oakley 82), 8. Curtis Cocking, 9. Dan Smith, 10. Ryan Snape, 12. Dean Fisher (16. Nathan Weir 72)

Unused Subs: – 13. Thomas Harper.

Midland Football League
Premier Division
Saturday 27th August 2022
Walsall Wood 3-0 Tividale

Tividale get lost in the Wood

Very rarely, if ever do our management team use the players unavailable card as an excuse for a poor display and don’t get it wrong Harry Harris and Steve Hinks have a very good side at Walsall Wood. But you cannot help but think that with the 8 players that were missing (although they may not have changed the result), would have at least give Walsall Wood a game.

The pattern of the game was set in the opening minutes with the Wood on the front foot. After 4 minutes what looked like a foul on Tividale right back Cameron East was waived by the man in the middle and Jai Verma’s shot was parried away by Tividale keeper Louis Connor and cleared. 5 minutes later and the home side were ahead. This time a complete about turn by the man in the middle gifted The Wood a free kick after the most innocuous of challenges by Joe Burroughs on thew Wood’s Ryan Boothe inside the “D.”

After about 3 “to me to you’ s” Ryan Boothe stepped up and planted a daisy cutter past Connors left hand and into the bottom corner of the net. A couple of minutes later and Tividale had their first effort on goal. A neat through ball from Malcolm Melvin put Ryan Snape through on goal but the angle was always against him and he shot over the bar. Snape was involved again in Tividale’s next foray forward. This time a neat interchange with strike partner Dan Smith ended with the latter’s shot comfortably saved by Wood keeper Lewis Landers.

Walsall Wood continued to dominate the possession as Tividale had no answers and anything in the home sides third was dealt with by the Wood back line. But with the score at 1-0 there was always a chance that the visitors could find a goal from somewhere. It became twice as difficult after 36 minutes. First of all, a short Wood corner to Verma, caught the Tividale defence napping. He let fly and Connor did well to turn it around the post for a corner. From the resulting corner though an unmarked Asa Charlton gave Connor no chance with a thumping header.

The Wood was not done there and as we moved into first half stoppage time defender Carter Lycett roamed forward unchallenged but his shot went over the bar. Then in the 49^th minute Verma was again allowed to cut in on his right but this time he missed the target. Tividale had to show a massive improvement in the second period or there was a chance of a real hiding

Half Time: Walsall Wood 2-0 Tividale

If thing’s were not bad enough, Tividale’s Alex Woodhouse had to be replaced at half time through injury. Sam Oakley making his debut in his place. This also brought a change in formation with Tividale switching from a 4-4-2 to 4-3-3. This didn’t stop the home sides offensive on our goal and Purves should have done better from a Lycett corner in the 53^rd minute, heading wide. Purcell then should have made it 3-0 on 55 minutes, when again he was allowed to run unchallenged his shot coming off the underside of the bar and clearly coming down over the goal line. Well clear to everyone but the men in the middle, who waived play on.

On the hour mark Tividale committed the cardinal error of letting a lofted ball bounce on the edge of their penalty area and Walsall Kaden May latched onto it but his shot lacked the power to cause Connor any problems. Tividale had not learnt there lesson’s in defence and on 62 minutes they were punished again. Verma again allowed to run unchallenged and this time his shot from the edge of the box beat Connor at his near post to make it 3-0. Tividale’s first shot on target in the half came on 68 minutes when from a Connor clearance, Snape got in between the Wood defence but his shot was dealt with by Landers.

Wood was now coasting as could have added more. On 78 minutes a Daniel Gyasi shot was scrambled clear. Tividale had a decent chance in the 78^th minute when from their first corner of the game taken by Oakley was steered wide of the near post by Dan Smith. The day turned from bad to worse when 10 minutes to go Tividale full back Zac Kourouyianni was sin binned for 10 minutes for what we all presume something he said to the referee.

The troublesome Verma had the last meaningful effort off the game when he was again allowed to cut in from the left wing and shoot, this time he dragged his shot wide of Connor’s post.

Full Time: Walsall Wood 3-0 Tividale

Tividale: – 1. Louis Connor, 2. Cameron East, 3. Brad Welding, 4. Alex Woodhouse (15. Sam Oakley 46), 5. Zac Kourouyianni, 6. Joe Burroughs, 7. Malcolm Melvin (14. Jacob Wedderburn 68), 8. Curtis Cocking, 9. Dan Smith, 10. Ryan Snape (16. Ibrahim Almane 74), 12. Jamie Hunt

Unused Subs: – 13. Peter Hawk. 19. Dean Fisher

Midland Football League

Premier Division
Tuesday 16th August 2022
Tividale 3-0 Studley

Good to be back home

Tividale kicked off their home campaign with a win against a Studley side who may feel that if they had converted at least one of the chances that they had in the first half it could have been a completely different story.

Manager Dave King made two enforced changes from the side that went down 2-1 at Wolves Casuals on Saturday. Alex Woodhouse unavailable and Nashawn Blake injured were replaced by Dan Smith and the returning Alex Cameron.

The game started at a frenetic pace and it was Studley who had the first effort on goal when a Dale Edwards shot was parried for a corner by Tividale keeper Louis Connor. Just before the build-up Studley’s midfield player Max Martin went down and had to have some attention. A couple of minutes later and he had to be replaced. On 14 minutes Studley went close again, this time after some great work Dean Carter tested Connor with a strike that again the keeper parried and Joe Burroughs completed the clearance.

Tividale had the ball in the net on 20 minutes when Cameron found himself in space just inside the box and he drilled the ball past keeper Brendon Bunn and into the back of the net, only for the referee to chalk it off for offside. Brad Welding then smacked a free kick into the wall on 22 minutes. On the half hour Studley’s Joe Blowers tried a strike from range that sailed over the Tividale bar. Tividale’s Smith then just failed to find strike partner Cameron with a ball into the Studley box.

On 40 minutes Jack Fletcher replaced the injured Jason Wood and a couple of minutes later the Studley sub-Zac Tellyn was allowed to run at the heart of the Tividale defence but his shot went wide.

Half Time Tividale 0-0 Studley

Tividale broke the deadlock 2 minutes into the second period. Welding whipped a free kick into the 6-yard box and Cameron got the touch that beat Bunn. Eight minutes later it was 2-0. Again, Cameron took the credit when his shot deflected off Studley defender Ben Walsh giving Bunn in goal no chance.

The game then moved into a period of stalemate with Tividale sitting comfortable with the lead and Studley unable to make any head way in the game. Studley were reduced to long range effort’s that never worried Connor in the Tividale goal. With 15 minutes to go a Studley long throw into the Tividale box was turned away for a corner. This brought on another couple of corners that the home side defended well.

On 81 minutes any chance of Studley getting anything out of the game was ended courtesy of another quality free kick into the Studley penalty area from Welding and Dean Fisher was first to react, stooping down and chesting the ball past Bunn.

Tividale then comfortably saw the game out to take the three points and they now move on to their tough Emirates Sponsored FA Cup Preliminary Round tie away at Witton Albion.

Full Time Tividale 3-0 Studley

Tividale: – 1. Louis Connor, 2. Zac Kourouyianni, 3. Brad Welding (18. Cameron East 86), 4. Jason Wood (15. Jack Fletcher 25), 5. Joe Burroughs, 6. Louis Ezewele, 7. Taylor Townsend, 8. Curtis Cocking, 9. Dan Smith (16. Jacob Wedderburn 74), 10. Alex Cameron (14. Dean Fisher 72), 12. Jamie Hunt

Unused Subs: – 13. Peter Hawk.