Midland Football League
Premier Division
Saturday 13th August 2022
Wolverhampton Casuals 2-1 Tividale

Tividale to Casual at Brinsford

Just as it was in the last fixture in March. Tividale took the lead but again ended up on the losing side. While in the previous game Casuals had the game won by half time against a tired Tividale side. This time Casuals were just the better side in the second period as Tividale let all three points slip away

Tividale were forced into three changes from the side that beat Darlaston a week ago. Lewis Taylor-Boyce injured and Jacob Wedderburn and Dan Smith unavailable. In came Zac Kourouyianni, Nashwan Blake, and Taylor Townsend as replacements

Tividale carried the form of last week into the opening of this one and were good in possession but Casuals were always looking threatening when they had the ball and the first chance fell to the home side after just 4 minutes but Adam Garmson blazed wide. Tividale’s first decent chance came on 6 minutes when right back Kourouyianni’s right wing cross evaded everyone in the box but Brad Welding smashed the ball over at the back post. Casuals showed how dangerous the was when a Garmson free kick was headed wide by Joe Clarke. two minutes later came the best chance of the game so far when Townsend found Blake on the left side of goal but he could only find the side netting from an acute angle.

Just as last week we then lost a forward to injury inside the first 20 minutes when Blake had to be replaced by Dean Fisher on 17 minutes with what looked like a hamstring injury. Tividale broke the deadlock on 24 minutes. Once again Townsend was the architect, whipping a low cross across the box that the Casuals defence failed to clear and Jamie Hunt bent a beauty past Casuals keeper Ryan Cheshire. Before the restart, a drink’s break was taken.

On 33 minutes Tividale captain Curtis Cocking tried a long-range effort that never troubled Cheshire and 5 minutes later Kourouyianni got himself into the ref’s book when he was wrong footed by the pace of a pass and inexplicably stopped the ball from going out of play while in the opposition half with his hand. From the resulting free kick pumped into the Tividale area Casuals won another free kick on the edge of the box. Upped stepped Garmson and his thumping drive hit the cross bar and went over.

Deep into first half stoppage time Tividale had another great chance to extend the lead this time it was Cheshire down to the rescue, pushing Fisher’s shot around the post after more good work from Townsend.

Half Time: – Wolverhampton Casuals 0-1 Tividale

Casual’s were immediately on the front foot after the break and Garmson from nowhere flashed an effort wide from distance in the 46th minute. Casuals were now in the ascendency and on 54 minutes and a long ball into the Tividale area found Matt Hearsey but the Casuals wide man shot wide. Garmson then worked himself into a shooting position but his shot was parried away for a corner by Connor. From the resulting Garmson corner, centre back Nathaniel Graham rose unchallenged to head the ball home and tied up the game on 59 minutes.

It was now Casuals with the majority of the possession and the visitors looking to break on the counter and on 62 minutes Hunt brought out a save from Cheshire that he couldn’t gather cleanly and his defence cleared the lines. Hunt had another effort on 69 minutes when he got his head to a Cocking cross but failed to trouble Cheshire. 0n 73 minutes Casuals Josh Hesson had a shot deflected off a Tividale defender for a corner.

Both teams were reduced to 10 men after 82 minutes when Tividale’s Townsend and Casual’s Clarke were involved in a clash near the dug out’s. We then had an invasion of players, both benches, spectators, kid’s and even someone with a child in their arms all getting involved. In the aftermath and after consulting with his assistant who was a couple of yards from the incident the referee showed a straight red card to both Townsend and Clarke.

As the game moved into the last few minutes Cocking shot wide on 88 minutes and in the 90th minute Casuals right back Constantin Calais fired over after going on a mazy 40-yard run. With the clock running down and the game heading for a draw a Tividale defensive header landed at the feet of Hearsey out on the left touch line and in line with the penalty spot. He then cut in inside and his dipping right foot shot beat Connor and hit the back of the net inside the keeper’s far post.

Full Time: – Wolverhampton Casuals 2-1 Tividale

Tividale: – 1. Louis Connor, 2. Zac Kourouyianni, 3. Brad Welding, 4. Alex Woodhouse (17. Malcolm Melvin 60), 5. Joe Burroughs, 6. Louis Ezewele, 7. Taylor Townsend, 8. Curtis Cocking, 9. Nashawn Blake (16. Dean Fisher 17), 10. Jason Wood, 12. Jamie Hunt (14. Jack Fisher 75).

Unused Subs: – 13. Peter Hawk, 15. Cameron East.

Midland Football League
Premier Division
Saturday 9th April 2022
Tividale 2-3 Lichfield City

Much Better

Manager Dave King asked for a response in these last three games of the season and he got one today in as good a performance as we have produced all season and on another night against a lesser side, we would have got at least a point out of it. But good teams never stop going and Lichfield are a very good team.

Once again, the Boss had to swap and change for this one. With the two Dan’s, Smith, and Bryson both out for the season. We also lost skiipper Matt Hunt and Luke Carter to illnesses. So, in came TJ Munthali and Jason Wood the latter had missed Saturday’s defeat at Walsall Wood due to work commitments.

Lichfield started the game much the better and were dominating possession but Tividale’s defence were up to the task and it was the home side who had the first sight of goal. A 9th minute Lewis McPike free kick that was comfortably held by Lichfield keeper James Beeson. Lichfield’s first effort on goal came two minutes later when a Dan Lomas shot went wide. On the quarter hour a good effort from Sam Fitzgerald was gathered at the second attempt by Tividale keeper Louis Connor.

Tividale were making a game of this and in the 26th minute had a glorious chance to open the scoring. After some great work from Darragh Bustin, he played in Ethan Muckley one on one with Beeson. The keeper beat away his shot and it fell to Elliott Hartley who fired wide with the goal at his mercy. McPike then tried a shot from about 25 yards that Beeson had no problem with.

On the half hour the deadlock was broken. From a Fitzgerald corner, Lomas flicked the ball on from the front post and Chandler Pegg was there to head into the roof of the net home from 6 yards out. Tividale stepped up the pressure after conceding and on 40 minutes Bustin had his shot cleared off the line by Lichfield defender Max Black and then Hartley saw his shot saved by Beeson.

As we moved into injury time a Bustin long throw was partly clear by the Lichfield defence. The ball fell to Wood on the edge of the box and his superb strike is curled inside Beeson’s left-hand post for his first Tividale goal and to level up the scores at half time.

Half time: Tividale 1-1 Lichfield City

The second half kicked off and Tividale were immediately on the attack Muckley just could not get his shot off and the ball ran through to Beeson. From his clearance the ball was played into the Tividale area and in a case of Deja Vu it was cleared to the edge of the box and this time Fitzgerald met it and his strike beat Connor and put Lichfield 2-1 up within 60 seconds of the restart.

While Lichfield had the majority of the time on the ball and the chances. Tividale were still creating chances of their own. Straight from going behind again Bustin had another chance that Beeson got down to picking up an injury for his trouble and Muckley saw his shot blocked. While at the other end Connor does well to get to a Jack Edwards shot and pushes the ball away from a lurking Cameron Dunn. As the game goes into the final few minutes, from a Lichfield corner Lomas head’s wide.

With two minutes left of the 90, Tividale drew level. They win a corner that Lichfield keeper Beeson completely miss judges the flight of the ball and Curtis Cocking nod’s in at the back post. Straight from the kick off Lichfield win a corner. It is taken by Fitzgerald and an unmarked Leighton McMenemy head’s home to put the visitors back ahead. Tividale tried their best to get another equaliser but the visitors held out quite comfortably to win the game and pick up the three points.

Tividale: – 1. Louis Connor, 2. Tom Hurdman 3. Brad Welding, 4. TJ Munthali, 5. Joe Burroughs 6. Jason Wood, 7. Lewis McPike, 8. Curtis Cocking, 9. Darragh Bustin, 10. Ethan Muckley (12. Owen Waterfield 77), 11. Elliott Hartley

Unused Subs: – 14. Alfie Bustin 15. Lucas Muckley

Midland Football League
Premier Division
Saturday 9th April 2022
Walsall Wood 2-0 Tividale

Groundhog Day

Tividale’s woes continued as Walsall Wood mirrored their result 4 days ago with another 2-0 win. Tividale’s poor run now reads 5 defeats and a draw in their last 6 games. The last four games all defeats and only one goal scored in those 4 games.

We have never been a free scoring team but we have always prided ourselves with our goals conceded record. And even in this run there is no let up on the work rate of the lad’s. It’s just that they cannot catch a break.

Manager Dave King’s team selection was again dictated by unavailability. With a very small squad, Dan Smith suspended, Dan Bryson injured, Luke Carter covid and Jason Wood having to work was always going to be a body blow. But Joe Burroughs and 16 year old Owen Waterfield had the chance to get a start.

Tividale’s issues in front of goal was summed up in the first goal action of the game after just 4 minutes. Some great work down the Tividale right by Darragh Bustin and he cut the ball back into the path of Ethan Muckley but from just outside the 6 yard box Muckley failed to get a decent contact on the ball and Wood keeper Callum Smith collected the ball as it rolled to him. Then a whipped in Brad Welding cross from the left just evaded both Muckley and Bustin in the area.

The Wood were now warming to the task and on 20 minutes Maxin Zeuloveot found Stuart Hendrie but he skied his effort. The game was fairly even for most of the half but neither side could create that decisive opening and it was’nt until the 40th minute before The Wood created the next good chance when from a throw Zeuloveot fired a shot that was heading for goal but Tividale captain Matt Hunt got his body in the way and it was deflected for a corner.

Deep into first half stoppage time Zeuloveot was again in the the thick of the action when his shot was scrambled away but the ball ran into the path of Hendrie who hit the post with his effort and Hunt cleared

Half Time Walsall Wood 0-0 Tividale

The second period was only 45 seconds old when the home side took the lead. From a corner Tividale cleared the ball to the edge of their box and Mitchell Tolley took one touch and then smashed the ball past Cconnor and into the back of the net.

The Wood should have doubled their lead on 50 minutes when a Zeuloveot cross was headed wide by Adam McGurk and minute later Jai Verma’s cross found Hendrie but he in turn fired over the bar. On 57 minutes McGurk had another chance to extend the lead as the home side exerted more  pressure on the Tividale back line, but he could not find the target with his shot and it flashed wide of Connor’s post.

While Wood were looking threatening. Tividale were struggling to get a decent opening against a solid looking Wood defence and it wasn’t until the 78th minute when they had their first real chance of the half when Elliott Hartley was put through but his shot took a deflection and flew wide. This a minute after Wood had another chance to extend their lead when Zeuloveot was put though one on one with Connor but blazed over.

It was the 92nd minute of the game when Wood did get the second goal. Connor pulled off a fine stop to deny Wood sub sam Unitt but the ball bounced up in the 6 yard box and Verma was the first to react and nodded the ball home at the back post. Giving Walsall Wood a second 2-0 win over Tividale within 5 days.

Tividale: – 1. Louis Connor, 2. Tom Hurdman 3. Brad Welding, 4. Darragh Bustin 5. Joe Burroughs 6. Matt Hunt, 7. Lewis McPike, 8. Curtis Cocking, 9. Ethan Muckley (14. TJ Munthali 81), 10. Owen Waterfield (12. Lucas Muckley 55), 11. Elliott Hartley

Unused Subs: – 13. Peter Hawk