Midland Football League
Premier Division
Saturday 26th February 2022
Uttoxeter Town 2-2 Tividale

Two’s Up in Town

After the defeat at the hands of AFC Wulfrunians, two weeks ago. You felt it was imperative that they put that result behind them and concentrate on the much improved second half performance.

Uttoxeter was another new ground to visit and as we have found with all our travel’s this season a very welcoming club they are too. Manager Dave King was without Jason Wood and Dan Bryson from the AFC defeat and so Joe Burroughs and Dan Smith were brought into the side. With Bryson out, Tom Hurdman was moved to centre back and Burroughs came in at right back.

A change of formation meant that Tividale were now going 4-4-2 instead of the regular 4-3-3, with Smith pushed up alongside Ethan Muckley in attack. Elliott Hartley and Darragh Bustin the two wide men with Curtis Cocking and Luke Carter anchoring the midfield.

The kick off was preceded by a minute’s applause for the 2nd anniversary of the untimely death of former Uttoxeter Town manager Dean Arnold. Coming from a club that has had its fair share of heartbreak and pain over recent years. The love for Dean at Uttoxeter Town was there for all to see.

The game itself started really slowly. The home side doing the pressing while Tividale were just happy to slowly settle into the games and neither keeper was troubled for the first 18 minutes. The first decent effort from Tividale was a Cocking shot that was deflected out for a corner. Five minutes later and Uttoxeter were ahead. Reuben Kenny whipped in a cross that Paul Hughes just failed to get his head too. The ball was swung back into the box where Kenny met at it the far post. His header back into the mix was met by Hughes who got his head to the ball before the punch from Tividale keeper Peter Hawk and the ball looped over the keeper and into the back of the net.

Tividale were not behind for long though. On 28 minutes Cocking was brought down on the edge of the Uttoxeter box. Carter stepped up and his shot skimmed off the surface and bounced over the home keeper Jack Tolley and into the back of the net. Bustin almost put Tividale in front on 33 minutes when after a great run he saw his shot beat Tolley but come back off the base of the upright.

Uttoxeter were back in front a minute before the break, when Hawk seemed to slip and failed to gather cleanly a high ball into his area and Kenny was there to stab home the loose ball.

Half time: Uttoxeter Town 2-1 Tividale

Muckley had the first chance of the second period when he hooked his shot over the bar in the 48th minute. Then on 54 minutes a great cross by Uttoxeter right back Jack Derbyshire was headed wide by Kenny. A mistake by a Tividale defender in the 56th minute left Uttoxeter’s Kyle Esplin unmarked and clear on goal but he put his shot wide.

From a 58th minute Hartley corner, Hunt headed it back across goal to Carter, who’s header brought off a point blank save by Tolley turning the ball around the post for another corner. Again, from the corner Hartley found Hunt and again Carter was on the end of the ball back across the 6-yard box, but this time Carter volleyed the ball over the bar.

As the game stretched there were more chances at both ends. Uttoxeter’s Harry Griffiths 66th minute free kick was comfortably gathered by Hawk. Then Carter headed a Hurdman cross wide in the 74th minute. In the 79th minute once again Uttoxeter’s Hughes was given to much time to work himself a shooting chance but again he dragged his shot wide.

On 82 minutes whilst hunting down the ball from his left back position Welding was shown a straight red for a challenge on an opposition player that referee Harry James adjudged was serious foul play. With a goal down and a man down Tividale would have taken anything from this game and they were given their chance in the 85th minute when a rash challenge by Douglas Price on Muckley in the penalty area awarded Tividale a penalty and Carter made no mistake from the spot.

The home side had the final chance deep into injury time but again Price’s free kick failed to worry Hawk

Full time: Uttoxeter Town 2-1 Tividale

Tividale: – 1. Peter Hawk, 2. Joe Burroughs (16. TJ Munthali 55), 3. Brad Welding, 4. Luke Carter, 5. Tom Hurdman 6. Matt Hunt, 7. Darragh Bustin, 8. Curtis Cocking, 9. Dan Smith (12. Lewis McPike 72), 10. Ethan Muckley, 11. Elliott Hartley

Unused Subs: – 14. Cameron Milne, 15. Owen Waterfield.

Midland Football League
Premier Division
Saturday 12th February 2022
Tividale 1-3 AFC Wulfrunians

The Wulfs are top dogs

Once again Tividale’s unbeaten home record was on the line as the team holding the leagues joint second position arrived at The Beeches. Also, according to the record books the visitors have not beaten Tividale in a league fixture since 2009. So, with their current form they must have fancied their chances to end these two runs.

With Darragh Bustin and Brad Welding having served their one match game in the 1-1 midweek draw against Stourport Swifts. Manager Dave King brought them straight back into the starting eleven, replacing the departing Hayden Reeves and Dan Smith. Also returning was Jason Wood who had recovered from his back injury and he came in for Lewis McPike.

There is a saying that you would rather concede a goal in the first minute than the last. Well, it does not feel too great after 15 seconds. From AFC’s kick off the ball is played up field Tividale’s Dan Bryson and AFC striker Aaron Bishop both challenge for the ball. It lands nicely for AFC’s Dominic Dell on the edge of the Tividale area who fired his shot into the bottom corner giving home keeper Peter Hawk no chance.

Tividale had a couple of early chances to get back on level terms. The first after 4 minutes, when Curtis Cocking found Darragh Bustin but his shot was saved by AFC keeper Tom Hayward and on 7 minutes Bustin again failed to trouble Hayward, this time from a free kick. With AFC’s next foray in the Tividale half they doubled their lead. Again, a ball that Bryson and Bishop challenged for. This time the bounce of the ball favoured the striker and he was also fortunate to get away with what looked like him using his arm to get the ball under control. But after that there was nothing wrong with his calm finish, steering the ball past a helpless Hawk.

The visitors were now all over the home side and Tividale’s defence were just about keeping them at bay. A Ty Knight cross was headed over the bar on 14 minutes by Dell. Then Jake Webb retrieved an over hit cross on 16 minutes, worked his way into the Tividale area but shot wide. Tividale had a chance to pull one back in the 19th minute, but Matt Hunt could not get his header from a Bustin free kick on target.

Back came AFC on 32 minutes. A Dell cross was headed down for Webb by Bishop, but his shot crashed off the crossbar. Webb was again in the thick of the action four minutes later with two efforts. The first after he slalomed into the box but his shot was parried away by Hawk. The ball came out to Bishop who found Webb again but this time his shot was blocked. As the half came to a close, Simon Williams then played in a dangerous cross for the visitors that Bryson somehow got a foot to and diverted it out for a corner. That was the end of the first half action and there was no doubt which side needed the half time break and which one didn’t as AFC dominated the half.

Half time: Tividale 0-2 AFC Wulfrunians

Tividale made a change at half time with Dan Smith replacing Ethan Muckley in attack, as they attempted to get back into the game. And they had the first chance of the half. After some decent work by Bustin in the 48th minute he found Luke Carter on the penalty spot, but the midfielder could not generate the power in his shot to trouble Hayward. Tividale were back in the game a minute later Smith diverted the ball into the path of Cocking about 25 yards from goal and he just let fly, it flew past Hayward and into the back of the net.

Although Tividale were much better, AFC were still creating chances of their own and a Dell header from a Brad Sharman corner in the 54th minute went straight into the arms of Hawk. A minute later AFC had an effort scrambled away after it looked as though it came off the crossbar. Then a Jack Rowley throw found Dell but he shot wide.

Tividale now had more of the possession and were pressing the AFC defence, but they could not get to work Hayward. A ball over the top on 65 minutes for Elliott Hartley to get on the end of, is too long and it run through to Hayward. The Keeper then has a problem with a Welding free kick but he gathers at the second attempt. On 72 minutes, AFC only clear a corner to the edge of the box and a Wood effort takes a deflection and makes Haywards save a lot easier.

Hayward then makes a brilliant save from point blank range in the 78th minute, getting across his 6-yard box in denying Smith who must have thought it was a certain goal. Tividale have a penalty appeal turned down in the 80th minute when the ball seemed to come off an AFC hand from a Tividale corner. Tividale were now throwing everything at the AFC defence but they stood firm and denied the home side with any clear-cut chances as they played out the final few minutes.

With Tividale still pressing they were always liable to get caught on the counter and that is what happened. A Tividale error as the 90 minutes was up and Webb is away zoning in on the Tividale goal. As Hawk came charging out to cut down the angle, Webb unselfishly put the ball into the path of AFC substitute Jack Downing who rolled the ball into an empty net.

Throughout the game there were some white-knuckle tackles from both sides. Most of them may have resulted in cards on another day, but this referee seemed to want to always play the advantage, even after some seriously poor challenges from both sides.

In the end Tividale were a lot better in the second period, but AFC dug deep and defended well and were worthy winners based on their dominant first half.

Full time: Tividale 1-3 AFC Wulfrunians

Tividale: – 1. Peter Hawk, 2. Tom Hurdman, 3. Brad Welding, 4. Luke Carter, 5. Dan Bryson 6. Matt Hunt, 7. Darragh Bustin, 8. Curtis Cocking, 9. Ethan Muckley (12. Dan Smith 46), 10. Jason Wood (14. Lewis McPike 83) 11. Elliott Hartley

Unused Subs: – 15. Harvey Portman, 16. TJ Munthali, 17. Joe Burroughs.

Midland Football League
Premier Division
Tuesday 8th February 2022
Tividale 1-1 Stourport Swifts

We are not so Swift against Stourport

After the tremendous run in the league of five straight wins and a draw last time out against run away leader’s Hanley Town. An eleven-day break was not the ideal preparation against a side that came to The Beeches in fine form, only losing one in their last six. Added to that the home side were without three of the players that contributed massively to that run.

So, Dave King had to shuffle his pack again with the loss of Darragh Bustin and Brad Welding both serving one match suspensions for their double yellow cards against Bewdley Town and Jason wood who failed a fitness test due to his back strain. In came Lewis McPike, plus Dan Smith and Hayden Reeves both starting their first games due to injuries picked up before Christmas.

Stourport started much the brighter and they created the first chance after 8 minutes when a Drew Cavanan pass was played into the former West Bromwich Albion striker Lee Hughes, who in turn laid the ball off to Mason Birch, but Birch fired his shot wide. Stourport keeper Dominic Richards had his first piece of action in the 12th minute when he was alert to take a deflected shot that looped up into his area.

Stourport then had a couple of decent chances in the 15th and 16th minutes. The first when an inch perfect Drew Canavan free kick was met by Hughes, but Hawk beat it away and then Hawk comfortably took a Birch effort. The home side had their first real threat after 21 minutes when Elliott Hartley broke from a Curtis Cocking ball but he got his attempted chip wrong and he cleared Richards cross bar.

Tividale took the lead against the run of play on the next attack in the 24th minutes, when Stourport skipper Martin Slevin dwelt on the ball was disposed by Ethan Muckley and when left in a one-on-one position with Richards, he made no mistake firing home. It could have been two up a minute later when Hartley found McPike and Richards did well to push the latter’s shot around the upright.

Hughes then got onto a Taylor Townsend cross after 33 minutes but could not keep a deft back heel on target and it went wide of Hawk’s post. But the visitors were deservedly level on 35 minutes when after giving the ball away in the middle of the park, the ball was quickly swept forward and Townsend timed his run perfectly as the home side appealed in vain for offside, he rounded Hawk and rolled it into an empty net. The last action of the half saw Richards again on hand to deny Hartley, coming off his line smartly, to gather the ball just in front of the forward.

Half time: Tividale 1-1 Stourport Swifts

Dan Smith had the first effort of the second period on 48 minutes but he put his shot over the bar from distance. On 50 minutes Jason Chilton gets his head to a Townsend cross but he heads it straight into Hawk who gathers at the second attempt. Reeves then intercepts a Stourport pass down the left and finds McPike with a lovely cross on the run but McPike’s glancing front post header flashes across Richard goal and wide of his far post. Smith then forced another decent save out of Richards in the 65th minute when his attempted pass comes back to him and he tried a snapshot.

Stourport went close in the 69th minute when from their free kick, it is headed to the edge of the box by the Tividale defence. Only as far as Birch, but again he cannot keep his shot down and it sail’s over the bar. Three minutes later and Stourport substitute Edison Antonio stabs a Townsend cross the wrong side of the upright.

As the game moved into the final 15 minutes, Stourport were now looking the more likely to win the game and Townsend fired over the bar after a tremendous run in the 77th minute. On 80 minutes Josh Marsden does excellent down Stourport’s left flank with a bit of trickery but hits his shot is straight at Hawk.

With game moving into injury time Stourport had one last chance. Edilson Antonio with a tremendous effort from just outside the Tividale 6 yard box, but typical of the Tividale defending a couple of players threw themselves at the shot, it deflected off one of them, struck the cross bar and was hooked clear.

In the end we can be pleased with the point as usual we worked hard and created chances against a good Swifts side. We did ride our look in those final 15 minutes but we’ll take that.

Full time: Tividale 1-1 Stourport Swifts

Tividale: – 1. Peter Hawk, 2. Tom Hurdman, 3. Hayden Reeves, 4. Luke Carter, 5. Dan Bryson 6. Matt Hunt, 7. Lewis McPike, 8. Curtis Cocking, 9. Dan Smith (14. Cameron Milne 79) 10. Ethan Muckley, 11. Elliott Hartley

Unused Subs: – 12. Harvey Portman, 15. TJ Munthali, 16. Joe Burroughs