Midland Football League

Premier Division
Saturday 9th October 2021
Worcester City 1-2 Tividale

Bouncebackability

It has been said a few times this season. If we stop mentioning any cup competition, we will be ok as we produce our worse displays in them.

It has also been proved many times with this squad of players that when the chips are down, and the odds are against them they come back out fighting and here at Worcester in front of over 500 supporters they pulled it out the bag again. It was not the most fluid and eye-catching performance but this one was never going to be.

With Dan Smith out for at least two months with the unfortunate broken ankle against Warstones Wanderers. Eshan Greer made his first team debut. Tom Hurdman and Luke Carter both unavailable in midweek, returned to the starting eleven at the expense of Brad Welding and Lewis McPike were the other changes.

Away from the football. Today’s game was dedicated to the friends and families of Worcester City that had lost loved ones in the pandemic and in the two minutes silence before the game, the names of those that had passed away were read out. In an amazing gesture in which we at Tividale FC will never forget we were also asked to name the loved ones lost that were close to Tividale and they were also read out.

The game started with City looking much the stronger side, but it was Tividale who had the first chance in the fifth minutes from a corner, but the Birch header went wide. City’s first major chance came after 11 minutes. A long ball forward from goalkeeper Adam Harrison found Bailey Fuller but his shot was blocked before being cleared. Chris Sterling then had a long-range effort which was easily saved by Niall Maher the Tividale keeper. On 13 minutes City had a great chance a Billy Shaw cross found Sterling in the middle of the six-yard box but another Tividale block by Matt Hunt defies him.

City were still exerting the pressure, but Tividale’s defence stood firm. They then had two good chances halfway through the first half. Both from free kicks. The first went into the wall but the referee adjudged Curtis Cocking had committed a foul in racing out for the ball, exactly where the first one had been committed. The second one going out off the back of Sterling and out for a corner. Shaw then had an effort on 27 minutes that cleared the bar. A good interchange between Cocking and Greer who in turn laid the ball off to Bustin but it was a comfortable save for Harrison on the half hour.

City took the lead on 38 minutes when after some persistent pressure a Fuller corner found skipper Aaron Roberts on the back post who beat Hunt to the ball and headed home. Three minutes later and the visitors were straight back in the game. A Cameron Milne free kick was played into Bustin on the edge of the City penalty area. He took one touch and then lashed it home on the half volley with Harrison stationary.

Half Time: – Worcester City 1-1 Tividale

City had the first chance of the second period on 47 minutes when another City corner found Fuller on the edge of the box, his shot was eventually cleared and deflected off a City player for a goal kick. Dimitri Dunkley then chased down a long clearance on 52 minutes, played the ball to Brown but Hunt blocks his shot. Birch then went close in the 56th minute when from a Hartley corner his header was blocked by a City defender and eventually cleared. Then a Bustin free kick was again headed just wide by Hunt at the back post.

Tividale where a whisker from going ahead on 67 minutes when from a Shaw part clearance the ball came out to Luke Carter 25 yards out, who controlled the ball on his thigh before unleashing a shot that beat Harrison all ends up but the ball crashed off the underside of the bar, bounced off the back of Harrison’s head before the clearance was completed by Fortune Maphosa.

Tividale did go ahead in the 73rd minute. A Hurdman ball found Bustin out on the left and his ball around the corner into the penalty area found Maphosa on the wrong side of Greer and in his attempt to get back in position brought down the forward. Referee Sam Dods had no hesitation in pointing to the spot and Carter placed the resulting spot kick high above the dive of Harrison and into the roof of the net.

The City dangerman Fuller was again at the heart of anything they had going forward when his 85th minute free kick cleared the crossbar and landed on top of the net.Tividale had the final chance of the game when Cocking found himself an opening to get his shot off but it never troubled Harrison.

Full Time: – Worcester City 1-2 Tividale

Tividale: – 1. Niall Maher, 2. Tom Hurdman, 3. Hayden Reeves, 4. Luke Carter, 5. Ben Birch, 6. Matt Hunt, 7. Darragh Bustin, 8. Curtis Cocking, 9. Ethan Greer, 10. Cameron Milne, 11. Elliott Hartley

Unused Subs: – 12. Lewis McPike, 13. Peter Hawk, 14. Jordan Edwards, 15. Dan Bryson, 16. TJ Munthali

Midland Football League

Premier Division
Tuesday 21st September 2021
AFC Wulfruniuns 2-2 Tividale

A Tale of Two Halves

Games against our rivals down the A4123 are always competitive and tight affairs.  As it was to prove in the FA Cup tie a month earlier played at The Beeches. But not only was this competitive and tight, the first half to the neutral’s was classic entertainment (maybe not so much for the two dug outs though).

Once again Manager Dave King had to make changes with club captain Matt Hunt, Brogan Halpin, Dan Bryson and Tyree Clarke all unavailable. But we were delighted to have Brad Welding back fit, and he went straight into the side. With 2 Centre backs out Tom Hurdman was moved from his usual right wing back position to Centre back and he also donned the captain’s arm band.

The game started at a frantic pace and after 7 minutes Curtis Cocking found Elliott Hartley and his first time shot brought off a smart save by AFC keeper Tom Hayward. On 10 minutes came AFC’s first effort on target when Robert Hanna was able to pick his way through the Tividale midfield before trying an effort from 25 yards that Tividale keeper Adam Harrison turned over the bar.

Tividale opened the scoring on 13 minutes when Darragh Bustin himself ran at the AFC defence, had a bit of fortune when his attempted one two with Dan Smith was intercepted by AFC defender Chris Knights on the edge of the penalty area but Knight only succeeded in putting the ball back into Bustin’s path and he needed no fortune in blasting the ball past Hayward and into the bottom left hand corner of the net.

Tividale were in behind the AFC defence a couple of minutes later when Hartley found Bustin, and his cross was met by Smith, but Hayward held onto the header comfortably. Hartley then had an appeal turned down for what would have been a harsh penalty decision.

On 18 minutes a Tividale defensive error let in AFC’s Dominic Dell. He unselfishly rolled the ball to Aaron Bishop, but his shot lacked power and was a routine save for Harrison. Two minutes later and obviously the away side had not learnt from their earlier mistake. This time Bishop was the benefactor. He played in Dell who in a one-on-one situation made no mistake in beating Harrison.  In keeping with the end-to-end football Tividale were right back at their host’s and on 21 minutes Bustin picked the pocket of AFC’s Hanna but his curling shot was an easy save for Hayward.

The home side then had a spell where no one knows how they did not take the lead. It started with a short back pass to Harrison where the keeper just about beat Dell to the ball, but his clearance came straight back. Hanna then failed to beat Harrison who beat away his shot. After a half clearance it landed at the feet of Bishop whose drive across goal hit teammate James Hill and back into the path of Hanna whose shot was saved again by Harrison. AFC worked the back into Jamie Meadows, but his shot cleared the Tividale bar.

A Bustin free kick was headed onto the top of the net by Hayden Reeves on the half hour mark. On 39 minutes Hartley was able to weave his way past 3 defenders lay the ball off to Milne who beat Hayward via the left-hand post to put Tividale 2-1 ahead. Hill then saw his free kick go wide of Harrison’s left-hand post on 41 minutes as they looked to equalise immediately.

On the stroke of half time Bishop was through on the end of a long ball. Harrison misjudged the bounce and took out the player just outside the area. With the home players and spectators calling for a red card and the visitors fearing the worse the referee and his assistant took their time to assess what had happened and after about 3 or 4 minutes rightly showed Harrison the yellow card. As he had cover between the Bishop and his goal. From the resulting free kick in first half stoppage time Hill saw his effort come off the crossbar but Hanna was quickest to react and stabbed the ball past Harrison to make it 2-2.

Half Time: AFC Wulfruniuns 2-2 Tividale

It was going to take some doing for the second half to match the first. But AFC were right at it from the start and on 47 minutes Harrison had to turn a Dell shot around the post for a corner. From the resulting corner Bishop headed over the Tividale bar.

As expected, the game quietened down a touch from the high octane first half and it was the 59th minute before the next decent goal threat. Bustin played a beautiful defence splitting ball to Hartley. But Knight got across to marshal him away from goal before clearing for a corner. Hartley took the corner, and it found its way to Welding on the back post. He played it into the path of Bustin and his pile driver was well saved by Hayward. The keeper parrying the ball away and Tom Poole completing the clearance. Hartley was then put through down the Tividale left but his shot went high and wide.

As the game moved into the last 15 minutes AFC were the team making the most of the running and Dell, Bishop, and substitute Panasue Madamba all had chances that were well defended and cleared. Bishop also headed over another Hill corner with time running out. In the end the final whistle went with surprisingly no addition to the half time score line. But what a game.

Full Time: AFC Wulfruniuns 2-2 Tividale

Tividale: – 1. Adam Harrison, 2. Tom Hurdman, 3. Brad Welding, 4. Luke Carter, 5. Ben Birch, 6.Hayden Reeves,  7. Darragh Bustin, 8. Curtis Cocking, 9. Dan Smith, 10. Cameron Milne (14. Lewis McPike 76), 11. Elliott Hartley

Unused Subs: – 12. Jordan Edwards, 15. TJ Munthali

Midland Football League

Premier Division
Saturday 18th September 2021
Tividale 1-0 Haughmond

Tivi have to earn the points

After two successive away defeats and conceding three goals in each of them. It was nice to get back to The Beeches, pick up a clean sheet and most importantly pick up the three points. But Tividale were made to work hard for them against a Haughmond side that certainly did not look like they were without a league win so far this season. Playing like this and that statistic will soon disappear.

With the Boss back from his short break, it was a case of a couple of changes. The first change was switching to a back four from the three centre backs that we had played all season, with Dan Bryson the man rested. Cameron Milne also came into the middle of the park and that was the only personnel change in the lineup.

It was the visitors that started the brighter as Tividale just could not get into the game in the opening exchanges but although they threatened with a string of early corners they could not find the breakthrough and it was the home side who posed the first real goal threat against the run of play on 5 minutes when Dan Smith was able to get a shot in but it was comfortably saved by away keeper Sam Jones. Haughmond should have gone ahead on 10 minutes when a free kick towards the back post was headed back into the danger zone by Calum Bennett and Josh Thomas met it on the volley, but Adam Harrison pulled off another stunning save and beat the ball away.

It had taken Tividale 15 minutes to really get into the game and Smith and Elliott Hartley were now posing a real threat up front for the men from The Beeches. Smith found some space down the Tividale right and played the ball into Hartley, but his shot was blocked and there where appeals for handball turned down by referee Bradley Tonks. Haughmond then went straight down the other end and their own appeals for a handball are also turned down.

As the game begins to liven up Milne rolled in Hartley on 20 minutes, but his shot is turned around the post by Jones. Three minutes later and a Haughmond free kick at the edge of the Tividale penalty area is played short to Scott Ryan by Bennett completely fooling the Tividale defence that were expecting the shot, but Tividale closed him down and cleared the threat.  Ryan then tried his luck from a fair way out that Harrison takes with no problem. On 34 minutes a Hartley cross is headed clear for a corner by Haughmond defender Finn Sansom. From the resulting Bustin corner to the back post Matt Hunt heads it back across the goal but Harley could only fire it over Jones’s bar.

Five minutes before the break and a poor clearance from Jones falls at the feet of Smith but Jones’s made immediate amends touching the Smith shot over the bar and that was the end of the first half action

Half Time: Tividale 0-0 Haughmond

Haughmond’s Thomas had the first sight of goal in the 48th minute but again could not hit the target sending his effort high and wide. With Tividale’s first attack of the half in the 50th minute they went ahead. Harrison again trying to turn the Haughmond back line with a punt up field that caused a mistake by the defence and Hartley was left one on one with Jones and he steered the ball past the keeper and into the net. Hartley went close to doubling the Tividale lead in the 57th minute when from a Milne cross, he hooked the ball goal wards only to see it skim the top off the crossbar and go over.

Two minutes later and it was Haughmond’s turn to hit the woodwork, when a Ryan corner evaded everyone and hit Harrison’s back post before Tividale cleared. With 61 minutes on the clock Ryan was given too much room to get his shot in but Harrison turns it away for a corner. Smith is then put through, but Jones beats away his shot and Bennett completes the clearance putting the ball out for a corner. Smith then flicked the ball on for Milne, but his strike was well saved by Jones. But the assistant blew for offside.

Thomas and Ryan again joined forces to create another chance for the visitors in the 71st minute but again Harrison was equal to Ryan’s shot. In the 82nd minute Smith again won the flick on, this time for Bustin who smacked the ball home but again the assistant’s flag was raised and offside was given. Bustin had another chance with four minutes of normal time to go but this time Jones was able to save the shot with some comfort.

Tividale then decided to batten down the hatches and take the 1-0 win as Haughmond struggled to get hold of the ball and launch any meaningful attacks on the Tividale goal.

Tividale: – 1. Adam Harrison, 2. Tom Hurdman, 3. Darragh Bustin, 4. Luke Carter, 5. Hayden Reeves, 6. Matt Hunt, 7. Lewis McPike (14.  Dan Bryson 72), 8. Curtis Cocking (15. Brogan Halpin 87), 9. Dan Smith, 10. Cameron Milne, 11. Lewis McPike

Unused Subs: – 12. Jordan Edwards

 

Click this link to see game photographs by Focus Dunn Sports Photography.