Midland Football League
Premier Division
Monday 16th August 2021
Romulus 1-0 Tividale

The Rom’s have it

Tividale arrived at the Castle Vale Stadium on the back of a fortunate point gained on Saturday against Whitchurch Allport.

Manager Dave King was able to welcome back Adam Harrison in goal and Dan Bryson in defence. He also gave a start to the returning Curtis Cocking. These changes meant that Peter Hawk, Hayden Reeves and Liam Wilkinson started this game on the bench.

Once again Tividale were slow out of the blocks and Romulus dominated the early play and should have been ahead after just 7 minutes when Umar Zaman put Trea Bertie through but Harrison was quickly off his line to block Bertie’s shot and Elliott Hartley completed the clearance. Two minutes later and Harrison was on hand again to block a Bertie shot. This time the rebound fell to strike partner Kory Burke but Harrison was back up and able to turn his shot around the post.

Tividale had a great chance in the 14^th minute when Dan Smith took the ball off Zaman who played it into Ryan Grosvenor who in turn laid it off to the overlapping Brad Welding, whose first-time shot was pushed away by Romulus keeper Stuart Parsons. On 21 minutes from a Dan Bryson free Smith was first to react but again Parsons was equal to his shot. Parrying it away and skipper Cameron Lee hooked clear

On the half hour mark it was back to the Bertie-Harrison show. Once again Bertie was put through but Harrison saved. Tividale were back at it on 39 minutes when a Welding free kick was pushed away by Parsons. Tividale forward Jordan Edwards was then replaced by Tyree Street. Edwards had gone down earlier in the game with a hamstring issue but despite trying to carry on in the end he had to go off.

The home side could have gone into the lead on 42 minutes through Bertie, but this time it was Tividale defender Ben Birch who got in the vital block. From the resulting corner the deadlock was broken on 43 minutes when Lee met Jonathon Haynes corner with a bullet header that gave Harrison no chance.

Half Time: – Romulus 1-0 Tividale

After a cagey start to the half with Romulus dominating possession but Tividale defending well. Tividale had the first real chance on 55 minutes when from a Welding free kick Smith headed over. Bertie then had another chance on 71 minutes, but this one was never going to trouble Harrison. On 75 minutes from a Romulus free kick Lee again rose to head it back across goal. Somehow the ball came back to Lee but this time he headed over.

Tividale had a great chance in the 83^rd minute when Hartley was sent away he outpaced Romulus defender Tyreace Brown but Parsons was there to block his shot at his near post. The ball then fell to Tividale substitute Cameron Milne and his half volley was blocked by a Romulus defender. Milne was first to the rebound on the edge of the box but was brought down By Romulus’s Dalintin Ticha. From the resulting free kick Welding just cleared the bar.

In the end on the balance of play Romulus’s the tree points but Tividale had their fair share of chances and it was a massive improvement on Saturday’s performance.

Full Time: – Romulus 1-0 Tividale

Tividale: – 1. Adam Harrison, 2. Dan Bryson, 3. Brad Welding, 4. Luke Carter, 5. Ben Birch (12. Liam Wilkinson 65), 6. Matt Hunt, 7. Curtis Cocking (16. Cameron Milne 71), 8. Ryan Grosvenor, 9. Dan Smith, 10. Jordan Edwards (14. Tyree Clarke 30), 11. Elliott Hartley

Unused Subs: – 13. Peter Hawk, 15. Hayden Reeves

Midland Football League
Premier Division
Saturday 14th August 2021
Tividale 3-3 Whitchurch Alport

Whitchurch Mugged

Tividale opened their league season with the visit of Whitchurch Alport and what an eventful opener it was.

Manager Dave King had a fairly depleted squad to choose from with Lewis McPike, Tom Hurdman and Cameron Milne injured and Dan Bryson and Adam Harrison unavailable. So he had to bring onto the bench young Alfie Bustin from the youth squad and coach TJ Munthali.

The day in itself was dedicated to the life of a Tividale legend Jan Cotton who had volunteered her services to the club for over 36 years and who had passed away in the lockdown and this was the chance to celebrate her life. We were all humbled by Whitchurch’s response to a lady they had possibly never of before the previous week. But they also lay a bouquet of flowers on the centre circle from the visitors.

The game itself started with early Whitchurch pressure and young Tividale keeper Paul Hawks had to deal with an early Whitchurch shot. On 9 minutes a Whitchurch free kick given against Tividale for handball was deflected wide and from the corner Tividale clear for anothe visitors corner. This time the corner was driven in low and an unmarked Joseoh Mindhall turned the ball home at the near post.

Tividale had the chance of an immediate response but Brad Weldings free kick was wide of the mark and on 15 minutes Tividale could have been two down but Whitchurch forward Ryan Allcock was denied by a Ben Birch tackle when he was about to pull the trigger.  The home side had the chance to equalise on 21 minutes but Weldings shot never troubled Whitchurch keeper Mason Springthorpe.

Whitchurch doubled their lead on 29 minutes when a Ivan Urvantev free kick found an unmarked Alex Hughes and he steered the ball past Hawk. It could have been a lot worse two minutes later when a Urvantev shot was deflected wide by Tividale skipper Matt Hunt.

Half Time: Tividale 0-2 Whitchurch Alport

The second half began as the first one ended when on 49 minutes Allcock was through but fired wide. Hawks then had to turn a chance around the post for a corner. But on 54 minutes it was 3-0. From a Tividale throw Whitchurch won the ball and though Hawk parried the initial shot Allcock was on hand to turn the ball home.

Tividale’s first attack of the half came in the 59th minute when from a corner, Whitchurch struggled to clear and Tividale failed to create a clear cut shot on target. In the end the ball came off Hunt and nestled safely in the arms of Springthorpe. Then Hawk could only stand and watch as another Whitchurch came back off the crossbar.

Tividale pulled a goal back in the 65th minute when from a left sided cross looked to have been turned home by a Whitchurch defender whilst under pressure from Tividale’s Dan Smith. On 70 minutes substitute Curtis Cocking was denied by a good Springthorpe save at his near post. Fellow Whitchurch sub Jacob Farleigh had a shot saved by Hawk. And Hawk was again there to deny Dylan Bath as Whitchurch launched another attack.

The game seemd to be miandering to a fairly comfortable 3-1 away win when in the 5th minute of injury time Elliott Hartley was felled in the box and up stepped Luke Carter to cut the defecit from the spot in what surely had to be a consolation goal. But the referee just carried on playing and in the 98 minute from a dubious Tividale free kick they should have scored but Springthorpe pulled of a brilliant double save and put the ball out for a corner. With the visiting fans now going wild and pleading for the final whistle Welding met Hartley’s corner with a thunderbolt of a header giving Springthorpe no chance and Tividale a share of the points.

FULL TIME Tividale 3-3 Whitchurch Alport

Tividale Team :- 1. Peter Hawk, 2. Hayden Reeves (16. TJ Munthali 80), 3. Brad Welding, 4. Luke Carter, 5. Ben Birch, 6. Matt Hunt, 7. Ryan Grosvenor (12. Tyree Clarke 59), 8. Liam Wilkinson (14. Curtis Cocking 59), 9. Dan Smith, 10. Jordan Edwards, 11. Elliott Hartley

Unused Subs :- 15. Alfie Bustin