Midland Football League
Premier Division
Saturday 26th September 2020
Coventry United 3-2 Tividale
Good Josh double sink Tivi

A trip to Coventry United is no easy awayday but again Tividale leave with a bagful of “if only’s” Once again manager Dave King can be proud of his team’s performance but has to be gutted with the result.

With the 2 matches a week workload catching up on the squad. Will Rawlins, Freddie Watts, Lewis McPike and Ryan Grosvenor returned in place of Joe Burroughs, Colum Nugent, Liam Wilkinson and Elliott Hartley from the side that played Nantwich on Tuesday night.

Tividale were quickly into their stride and in the 2nd minute Luke Carter had the first strike on goal but United keeper Reece Francis held it comfortably. But on 6 minutes they were ahead Dan Smith did well to hold off his marker, laid the ball into McPike who rolled the ball into the net.

In the 12th minute, Brad Welding then pounced on a misplaced pass drove forward but then fired a shot straight at Francis. Straight from Francis’s save United countered with their first attack. Kyle Carey racing into the Tividale penalty area before firing his shot against the outside of Adam Harrison’s post.

As Tividale pushed forward Welding had a free kick on the edge of the United area but again it went straight into Francis’s midriff.

On 22 minutes Francis produced a save that I doubt will be bettered in this league this season. Once again Smith held the ball up well on the right side of the United area and made space to get his shot off. There only seemed one place that he could aim for that was across Francis and into the far corner. Instead with Francis going one way, Smith hooked the ball toward his near top corner. With it looking a certain goal Francis somehow switched his weight to his other foot and pawed the ball away.

The save stirred the whole United side and on 33 minutes they were level. What looked a harsh free kick conceded by Tividale on the edge of their area. Up stepped United’s Josh O’Grady and he fired the free kick into the back of the Tividale net. On 40 minutes with their tales up Carey saw his shot beat away by Harrison.

Grosvenor then went close, his shot beating Francis but defender Lewis Isun cleared off the line. Francis then pulled off another brilliant save parrying away a Grosvenor effort. While at the other end first Carey was denied again by Harrison before the loose ball fell to O’Grady who volleyed just wide.

Half Time: Coventry United 1-1 Tividale

With just 3 minutes into the half Harrison had to scoop away a dangerous Carey cross and Tividale immediately countered with Grosvenor producing another Francis save.

This was now end to end stuff and United’s Chris Cox then brought a save from Harrison with 55 minutes on the clock. Two minutes later and Harrison turned a Carey effort away for a corner . From the corner Rawlins cleared an Isun header off the line.

On 65 minutes came possibly the second best save you will see all season. Carey collected a pass on the edge of the “D” and his shot was arrowing for the back of the net before Harrison touched it over. But the referee gave a goal kick to the astonishment of everyone in the stadium.

On 70 minutes the visitors had a great chance to retake the lead. A Welding free kick was met by Matt Hunt but his header was well saved by Francis

Two minutes later came O’Grady and United’s second. Tividale failed to clear and the home side won the ball back, the ball was worked inside to O’Grady and from 25 yards his shot beat Harrison.

Tividale kept battling away and on 88 minutes they had great chance to level the scores. Smith played in substitute Jack Bailey but again his turn and shot went straight at Francis. In the 90th minute United extended their lead. Welding failed to cut out a Carey pass to United substitute Rio Hutson, leaving Hutson one on one with Harrison and he beat the keeper at his near post.

In injury time to Tividale were awarded a penalty when Smith was brought down by United skipper Michael Quirke and Carter sent Francis the wrong way making it an uneasy couple of minutes for the home side. But they held out and took the 3 points.

Full Time: Coventry United 3-2 Tividale

Click for photos by Tividale FC

Midland Football League

Premier Division
Saturday 15th September 2020
Tividale 1-7 Stourport Swifts

Swifts go seven up

If it is at all possible, even after a result like this there are some plus points. First you appreciate it when you are on the other end. We remember beating Smethwick 11-0 a couple of seasons ago when like tonight everything just seemed to go in. We have a game on Saturday so no time to dwell on it and finally. Michal our videographer was ill for this game (not Covid related) and so it is not on video. So, every cloud has a silver lining.

On a serious note we give full credit to Stourport for taking their chances but on the whole, we were never 6 goals worse than Stourport, but we had two awful spells and then throw in a few terrible mistakes and there you go.

Our curse of central defenders continued with skipper Matt Hunt unavailable for this one, joining Dan Bryson and Freddie Watts. Manager Dave King had just Colum Nugent and an injured Jacob Barnes to call on. So started with a back four. Luke Carter came in for Matt Hunt as the only change from Saturday’s win at Market Drayton.

Tividale were two down after just 16 minutes. First a Mark Danks corner found an unmarked Aaron Brett at the far post and he did not have to move and just nodded the ball into the back of the net on 10 minutes. The second came after a Bailey Fuller run down the right wing beat the Tividale offside trap and his ball into the box was tapped home by an unmarked Jack Watts. A minute later and it could have been 3-0 as a Kirk Layton header was touched over the bar by Adam Harrison.

It was in the 20th minute that Tividale had their first goal threat but Ryan Grosvenor could only drag his shot wide. A minute later a Stourport cross-field ball found Harrison Yates, but his stinging drive was touched around the post by keeper Harrison.

Tividale again failed to find the breakthrough in the 24th minute when a Dan Smith shot was blocked and out for a corner by keeper Dominic Richards and from the resulting corner Grosvenor also had his shot blocked.  On 26 minutes Brad Welding then saw his free kick graze the side of the post.

On 32 minutes Watts who now was full of confidence tried to hook one over his shoulder but it cleared the bar. Then a couple of minutes later Fuller had all the time in the world to lay the ball back for Watts but Harrison saved his shot well with his legs.

Luke Carter who had now moved into a back three then released Elliott Hartley in the 38th minute with a lovely through ball, but Hartley was unable to hit the target with his shot and put it wide Richards’s far post. With Tividale finishing the game much stronger Smith sent an effort over the bar.