Midland Football League
Premier Division
Saturday 28th September 2019
Selston 1-1 Tividale

Stalemate in Selston

Tividale made the trip to Nottingham for our first ever game against Selston and while going into the lead with 4 minutes to go and ending up with a point is naturally disappointing. On the balance of play a share of the points was a fair result.

Manager Dave King shuffled his pack again recalling Matt Hunt to replace Lewis Probert who was unavailable, and Jacob Barnes and Tyree Clarke came in for the rested Freddie Watts and Dan Smith respectively. Otherwise it was the same side that did so well in the midweek cup win at AFC Wulfruniuns.

In a lively opening Darragh Bustin went through on goal after just 3 minutes but his shot lacked the power to cause home keeper Warren Squires any problems. Selston’s response was impressive when two minutes later Carl Moore bent his free kick around the wall and Tividale keeper Lewis Connor had to be at full stretch to turn the ball around the post. Brad Welding’s free kick into the home penalty area on 13 minutes fell nicely for Dan Bryson but his shot came back off the bar and Jake Webb stabbed the rebound wide.

Tividale were now slightly shading it and on 24 minutes Clarke could not keep his shot on target when Webb played him through. Yet in the remainder of the half it was Selston who had the best chance when Carl Moore played in his strike partner Chadd Wooton but while his shot across Connor gave the keeper no chance the ball went agonisingly past the keepers far post and out for a goal kick.

Half Time: Selston 0-0 Tividale

The second half did not have the early fireworks of the first as both defences comfortably dealt with both attacks and it was 59 minutes before the first second half chance came. Squires having to beat away Welding shot from distance. Then three minutes later home skipper Ben Moore forced Connor into a sharp save with a shot from the edge of the box. On 65 minutes Tividale gave away another foul on the edge of their box. Again up stepped Carl Moore but this time his effort struck the outside of Connors post.

There was then another spell of stalemate with neither side able to get a strangle hold. With 6 minutes to go Squires again did well to get his hands to a Bustin free kick and push the ball out for a corner.

With time running out and a 0-0 draw on the cards, Tividale went ahead. An 86th minute Liam Wilkinson free kick to the Selston back post was headed back across goal by Hunt and substitute Smith was “Johnny on the Spot” to nod the ball past Squires.

Conceding that late must have been a body blow to Selston but with nothing to lose they just threw everything at the visitors and with the game moving into injury time. Tividale failed to clear their lines and Carl Moore nodded down a ball into the box for Henry Brookes and his clean strike flew into Connor’s bottom left hand corner via the upright. earning the home side a share of the points

Tividale:- 1. Louis Connor, 2. Tom Hurdman, 3. Jacob Barnes, 4. Dan Bryson, 5. Luke Carter (14. Freddie Watts 88), 6. Matt Hunt, 7. Jake Webb (12, Dan Smith 66), 8. Liam Wilkinson, 9. Tyree Clarke (16. Kyle Bramley 78), 10. Darragh Bustin, 11. Brad Welding.

Unused Subs:- 15. Cameron Milne, 19. Luke Brookes

 

Midland Football League
Premier Division
Saturday 21st September 2019
Tividale 3-1 Highgate United

Tividale again leave Gate, high and dry

Tivi went out for their game against bottom-half strugglers Highgate United looking to avenge our FA Vase exit to Droitwich Spa the previous week.

There were certainly signs of promise early on, with Jake Webb hitting a half-volley early on that sailed wide. Highgate then had a soft penalty appeal, but it was the tackle on Tyree Clarke up the other end on 21 minutes that warranted a penalty, but none was taken. Lewis Probert then hit a shot which went straight at the keeper. Tivi then made a breakthrough, through Dan Smith when he shot from a near impossible angle to beat the Highgate keeper and put Tivi 1 up.

The lead then doubled when Luke Carter hit a Michael Kightly-esque free kick from around 25 yards out.

And that led us out of the first half and into the second and

Half Time: Tividale 2-0 Highgate United

It was a full 6 minutes until we saw another goal, but unfortunately it was for our visitors after Jacob Barnes pulled off what we assumed was a last-ditch, perfectly normal tackle, but the referee pointed to the penalty spot and it was up to former Rushall man Lei Brown to put Highgate back in the contest. Although that optimism didn’t last long as Brad Welding delivered the most sweetest of shots into the bottom corner with his right, yes right, foot to put Tivi 3-1 up.

The game petered out from then but apart from Darragh Bustin going close late on in his 150^th appearance, that was pretty much all.

Full Time: Tividale 3-1 Highgate United

Tividale:- 1. Louis Connor, 2. Tom Hurdman, 3. Lewis Probert, 4. Jacob Barnes, 5. Dan Smith (12. Freddie Watts 69), 6. Luke Carter, 7. Jake Webb, 8. Liam Wilkinson, 9. Tyree Clarke (14. Kyle Bramley 79), 10. Darragh Bustin, 11. Brad Welding (12. Emile Beckford 47)

Unused Subs:- 15. Emile Beckford, 16. Jack Mills, 17. Cameron Milne

Midland Football League
Premier Division
Saturday 7th September 2019
Long Eaton United 3-0 Tividale

Long journey home after this defeat

I think this defeat was the one that stated that the honeymoon period in the MFL is now over and we will have to go to places like Long Eaton and match them all over the park or there will be more afternoon’s like this one.

Manger Dave King made just the one change from the side that won at Stafford Town a week a go in the FA Vase. Skipper Dan Bryson replacing Matt Hunt in the heart of the defence. Darragh Bustin had the first shot on goal in the 5th minute but his effort was comfortably saved by Long Eaton keeper Jason White.

A couple of minutes later was the first sign of things to come and the heart of Tividale’s problems. Long Eaton won a throw in from a good 40 yards out and up stepped Kieran Walker and his long throw into the penalty area was met by fellow centre back Mason Rowley but his shot was blocked on the line. On 11 minutes Tividale keeper Louis Connor did well to keep out a James Cullingworth shot. Then after 16 minutes Rhys Dolan met a Jude Brittain cross but failed to hit the target,

Tividale’s Brad Welding had the next chance, a half chance blocked at the cost of a corner and White did well to tip a Bustin effort over the bar on 33 minutes. All the time though whenever Long Eaton had a throw in the Tividale half Walker was causing chaos in the Tividale penalty area but somehow Tividale were able to clear. Dolan though should have put Long Easton ahead in the 44th minute but he blazed his chance over Connors bar.

Half Time: Long Eaton United 0-0 Tividale

Forward Dale Kolodynski saw his shot cleared off the line following another Walker throw in the 49th minute and he then volleyed wide a through ball on 51 minutes. Five minutes later though, another long throw and this time Long Easton did not waste the chance with Niall Towle finding the back of the net after Tividale failed to clear. Dan Smith then had a chance in the 61st minute but with the angle too acute for a shot on target he tried to find Tyree Clarke but the pass did not get to him and Long Eaton cleared the danger. Connor then denied Rowley with a fine save after the centre back powered goalward a Ryan Head free kick. On 64 minutes Long Eaton doubled their lead. After some good work from Kolodynski he then played in Towle who finished well for his second also.

The closest Tividale got in the second half was a Lewis Probert effort on 70 minutes that came back off the cross bar. On 75 minutes it was game over when Kolodynski stabbed the ball home with the Tividale defence appealing in vain for offside. Bustin was put through In the 77th minute but his lob cleared White but also his cross bar. Dolan then brought out a brilliant save from Connor in the 83rd minute.

Tividale did have the last chance of the game when Luke Carter lofted the ball over White in the dying seconds but due to the lack of power on his effort White was able to get back and collect the ball before it reached the net.

Full Time: Long Eaton United 3-0 Tividale

Tividale:- 1. Louis Connor, 2. Tom Hurdman, 3. Lewis Probert, 4. Dan Bryson, 5.Freddie Watts, 6. Luke Carter, 7. Darragh Bustin, 8. Liam Wilkinson, 9. Dan Smith (12. Emile Beckford 76), 10. Tyree Clarke (14. Matt Hunt 66) , 11. Brad Welding (15. Jake Webb 70)

Unused Sub: 14. Kyle Bramley

Midland Football League
Premier Division
Monday 26th August 2019
Tividale 2-1 Lye Town

Tividale will not Lye down

Saturday’s Emirates sponsored FA Cup defeat was a hard one to take as we certainly did not think the scoreline reflected the game. Yes Chasetown were clinical in front of goal, especially in those first 18 minutes but they were never 5 goals better than us.Still the good thing was that we only had 48 hours to ponder on it it as we had a local derby against Lye Town on the horizon. We thought the weather on Saturday against Chasetown was hot, well today had to be at least a couple of degrees warmer as kick off time approached at The Beeches.

Manager Dave King again shuffled his pack and reverted to a 4-3-3 formation. In came Louis Connor in goal for the unavailable Ryan Cheshire. Lewis Probert back in at left back so Brad Welding was pushed forward to replace the holidaymaking Jake Webb. Freddie Watts came into the holding midfield position in place of Jacob Barnes and Tom Garratt who limped off with a hamstring injury on Saturday was replaced by Tyree Clarke

Tividale have had a couple of slow starts lately but nothing compared to the start of this game. From a Lye kick off, the ball was played deep to the edge of the Tividale area. It all looked to be under control as Dan Bryson met the ball and looked too calmly glance the ball back to Connor in goal. Trouble was Connor had also come out to collect the ball and you guessed it the ball bounced past him and agonisingly trickled into the net. The time on the clock was 8 seconds!!

As expected Tividale came roaring back and a Welding corner on 5 minutes was headed wide by Liam Wilkinson. Then another Welding corner four minutes later was stabbed wide by Matt Hunt. Lye will feel aggrieved that they did not get a penalty when Till went down under a Bryson challenge but referee James Lunn waived play on although Tividale felt that they should have been awarded one a few minutes earlier when Darragh Bustin went down.

Clarke absolutely put his laces through a shot in the 15th minute but Lye defender Jean Kalenda threw his body on the line to block the shot. Bustin had a shot well saved by Lye keeper Ben Newey on 28 minutes. Till had Lye’s first actual shot on target when he forced Connor into a save on 32nd minute. Two minutes later and Clarke chipped Newey when he was put through from Welding but it bounced wide off the post. With 5 minutes to the half time break, Bustin again had Newey scrambling to clear his shot as Tividale went all out for the equaliser.

Half Time: Tividale 0-1 Lye Town

With the amount of chances that Tividale had to draw level in the first half. It was no surprise that the first of the second half chances came in the 2nd minute of the second period. Curtis Cocking made a darting run into the box and was brought down as he tried to lay off the ball. With three penalties missed already this season there was a lot of looking through fingers amongst the Tividale faithful but Bustin made no mistake, hammering the ball past Newey.

Lye had a great chance on 58 minutes when some neat Sammy Prince footwork took him into the area but the angle was to acute and he shot wide. Welding then had Newey flapping when he fired in a free kick that the keeper should have taken comfortably but he misjudged it. It broke through his hands and he was lucky that no one got a touch on it and it went out for a corner. But he did much better with a 74th minute Bustin free kick taking it on the bounce in front of him..

Newey was incredibly brave in the 77th minute when he dived down to collect a Welding cross with a number of boots flying in around his head. But he could do nothing a couple of minutes later. Another Welding cross was met at the back post by Liam Wilkinson who headed down for Emile Beckford to sweep the ball home. Tividale should have extended their lead with 5 minutes left but Lye defender Joel Whittingham denied Bustin with a great last ditch tackle. Then Welding had a shot beat away by Newey.

Lye had a chance to grab a point with the final chance of the game but Ryan Bridgewater’s free kick failed to trouble Connor as he fielded the ball comfortably. Tividale then just kept possession and ran the clock down to earn the three points,

Full Time: Tividale 2-1 Lye Town