Midland Football League
Premier Division
Tuesday 20th August 2019
Tividale 2-2 Haughmond

Nothing Mondane about this thriller

There is not many times that when you speak to both managers after a draw they both feel they have dropped two points. But this was one of them.

With top goalscorer Dan Smith absent, Manager Dave King gave Emile Beckford his first start in an otherwise unchanged side that beat Gresley at the weekend.

Haughmond were absolutely brilliant from the off as Tividale could get nowhere near them in the first 10 minutes and they should have been ahead after 5 minutes when Joe Parry broke through the Tividale back line but was thwarted by a great Lewis Probert block. The reprieve only lasted another 4 minutes when from a Haughmond free kick Ryan Cheshire blocked a point blank Joe Parry header, but Parry reacted first to the rebound and stabbed the ball home. A minutes later and the visitors were through again but after a neat back heal by Jack Leask into the Jordan Davies the midfielder fired over. This was now threatening to be a repeat of the 4-0 drubbing Haughmond gave Tividale here last season as they seemed to cut through the Tividale back line at will.

It was 17 minutes into the game before Tividale first threatened as Beckford headed over a Jake Webb cross although he was flagged offside. Then on 24 minutes Webb found Darragh Bustin but he fired over. Tividale were now making a game of it and looked to have ridden the storm. But on 33 minutes a minute after Tividale had cleared another Haughmond attack Davies picked his way into shooting range and put the ball into the bottom right hand corner of Cheshire’s net. Tividale immediately went on the attack and a Webb volley was beaten away by Haughmond keeper Oliver Hawkins.

With half time approaching Welding again beat his marker and his low cross was turned home by Beckford at the near post at the second attempt. In the second minute of first half injury time and against all the odds Tividale could have actually gone in level. Welding was brought down in the box and Bustin stepped up to take the penalty and Hawkins saved it.

Half Time: Tividale 1-2 Haughmond

Haughmond started the second period on the front foot and Cheshire had to be at his best to deny Haughmond striker Steve Hole. A minute later and Leask somehow got back to deny Welding as he homed in on the Haughmond goal. Leask then threatened at the other end on 51 minutes but he shot wide after some good Haughmond possession. Typical of this end to end game a minute later and Tividale were level Bustin tried a speculative shot from the edge of the box and it somehow squirmed under Hawkins and into the net.

Probert headed a Webb free kick just wide after 56 minutes. Cheshire was again equal to a Haughmond effort on 58 minutes and then 4 minutes later a Bustin free kick hit the bar and went over. Tividale were now looking like the team more likely to take the points. On 65 minutes Beckford was put through but he was unable to keep down his shot and it cleared Hawkins’s bar. Three minutes later and a Welding free kick produced an excellent save from Hawkins.

With the game now going into the final few minutes Beckford headed wide from a Probert cross with what was his last offering of the game. With 3 minutes to go his replacement Tyree Clarke was unceremoniously upended by Hawkins as he went through resulting in another Tividale penalty. This time it was Clarke himself who lined up the spot kick but the result was the same as the one at the end of the first half with Hawkins producing another fine save to thwart Clarke.

In the end Haughmond will feel that after their first half dominance to lose a two goal lead will be disappointing. While Tividale will feel that with all their chances in the second half and two penalty misses. All three points were there for the taking.

Full Time: Tividale 2-2 Haughmond

Midland Football League
Premier Division
Saturday 17th August 2019
Gresley 1-3 Tividale

Gresley Grilled

Not many teams will go to The Moat Ground this season and dominate for as much as Tividale did in this game. Apart from a spell in the second half after Tividale gave away their now customary penalty. The home side were second best all over the park

With Luke Carter returning after the birth of his son last weekend. Manager Dave King was able to revert back to the back four that started the first two league games of the season. Due to Curtis Cocking serving the second of his 3 game ban and Harvey Walker injured. Darragh Bustin fresh from his two week holiday and missing the start of the season was drafted straight into midfield for his first game of the season.

The first few minutes was hair raising stuff as both teams went at it at full throttle with some fierce challenges. Tividale had the first chance as Jake Webb found Brad Welding with a telling ball and home keeper Ben Allsop made a stunning save to turn Welding’s shot over the bar.

On 24 minutes Gresley had their first chance when an Adrian Westwood shot fizzed over Ryan Cheshire’s bar. Tividale took the lead on 25 minutes when Lewis Probert won the ball for Tividale on the half way line drove to the edge of the Gresley area played the ball square into Bustin who absolutely lashed the ball past Allsop and into the back of the net.

Gresley striker Mark Potts had a chance to level the score when he was sent through from a Gresley lump forward a minute after going behind but he fired across Cheshire and past the keepers far post. On the half hour Gresley had another chance Tividale only half cleared a corner, the ball was pumped back in but Cheshire cleared literally off the foot of Gresley’s David Leak and from the resulting corner Albert Lansdowne headed wide. Tividale had one last chance in the half when Allsop did well to push over a Bustin free kick.

Half Time: Gresley 0-1 Tividale

The second half was only 9 minutes old when Tividale doubled their lead. A Welding corner was cleared straight back to him and his second attempt found Bustin at the back post and he buried his header into the Gresley net. Tividale should now have been in cruise control but for the third time in their first four games of the season, Tividale gave away a penalty and this had to be the softest of the lot. On 57 minutes Potts went down from an innocuous challenge from Dan Bryson and a spot kick was awarded. Jordan Fitzpatrick stepped up and despite Cheshire getting his hand to it he could not prevent the ball going in.

Gresley then had possibly their best spell of the game but as they pushed forward looking for the equaliser a compact Tividale defence and midfield made it difficult for the home side to break them down and with Welding, Webb and Dan Smith always looking dangerous on the break, conceding again was always going to be a possibility. On 62 minutes Carter shot straight at Allsop. Then on 67 minutes Allsop beat away a Bustin free kick. A minute later and Gresley had their best chance of the spell. A Fitzpatrick corner somehow landed in front of Leak a couple of yards out from Cheshire’s goal but he put the ball wide.

With 14 minutes to go Tividale should have put the game to bed when substitute Tyree Clarke (who had replaced Bustin a minute earlier) found Smith with a neat through ball but the forward fired wide. That was soon forgotten as a minute later Clarke played the ball out to Webb who beat his man down the right before crossing for Smith to head home. Gresley had one last chance when impressive substitute Devante Reitte went on another of his runs but he shot wide

Full Time: Gresley 1-3 Tividale

Midland Football League
Premier Division
Wednesday 7th August 2019
Tividale 2-0 AFC Wulfruniuns

Off and Running

Tividale got their MFL Premier campaign off and running with the sort of hardworking performance that will be required every time they take the field this season.

Apart from Ryan Cheshire replacing Reiss Jeavons in goal. Manager Dave King started with the same team and 4-3-3 formation that was unlucky not to get anything from the game on Saturday. But their was changes on the bench with Mat Hunt, Tyree Clarke and Cameron Milne in place of Jacob Barnes, Louis Connor and Emile Beckford.

Tividale had the first chance of the game after just 3 minutes when AFC keeper Tom Turner could only punch away for a corner a dipping Brad Welding free kick. On 12 minutes Welding had another opportunity when Tom Hurdman found him with a 60 yard pass but the young wingback fired into the side netting. AFC had a golden chance to go in front when a cross found Ashley Evans unmarked at the far post but he shot into the side netting. Hurdman was the architect of another Tividale chance when his pass found Jake Webb who also failed to hit the target.

AFC were then denied by two spectacular Cheshire saves on the half hour. First he beat away a pile driver from the edge of the area. AFC kept the ball alive and a cross found Evans but his shot was tipped over the bar by Cheshire. On 42 minutes an Angelo Franco free kick fizzed over Cheshire’s cross bar.

As the half ended Welding had two great chaces to draw first blood. First he met Webb’s right wing cross on the half volley but again drilled it wide. Then Turner had to be at full stretch to palm his free kick over the bar.

Half Time: Tividale 0-0 AFC Wulfruniuns

6 minutes into the second half and referee Ryan McilRavey rolled his ankle and had to be replaced by his assistant Michael Slater and a referee in the stands stepped in to replace Mr Slater. This meant about 10 minutes of injury time at the end of the game.

4 minutes later and Tividale scored their first goal of the new campaign. If you was there on Saturday you would have had your face in your hands. On Saturday Brad Welding hit a beautiful cross Dan Smith rose and as we were about to cheer a goal he somehow got it all wrong and cleared it like a seasoned defender. This time though he gave Turner no chance with a bullet of a header from Welding’s brilliant cross.

AFC had to go for it and they were close with another strike from distance that whistled over Cheshire’s cross bar. The game could have ended with any of three results as AFC pressed but Tividale were restricting them to long range pot shots. Then on 68 minutes Tividale were given clear water. AFC centre half James Hill got the ball caught under his foot, Smith nipped in took it off him and slammed the ball under Turner.

Tividale managed the rest of the game and despite some AFC pressure near the end ran out comfortable winners. Tividale even had a goalden opportunity to add a third when Smith cashed in on another AFC mistake. rounded Turner but was denied by an excellent Sam Mills tackle

Full Time: Tividale 2-0 AFC Wulfruniuns

Photo by 353 Photography