Competition: Midland Football League Cup
Tividale vs Highgate United
Midland Football League Cup
4th Round
Saturday 13th January 2024
Tividale 0-4 Highgate United
Second Best
Tividale’s slump continued with another disappointing defeat, this time in the league cup and at the hands of high flying Highgate United.
Due to both club’s going out of the FA Vase in the previous round, both had a free Saturday and so this game was arranged, which was unusual for a cup fixture normally played in mid-week.
As with all their cup games manager Stuart How made a swarth of changes, actually 8 in total for this game with Tim Beech, James Douglas, Arman Khoshkhoo, Kamol Campbell, Cody Mullan, Ryan Snape, Max Morris, and Lewis Taylor-Boyce replacing Louis Connor, Callum Gillies, Jakob Burroughs, Joe Burroughs, Taylor Townsend, Jack Till, Lewis Wright, and Ewan Edwards
Highgate were literally on top from the 1st to the 90th minute in this game and could have gone ahead as early as the 5th minute when a long throw was not dealt with by the Tividale defence and Douglas had to clear the ball off the line. But there again Tividale could have gone ahead in the 9th minute when a poor defensive pass allowed Khoshkhoo in and he played the ball into Snape, but Highgate keeper Reece Francis spotted the danger and was quickly out to stop Snape’s shot with his legs.
Highgate continued to press and may feel they should have done better in the 12th minute when a James Wilcock cross was met by Connor Mooney, but his header was straight at Beech who took it comfortably.
It was on the half hour when the next chance came, and it was a rare one to the home side when a Morris shot was deflected wide of Francis’s post. Highgate then deservedly took the lead 3 minutes later when a mishit Zac Kourouyianni pass fell to Mooney, who in turn played the ball into Basset Mandey who’s shot beat Beech from 5 yards out.
Khoshkhoo tried his luck from distance in the 41st minute but it was deflected wide for a corner, but it was the visitors that finished the half the strongest when they had two great chances in the last 5 minutes of the half. First when Nehemia Zazi just failed to get on the end of a Wilcock cross and then Liam Cairns headed over a Kartel O’Neil-Martin corner.
Half Time:- Tividale 0-1 Highgate United
Tividale could have gone two nil down in the 48th minute, when somehow, they survived a period when the ball was flashing around the home area like a pin ball, but Tividale cleared the ball in the end. In the 53rd minute the visitors were 2-0 up when another long throw was again not dealt with, and the ball came out to O’Neil-Martin who fired home.
Dom Dell had a chance to cut the deficit in the 61st minute when Francis parried his original shot, but he put the rebound wide. On 67 minutes it was back to Highgate with the chance, after a neat Mandey pass to substitute Tom Cole but Cole fired over.
With 15 minutes to go the game was over as a contest when Aaron Williams cut through the Tividale defence, picked his spot, and fired past Beech to make it 3-0. With 85 minutes on the clock another sweeping Highgate move ended with Josh O’Grady skimming the crossbar.
As the game moved into second half injury time on 91 minutes Jake Collins was adjudged to have been brought down in the area and it was Collin’s himself who stepped up and beat Beech from the spot. This put an end to the misery for Tividale.
To be brutally honest the majority of the replacements in this game have done their cause of getting into the starting lineup of the next game no good at all with this display.
Tividale:- 1. Tim Beech, 2. Zac Kourouyianni, 5. Joe Hawkins, 9. Dominic Dell, 10. James Douglas, 11. Arman Khoshkhoo (8. Nashawn Blake 61), 12. Kamol Campbell (3.Callum Gillies 69), 14. Cody Mullan (7. Taylor Townsend 69), 15. Ryan Snape, 16. Max Morris (4. Malcolm Melvin 61), 19. Lewis Taylor-Boyce (6. Joe Burroughs 53),
Unused Subs:- None
Tividale vs Bewdley Town
Midland Football League Cup
3nd Round
Tuesday 21st November 2023
Tividale 4-0 Bewdley Town
Tividale cruise into next round
On the back of four cup wins on the trot and due to another weekend league postponement, we were back again on the cup trail. This time a league cup game against Bewdley Town and also a chance to put right our worst performance so far this season, the 4-1 defeat by them back in August.
Once again, the game was a great chance for Stuart to rest a few and bring in a few recovering from injuries. And so, Tim Beech was back between the sticks, his first appearance since the 4-0 win and his dismissal at Stourport in the previous round. Also, back into the line up was Cameron East, Joe Hawkins, Max Morris, and Lewis Taylor-Boyce. While on the bench was the returning James Douglas. Nashawn Blake was also due to make his comeback in this game after injury, but he broke down in the warm up and was withdrawn.
Tividale were immediately straight at the visitors and after two Taylor Townsend corners that were cleared by the Bewdley defence. His third found Joe Hawkins at the back post who headed home on 8 minutes. After more home side pressure, they deservedly went two ahead when Townsend turned from provider to goal scorer with a 24th minute scissor kick that gave Bewdley keeper Charlie Jew no chance. Callum Gillies nearly opened his Tividale goalscoring account, but Jew denied him with a fine save after the left back’s run and shot and then on 26 minutes Ewan Edwards shot wide.
It was the 30th minute before Bewdley had a chance of any note when their skipper Courtney Walsh found Craig Chirata with an excellent pass, but the forward shot wide. Two minutes later it was 3-0 when a Lewis Wright shot, deflected past Jew.
A Townsend free kick and two efforts from the Bewdley pair of Richards and Emmanuel Olaloko all failed to hit the target and as the game went into first half injury time again Jew saved, this time from Lewis Taylor-Boyce
Half Time:- Tividale 3-0 Bewdley Town
Bewdley got off to the worst possible start within 2 minutes of the second period when a Townsend corner was turned into their own goal by a Bewdley defender.
Credit to Bewdley even at 4-0 down they were willing to have a go and, on another night, may have got on the score sheet. A 50th minute free kick from Jack Ricketts was comfortably taken by Beech.
Wright had a chance of his second of the game when from a Townsend corner he could only lift the ball over the bar. Cody Mullan then shot wide for Tividale as they looked for a 5th and a Cain Smith cross across the face of the Bewdley goal only needed a touch, but it went beyond everyone.
Bewdley had their next decent chance with 8 minutes to go when Olaloko shot wide and in the 85th minute his shot was parried by Beech who claimed it at the 2nd attempt.
Full Time:- Tividale 4-0 Bewdley Town
Tividale: – 13. Tim Beech, 2.Cameron East, 3. Callum Gillies, 5. Joe Hawkins, 6. Joe Burroughs, 7. Taylor Townsend (8, Cain Smith 57), 11. Lewis Wright (10. James Douglas 57), 14. Cody Mullan (4, Jakob Burroughs 68), 16. Max Morris, 17. Ewan Edwards, 19. Lewis Taylor-Boyce (9. Dominic Dell 57)
Unused Subs: – None