Midland Football League

Premier Division
Saturday 24th October 2020
AFC Wulfruniuns 1-1 Tividale

One each, point each

Tividale arrived at AFC Wulfruniun’s CKW stadium with both clubs on a decent run of form after indifferent starts. The home side unbeaten in 6 and the visitors unbeaten in 4 and after 96 minutes both records remained intact.

Tividale went into the game without the midweeks hat trick hero Adam Garmson. Garmson was serving the first of his 3-game suspension. So, manager Dave King had to have another change around. 

In came Brad Welding at left wing back, Elliott Hartley pushed into a forward role and young Ryan Grosvenor replaced the rested Lewis McPike in midfield.

Praise had to be handed to both sets of players, because even though the game was played in driving rain and a gale force wind both teams put on a decent show.

Wulf’s where by far the better side in the first period and dominated the early period. Their first chance came after just 5 minutes when Adam Harrison saved a Matthew Johnson header. A spell of sustained pressure by the hosts should have been rewarded when on 11 minutes a Johnson cross was headed over by Adam Meacham. Three minutes later Dominic Dell fired over the bar and then on 17 minutes he hit one straight at Harrison.

Although Tividale seemed to weather the initial storm (pardon the pun) they still could not muster a decent threat on the Wulf’s goal. And on 32 minutes the home side went close again when a Jack Till header was saved by Harrison. Then a minute later a Jack Downing effort cleared the bar.

Tividale’s first attempt on goal came 5 minutes before the break when a Will Rawlins cross field ball found Welding but he shot wide.  

 Half Time: AFC Wulfrunians 0-0 Tividale

Tividale made a change at half time with Lewis McPike replacing the injured Welding. Hartley moved into Welding’s position and McPike joined Dan Smith. With no let up in the weather they started much better in the second period but while they had tightened up at the back, they still could not exert any pressure on the Wulf’s defence. and it was Wulf’s who threatened again after 52 minutes when Dell headed a Till cross wide. 5 minutes later and the home side had their best chance to go ahead. A Tividale headed clearance to the edge of the area found Till, he laid the ball of to Tom Poole and his shot was arrowing into the bottom left-hand corner before Harrison dived down to turn the ball around the post.

On 62 minutes a Grosvenor free kick was met by Luke Carter but his header was punched clear by Wulf’s keeper Tom Hayward. Two minutes later and Tividale were awarded a penalty when Ben Jevons brought down Smith in the area. Carter stepped up and sent Hayward the wrong way with the spot kick to put the visitors ahead.

The goal was the spark that Tividale needed as they were now the team on the ascendancy and looked like they would extend their lead. On 70 minutes, a great passing move involving Carter, McPike and Hartley ended with the latter having a shot well saved by Hayward.

As the game moved into the final 10 minutes Wulf’s stepped up the pressure and on 81 minutes Aaron Bishop was played in one on one with the Harrison but the substitute blazed over from the edge of the box. 

As the game moved into an amazing 6th minute of injury time Wulf’s Meacham and Tividale’s Matt Hunt collided in the Tividale area and although it looked like Hunt really had nowhere to go. Referee Mr Sudbury pointed to the spot.. Downing stepped up and smashed the ball under Harrison and into the net.

Full Time: AFC Wulfrunians 1-1 Tividale

The teamsheet for this game can be downloaded HERE

Midland Football League

Premier Division
Tuesday 20th October 2020
Tividale 4-1 Haughmond

 Tividale Haugh’nt The Mond

It’s been a tough start to the season and on Saturday these lads will have played an amazing 16 games in 54 days. So, the 2-week rest after this Saturday’s game at AFC Wulfruniuns will be most welcome to all those carrying injuries and tired legs. On the other hand, it’s been a long time since Tividale had eight days like this and I am sure some of us just don’t want a break.

On the other hand, our visitors Haughmond were coming to us on the back of a horror run. But we have learned over the years that form at this level means nothing and having played them regularly over the last few years we know they are in a false league position.

Tividale went into this game with the one change from Saturday’s starting eleven. Elliott Hartley replacing Brad Welding at left wing back who had work commitments.

The game started as expected with both sides looking to stamp their authority on the it and Haughmond posed the first threat in the first minute when Scott Ryan tried an effort that just went wide of the upright.

On 6 minutes a Lewis McPike free kick was headed wide by Joe Hawkins. Then in the 17th minute a neat reverse pass from Adam Garmson found Hartley in the penalty area and Haughmond defender Jordan Broome in trying to clear the ball, brought Hartley down. Luke Carter stepped up and drove the ball into the bottom left-hand corner and although Haughmond keeper Sam Jones guessed the right way, he could not get a hand to it.

On 20 minutes Hartley was again brought down on the edge of the box. McPike took the free kick forcing a parry from Jones but Dan Smith could not keep the rebound down and fired it over the bar.

Haughmond’s Jack Parry should have cashed in on some defensive indecision after 27 minutes but struck his shot wide. And then he was foiled on the half hour by a tremendous Jacob Barnes block on the penalty spot.

Tividale as usual against Haughmond was having trouble with the Carl Rogers long throw and on 39 minutes one of them found its way to the back post but Callum Bennett with an open goal at his mercy headed the ball wide.

Haughmond were still in the game and a minute before the break were in with another chance but Louis Irvine although through on goal his shot lacked any power and Harrison collected comfortably.

Half Time: Tividale 1-0 Haughmond

Tividale had to make a change within 4 minutes of the second half when Smith could not run off an earlier injury and was replaced by Ryan Grosvenor. And 2 minutes later on 51 minutes Haughmond were level.  Another Rogers missile of a throw was initially dealt with but the clearance went back to the thrower and his cross was not dealt with and Haughmond skipper Jack Griffiths was there to turn the ball home.

Hartley had been on the receiving end of some hefty and not always legal challenges. The majority by Haughmond full back Adam Knott and after he received a final warning after an earlier booking, he was replaced by Dan Walker on 70 minutes.

A minute later and after another poor Tividale clearance Scott Ryan got hold of the ball but Harrison was equal to his shot and pushed it out for a corner that Tividale cleared.

On 73 minutes Garmson whipped a cross to the back post but Will Rawlins just failed to get something on it. With 76 minutes gone Grosvenor was brought down on the edge of the box. Garmson stepped up and placed the ball into the bottom right-hand corner.

Two minutes later it was 3-1. Walker was having as much success as the man he replaced with Hartley. The winger skipped past his challenge and found an unmarked Garmson at the back post to stroke the ball home.

Haughmond were still creating chances and on 84 minutes Ryan had an excellent volley saved by Harrison. A minute later and it was the turn of our Youth Team’s 16-year-old Alfie Watts to skip down Tividale’s left and his cross was met by Garmson but Jones was equal to his shot and cleared by a defender.

Tividale were still causing all sorts of problems down the Haughmond right and on 90 minutes they were successful again. This time it was Grosvenor who beat Walker and got to the touch line before cutting the ball back to Garmson to smash it past Jones at his near post and into the back of the net for his hat trick.

Haughmond almost conceded a 5th deep into injury time when another Grosvenor right wing cross looked to be comfortably dealt with by Haughmond’s Matt Fletcher. But instead of putting it out for a corner he miscued the clearance sending it goal wards and Jones did well to slide across his goal line and kick the ball clear.

Full Time: Tividale 4-1 Haughmond

Midland Football League

Premier Division
Saturday 17th October 2020
Heather St John 0-2 Tividale

Heather Harried to Defeat

For one of the few times this season Tividale put together excellent back to back performances and got their just rewards.

Following on from the beating they gave Boldmere in the week. They harried and pressed Heather into submission and came away from the picturesque St John’s Ground with 3 valuable points.

The defensive injury curse continued with Tom Hurdman not recovering from the hamstring pull that saw him replaced on Tuesday night. But Jacob Barnes who came off the bench and replaced him was deemed fit enough to start in this one. So that was the only change from the mid-week win.

Both sides started the game very tentatively. With Heather having a lot of the ball but not really causing Tividale any problems and were prone to overplay and lose the ball in dangerous positions but Tividale themselves could not make them pay.

The first shot in anger came in the 18th minute when Cameron Collins tried a shot from well outside the area that Tividale keeper Adam Harrison had no problems with.

In Tividale’s first sortie on 20 minutes Adam Garmson found Dan Smith with a neat pass. He went down under a challenge from Jack Dance on the edge of the box. Smith and a number of the Tividale players appealed for a penalty but referee Benjamin Stott waived play on

Heather’s Edilson Panzo-Antonio then tried his luck from around the same distance as Collins’s effort 4 minutes later with the same result.

in the 26th minute Luke Carter hit the perfect chip over the head of Heather centre back Joe McNulty and into the path of Smith but he tried a first-time volley when he had more time than he realised and Heather keeper James Beeson saved it.

Beeson had to be alert when from a poor clearance on 29 minutes Garmson put the cross in that Dance toe poked for a corner with Smith ready to pounce. But there was no reprieve a minute later on the half hour when Carter found Garmson with a cross field ball out on the left wing and his cross was met by Smith who out jumped Dance and he gave Beeson no chance with a thumping header to put the visitors 1-0 up.

Tividale then allowed Heather right back Chris Hayden way too much room a minute before the break but he also tried a shot from distance but once again Harrison fielded the shot comfortably.

Half Time: Heather St John 0-1 Tividale

Heather had the first chance of the second period on 47 minutes when Jake McLeary failed to get an Antonio cross on target. 5 minutes later and they should have equalised when from a Mitchell Mollison cross Harrison did well to turn away a Daniel Hanson shot but it fell at the feet of Collins but he blasted his shot wide.

Tividale doubled their lead on 67 minutes with a goal that summed up their play all afternoon. it started with a back pass to Besson that Elliott Hartley immediately ran to close down the keeper’s clearance. This forced Beeson to play a ball to his full back Yahiya Todd who himself was under pressure from Garmson. This forced the error with Todd’s attempted pass up field being intercepted by Garmson and the striker blasted the ball past Beeson and into the far bottom corner from 8 yards out.

Eight minutes after the goal, Tividale were down to 10 men when after taking a few petty kicks around his ankles Garmson flicked his leg out at a defender and although he did not connect the referee saw intent and showed the striker a straight red.

Even with the man advantage for the last 15 minutes Heather never really caused the visitors many problems and Tividale closed out the game and earned another clean sheet.

Full Time: Heather St John 0-2 Tividale