Midland Football League

Premier Division
Saturday 19th September 2020
Newark 2-0 Tividale

Westcarr the Newsance

Tividale travelled to Newark for the first time in their history. Coming on the back of not the greatest of showings in midweek it may not be the best place to put right a poor performance. But once again this squad put it all behind them and as good as Newark are, Tividale made a game of it.

Tividale welcomed the return of skipper Matt Hunt but were dealt the blow of the loss due to injury of his defensive partner Jacob Barnes. Manager Dave King brought in season’s debutante due also to injury Joe Burroughs to replace Barnes and rested Ryan Grosvenor who was on the bench.

As predicted the home side were immediately on the front foot and Ben Hutchinson produced a save from Adam Harrison after just 4 minutes. 15 minutes later on 19 minutes and Hutchinson’s strike partner Craig Westcarr was through on goal but he put his shot wide. Two minutes later and the journeyman Westcarr made no mistake with his second chance pouncing on a through ball and lashing the ball past Harrison and into the back of the net.

The visitors nearly responded in the best possible way on 26 minutes but Hunt headed a Brad Welding corner over the bar. Westcarr should have doubled Newark’s lead in the 28th minute but he blasted over from 10 yards.

At the other end Newark keeper Jason White pulled off a brilliant save when a Dan Smith cross was met on the volley by Welding at the back post but White was equal to it, blocking his shot with his legs. Smith then got an Elliott Hartley cross all wrong and was well wide of White’s goal with his header.

Newark ended the half with a couple of efforts from Liam King and Tom Potts that both cleared Harrison’s bar.

Half Time: Newark 1-0 Tividale

Within 3 minutes of the re start. Curtis Cocking who had been carrying a knock from the first half succumbed to the injury and was replaced by Grosvenor.

On 52 minutes the dangerous Westcarr again got his head to a Potts cross but headed wide. On the hour Newark got their second. A Westcarr corner was met by Kevin Bastos who nipped in just before a committed Harrison and headed home.

In the 76th minute Newark keeper White then had to produce another fine save when Newark’s substitute full back Jahren Barrow’s back header caught him off his line but he did brilliantly to back pedal and touch the ball over his bar.

With 7 minutes to go Tividale had another decent chance when Luke Carter got on the end of a Grosvenor free kick but he hooked his shot over. Then Westcarr somehow fired wide when he was left unmarked in the box with 5 minutes to go and deep into injury time a Bantos cross found an unmarked substitute Romello Nangle at the far post but he also blazed wide

Full Time: Newark 2-0 Tividale

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.

Emirates FA Cup

Preliminary Round
Saturday 9th September 2020
Market Drayton Town 0-1 Tividale

Tividale go to Town

After Wednesday night’s achievement. The lad’s may have been excused if the performance level for this one did not match Wednesday’s.

But once again this squad took it to another level and apart from a few shaky moments in what was a fairly quiet first half. They dominated the second period and the score line could have been more decisive.

The returning Curtis Cocking and Brad Welding came in for the rested Luke Carter and Will Rawlins who were both on the bench, in the only changes to Wednesday’s line up.

Tividale’s first scare was in the 3rd minute and of their own making. Skipper Matt Hunt trying a Virgil Van Dijk clearance but was able to redeem himself and hook clear. From the resulting corner taken by Callum Graybrook, Connor Hughes headed over the Tividale bar.

With both sides cancelling each other out the next goal threat was in the 36th minute when a Graybrook shot was deflected off Brendan Price his own player but the referee awarded a corner to Market Drayton.

Tividale’s first real effort came in the 41st minute. Ryan Grosvenor was brought down on the edge of the box. Welding took the free kick and a deflection off the wall just took the ball the wrong side of the post.  Right on the stroke of half time Jacob Barnes volleyed a corner over the Drayton bar.

A minute later Carter who had replaced Cocking at half time fired wide, and as the Tividale pressure-built Hartley also shot wide. Then on 64 minutes Grosvenor lifted his shot over the bar.

The breakthrough came in the 73rd minute. Hartley this time going down the right put the ball into the danger area and there was Smith to stab the ball home at the second attempt.

The visitors were in no mood to rest on their laurels and on 80 minutes Carter had a shot deflected for a corner. From the corner Hunt’s header was blocked on the line and cleared.

Drayton had a great chance of sending the tie to penalties with 7 minutes remaining. A great run by Declan Arber into the Tividale box was ended with his shot being parried away by Adam Harrison in the Tividale goal. The ball fell to Price who shot over. On 86 minutes Liam Wilkinson played in Smith and one on one with Drayton keeper Sam Agius but he dragged his shot wide.

With time running out Drayton’s Andre James received the ball in the Tividale area but before he could get his shot off. Hunt timed his tackle to perfection and Barnes completed the clearance.

  Full Time: Market Drayton Town 0-0 Tividale

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Midland Football League
Premier Division
Wednesday 9th September 2020
Worcester City 0-1 Tividale

Tivi poop the homecoming Party

A league fixture against many folk’s favourite’s to be top of the pile come the end of May 2021, after an opening day home defeat, 2 key players missing, a host of injuries and of 3 outfield players on the bench, 1 was a coach and 2 of them were injured. To top it off the home club were in a party mood, celebrating their return to their home town after 7 years on the road. So it did not bode well for Tividale.

Full Time: Worcester City 0-1 Tividale

Click HERE to see match photos from PaulFrance/WriteAngleMedia.