Midland Football League
Premier Division
Saturday 4th January 2020
South Normanton Athletic FC 3-1 Tividale

Normanton allowed to Shine 

With another 9 day break between games Tividale made what was going to be a difficult trip to South Normanton Athletic.

With Dave King on holiday assistant Kieran Bustin was in charge of team affairs and his first act was to assess the fitness of son Darragh before naming the side. In the end Darragh was fit enough to start and played the whole game. So the only changes to the starting line up that beat Lye Town last time out was Brad Welding in for the now departed Jake Webb and Tyree Clarke replacing the suspended Luke Carter.

Just as in the Boxing Day win, Tividale had the better of the early chances but this time they were unable to capitalise on them. With Dan Smith and Bustin both going close in the opening 10 minutes. Normanton’s first attempt was in the 13th minute when a Ben Robinson shot arrowed straight at Tividale keeper’s Louis Connor who gathered comfortably. Tividale had a glorious chance to open the scoring on 22 minutes when Matt Hunt just failed to turn home a Brad Welding shot come cross at the back post. Connor then had to be at his best 5 minutes later when he somehow got down to palm one handed around the post an Eric Graves shot after he created the shooting chance for himself with some neat work. Jake Dodds then cleared Connor’s bar with a free kick before Graves again made himself an opening but this time shot wide. Tividale had the final chance of the half when from a Bustin cross, Liam Wilkinson fired over the bar.

Half Time:- South Normanton Athletic 0-0 Tividale

Again Tividale started the half the brighter and 2 minutes in Normanton keeper Curtis Hall did well to save a Smith effort after he was put through from a Bustin flick on. Then on the hour Smith again failed to beat Hall, this time with a header from a Tom Hurdman free kick.Tividale broke the deadlock on 62 minutes when from a defensive error, Smith latched onto a loose pass and cashed in by sliding the ball under Hall and into the back of the net.

The home side then pushed onto the visitors defence who had held their own against a decent side, but on 80 minutes the defence was breached when Robinson was first to react to a Normanton shot that came back off the bar and he found the back of the net despite Connor getting something on his shot. A minute later and Normanton’s sub Kenan Layton struck Connor’s post as they now pressed for a winner.

The home side took the lead through a lapse in concentration on Tividale’s behalf in the 88th minute. After the ball hit the referee, he picked the ball up and awarded the drop ball to Normanton. With Tividale not happy with the decision and not realising the danger, the ball found it’s way to another home substitute Richard Hanslow and he made no mistake in lashing the ball past Connor. In the aftermath of the goal, Tividale’s Hunt was sent to the sin bin and while they were still sorting themselves out in defence, Hanslow was put through again in injury time and again he gave Connor no chance.

Full Time:- South Normanton Athletic 3-1 Tividale

Midland Football League
Premier Division
Thursday 26th December 2019
Lye Town 0-5 Tividale

Derby Day Demolition

With their stop start season Tividale had not played since the 1-0 defeat at Coventry United but were still looking for their first league double win of the season.

Manager Dave King was delighted to welcome a number of the players who had missed the Coventry defeat 12 days ago including club captain Dan Bryson, Jake Webb, Joe Burroughs, Liam Wilkinson and Cameron Milne but were missing Jacob Barnes man of the match against Coventry

Tividale were a threat from the kick off and were ahead after just 9 minutes when from a Dan Bryson ball Dan Smith was able to just get there before Lye keeper Ben Newey who brought him down and Darragh Bustin scored from the spot despite Newey getting a hand to it and it seemed to roll under him and in. Lye looked to have a penalty shout themselves when Bryson challenged the lively Jordan Davies but there was no real appeal from the home side.

Lye never threatened the Tividale back line who was winning just about every ball into their half and ex Tividale forward Chris Sterling was getting no service at all. Curtis Cocking and Luke Carter both had efforts comfortably saved by Newey before Tividale went 2-0 up on 32 minutes. Bustin for the umpteenth time in the game left Lye full back Joe Colley for dead, fired in a cross that Newey could only parry to Dan Smith who side footed the ball home. 6 minutes later it was 3-0 and game over. A Bustin ball into the Lye Box was headed down into the path of Smith by Lye skipper Leigh Pardoe and the forward blasted the ball into the roof of the net.

Half Time:- Lye Town 0-3 Tividale

Respect to Lye although they never looked like pulling back all the deficit they did start the half on the front foot and for the first time in the game gave the Tividale back line a few problems and Jack Pearlman actually brought a save out of Tividale keeper Louis Connor. But after 67 minutes normal service was resumed when Smith was brought down by Lye defender Haydyn Reeves in the penalty area and this time Newey got nowhere near Bustin’s spot kick.

Lye were now a deflated side and Tividale should have added a few more to their tally but in the end they only added Brad Welding’s curling effort that went in off the base of the post on 78 minutes.

So we rounded off the year and an eventful decade in the history of Tividale Football Club. A decade that produced 3 Championships, 3 Cup wins and 2 relegations. Not bad for a little club in the Black Country.

Full Time:- Lye Town 0-5 Tividale