Midland Football League
Premier Division
Saturday 30th December 2024
1874 Northwich 3-2 Tividale

A poor 10 minutes, the difference

Once again, the boys put on a great display against 1874 Northwich apart from a mad 10 minutes, when they conceded 3 goals. We have to learn that at this level and against good sides like 1874 Northwich we cannot afford to give them 3 goal starts.

Phil Rann made one change to the starting eleven for this game after the mid-week win against Wyrley in the JW Hunt Cup, Jordon Sangha coming in for Jamie Hunt. For the first 17 minutes the game was fairly quiet until 1874 full back Niall Osborne gets played in behind on the right, he crosses to an unmarked Eden Bailey, who controls well with his chest and hits home.

Three minutes later and 1874 doubled their lead. Tividale centre back Raheen Akhtar was caught in about three minds regarding what to do with the ball in his 6 yard box. 1874 forward Josh Oultram dispossess him and cuts the ball back for Joel Jones to side foot the ball into net.

On 27 minutes it’s 3-0 when again Oultram makes a nuisance of himself after receiving a neat pass from Joel Jones and then evading the challenge of Sam Bratt-Wyton down the right flank and as keeper Ethan Hawkes anticipates a cross, he cleverly lofted the ball into the roof of the net at Hawkes near post.

As 1874 dominated play it looked like Tividale would be heading for a long afternoon, but on the stroke of half time the visitors were given a lifeline. From a Hawkes goal kick Tom Cottam knocked the ball down to Lewis Derrick, his shot was parried away by 1874 keeper Mike Shorthouse, but he could do nothing about Ryan Piggott’s follow up strike and at half time Tividale were back in with a chance.

Half Time:- 1874 Northwich 3-1 Tividale

Tividale started the second half buoyed with the slim lifeline they were given at the end of the first and on 53 minutes Shorthouse did well coming out bravely to block an Ethan Delaney charge into the box. A minute later and Piggott looked all set to pull the trigger but was foiled by a brilliant Tom Morris tackle.

On 57 minutes 1874’s Chris McCann’s free kick was deflected off the Tividale wall and behind for a corner. On the hour Shorthouse was again there to deny Piggott as Tividale pressed forward. Tividale made it 3-2 in the 67^th minute when substitute Mohammed Aon Abbas got to the left byline, pulled the ball back to the edge of the area and Bratt-Wyton ran onto it and his shot flew in via Shorthouse’s left upright.

With a minimum of 23 minutes to go the momentum was with Tividale but 1874’s game management was spot on. They tightened things up, drew Tividale into unnecessary challenges and with the help of some weak officiating were able to frustrate them to the point that they received a number of what can only described as very soft bookings in the last quarter of the game.

But in the end 1874 held out for the 3 points and Tividale can only wonder as to what could have happened but for those mad 10 minutes.

Full Time:- 1874 Northwich 3-2 Tividale

Tividale: 1. Ethan Hawkes, 2. Tom Rann (16. Jamie Hunt 91), 3. Sam Bratt-Wyton, 4. Jordon Sangha , 5. Raheem Akhtar, 6. Harry Higginson, 7. Ethan Delaney (14. Nehemia Zazi 80)), 8. Eddie Rann , 9. Ryan Piggott, 10. Lewis Derrick (15. Ezekiel Agyemang 76), 11.Thomas Cottam (12. Aon Mohammed Abbas 60)

Unused Subs: 16. Callum Lloyd

Midland Football League
Premier Division
Saturday 16th November 2024
Tividale 0-1 Atherstone Town

The Adders edge it

Once again Tividale found a way to come up just short whatever the opposition. A display like last week and this would have been a cricket score. Instead they put in 100 times more effort but in the end a bit of quality was the difference between the two sides.

It was a bitter sweet selection problem for Manager Phil Rann. On one hand Ethan Delaney was back in the squad after his time off, but on the other hand Jordon Sangha was unavailable for this game. The other couple of changes saw new signing Tom Cottam and Eddie Rann come in for Luke Postle and Aon Mohammed Abbas.

Tividale were under the cosh from the off as Atherstone piled on the pressure and a mixture of poor finishing and excellent defending kept the first period goalless. The best chances came first in the 5th minute when indecisiveness in the home back line allowed the prolific Ryan Harkin to take the ball down but he dragged his shot wide. On 7 minutes Ethan Hawkes had to turn a Lewis Collins shot around the post and a minute later Harkin failed to hit the target with another effort.

tividale’s one decent chance of the first period came in the 12th minute, when Delaney was put through, beat his marker, took it wide of Adders keeper Finn Osborn but the angle became too acute and he shot wide.

There then followed a 30 minute period where Atherstone could not find the rhythm of the first 15 minutes while Tividale were a lot more comfortable defensive wise but never threatened the visitors goal. Until the 40th minute when a beautifully cushioned nod down teed up Collins nicely but the forward blazed his shot high and wide

Half Time:- Tividale 0-0 Atherstone Town

The Adders were still squandering chances in the second period. Again Harkin the culprit as he shot wide after 51 minutes, but three minutes later he was given one chance too many and he punished Tividale. Harkin chased down a through ball from Nicol that Tividale defender Tom Rann failed to clear and he slotted home.

It should have been 2-0 on 57 minutes but again Hawkes denied Harkin, pulling off another brilliant save. Tividal’s only attempt on goal in the half fell to Sam Bratt-Wyton, but keeper Osborn watched it sail high, wide and not very hansome.

Srervice was immediately restored with The Adders piling on the pressure and on 68 minutes Hawkes again saved well from Harkin. There then followed a raft of substitutes that did nothing for what was not a great game anyway and in the end  that is how the game finished with The Addrers unavble to add to their score and Tividale never really threatening.

Full Time:- Tividale 0-1 Atherstone Town

Tividale: 1. Ethan Hawkes, 2. Tom Rann (12. Nashawn Blake 83), 3. Sam Bratt-Wyton, 4. Ethan Delaney, 5. Callum Lloyd, 6. Harry Higginson, 7.Raheem Akhtar, 8. Eddie Rann (15.Ezekiel Agyemang 63), 9. Ryan Piggott (14. Jamie Hunt 80) 10. Jason Wood (16. Aon Mohammed Abbas 80), 11. Thomas Cottam

Unused Subs: 17. Jevani Robinson