West Midland Regional League

Premier Division

Tuesday 24th April 2018

Tividale 10-1 Malvern Town

Malvern Mauled

This game was going to be possibly the biggest of our remaining league games of this season.

Both teams knew that a win would put them in the driving seat for the runners up spot and at least keep the pressure on leaders Wolves Sporting. In the end the three points and beating second place was the end result. But wow, how this side got there was something else.

With Tividale having the luxury of an extra 24 hours rest available since Saturday’s win at Bewdley and a shortage of numbers in midfield Tividale went into this game with just the two changes. Tyree Clarke replaced Demetri Brown and captain Karl Gardner came into a holding midfield role, a change from his normal centre back duties.

Tividale got off to their normal flyer and were ahead after just 5 minutes when a Ben Birch header from a Darragh Bustin long throw was cleared to the edge of the area but landed nicely for Liam Wilkinson and his shot took a slight deflection completely wrong footing Malvern keeper Charlie Weaver and nestled in the bottom right hand corner. 1-0.

Dan Smith then had a chance to double the lead on 12 minutes when a slip in the Malvern defence let him through but Weaver was able to grab the ball as Smith tried to round him. A minute later Malvern had their first effort on goal when the prolific Matthew Turner headed over a Lewis Platt cross.

The chance stirred the visitors into action and they were now playing like a side that were second in the league and were the better side. Against the run of play Tividale could have gone 2 up, when from a Bustin corner Curtis Cocking headed wide. Malvern deservedly equalised on 24 minutes, when Josh Hunt was left with space in the box and his clinical finish gave Cheshire no chance. 1-1.

After the goal Tividale seemed to recover from the period of Malvern dominance and it was now game on. Platt then did well to keep out a Brad Welding thunderbolt of a free kick and turn it away for a corner.

There was then a chain of events that had a major bearing on the score line if not the course of the game. On 32 minutes Weaver came racing out of his area towards the corner flag and instead of putting the ball into “row Z” he allowed Smith to close him down and the forward intercepted his clearance crossed the ball to Clarke who put the ball into an empty net. 2-1.

With 37 minutes on the clock Gardner sent Smith away and again Platt came storming out of his box to a ball that he was always going to be second best to, he then brought down Smith and was given a straight red card. Striker Turner replaced Weaver in goal and his first piece of action was to watch Welding’s free kick sail over the bar. But he was soon in the thick of the action. This time picking the ball out of the back of the net. As Smith smashed home from the edge of the box after Tividale had opened up a Malvern defence that was now in disarray. 3-1.

Clarke grabbed his second and Tividale’s 4th in the 43rd when again Malvern had no answer to Tividale’s incisive passing and it ended with a neat chip by Clarke over the obviously out of his depth Turner. 4-1

Half Time:-Tividale 4-1 Malvern Town

Your 4-1 down and with only 10 men, most teams would have gone out and tried to keep it tight and aim for damage limitations. And after 4 minutes of the half, Adam Stauntson tested Cheshire with an effort but the Tividale keeper held it comfortably.

That was about as good as it got for the visitors, as the second half game plan must have gone out the window on 51 minutes. Cocking’s free kick to the far post was headed back into the danger area by Ben Birch and Smith was there to sweep the ball home. 5-1.

Smith should have got his hatrick 3 minutes later when he volleyed wide a Welding cross with the goal at his mercy. As much as Tividale were dominating the game they had to stay focused because although they were struggling in this fixture Malvern are a very good side with very good players and Hunt had a chance for a consolation goal on the hour but failed to hit the target.

In the race for the hatrick it was Clarke who got his first on 61 minutes. Welding with the assist after his determination won him the ball played in Clarke and he clipped the ball past Turner. 6-1.

A minute later and the unfortunate Turner was left exposed once again by his defence and with Bustin bearing down on him he brought him down. Welding stepped up for the chance for his first Tividale goal and gave Turner no chance from the spot. 7-1.

Cheshire was called into action again in the 75th minute when he had to get down to turn away a Hunt shot as the visitors tried desperately to add to their score. But normal service was immediately resumed when from a floated Welding free kick, Smith glanced the ball past Turner and into the net for his hatrick. 8-1

Substitute Chris Bladen then got onto the score sheet on 88 minutes when Malvern defender Harry Wickett and keeper Turner ran into each other and the ball fell nicely to Bladen to roll it into an empty net. 9-1.

In the final minute Smith scored his 4th and Tividale’s 10th when he was again given the freedom of the Malvern penalty area and his shot took a deflection past Turner.

Full Time:-Tividale 10-1 Malvern Town

It was unfortunate for Malvern that they went down to 10 men but that can not be the only reason for this score line. After all Tividale failed to break down a 10 man Dudley Town and Tividale played out the last 10 minutes with 10 men last time out against Bewdley Town albeit in both games the 10 men had something to defend for.

Tividale were just clinical in front of goal and on this form it was just unlucky for Malvern that they were the opposition.

Tividale:-1.Ryan Cheshire, 2. Tom Hurdman, 3. Bradley Welding, 4. Ben Birch, 5. Dan Bryson 6. Karl Gardner (12. Lee Smith 60), 7. Liam Wilkinson, 8. Curtis Cocking (15. Harvey Walker 78), 9. Tyree Clarke (16. Chris Bladen 76), 10. Dan Smith, 11. Darragh Bustin.

Unused Subs:-.14. Liam Smith, 17. Demetri Brown.