West Midland Regional League

Premier Division

Wednesday 20th September 2017

Malvern Town 0-4 Tividale

Tividale put on a show at Malvern

 
Tividale Boss Dave King asked for a performance in the next two games. All I can say is that Tividale will have to go some to top this one in the second one.

Striker Dan Smith will take the majority of the plaudit’s with his hat trick. But this was a complete team performance against a side unbeaten in the league.

Manager Dave King made a number of changes from the team that beat Stone Old Alleynians at the weekend, bringing in the rested Karl Gardner, Tyree Street and Dan Smith and giving a debut to new signing Joe Colley and moving Freddie Watts, Nathan Jones and Chris Bladen to the bench with young Harvey Walker unavailable.

The game started as expected with both sides showing caution and a fair amount of respect to their opposite numbers and it was the home side who had the first chance, when from a misplaced Tividale pass Malvern’s Josh Weatherby pounced on the loose ball but his shot took a deflection and ballooned harmlessly into the arms of Ryan Cheshire. From Cheshire’s kick down field came Tividale’s first chance when Dan Smith out paced the home defence but fired just wide of Malvern keeper Charlie Weaver’s post.

On 15 minutes Smith then beat defender Jamie Sauntson, but this time saw his shot crash off the cross bar. 10 minutes later Smith turned provider with a neat cutback from the right flank to Curtis Cocking at the edge of the box, but his shot was saved by Weaver. A minute later Smith again tested Weaver with another blistering drive but the keeper was able to scramble it away for a corner.

By now Smith had given the Malvern defence enough clues that he was going to cause them all sorts of problems and on 26 minutes he opened the scoring and what a goal. He received the ball wide out on the right side of the penalty box faced up to his marker and curled a beauty over the despairing dive of Weaver and into the far top corner of the net. Clarke then brought another save out of Weaver on 37 minutes before he found the right by-line on 41 minutes and whipped the ball into Joe Lawley, but the midfielder shot over.

Half-time: Malvern Town 0-1 Tividale

 
Clarke had the first chance of the second half but his attempt at curling it home was thwarted by some good defending as Malvern cleared and conceded a corner. From the resulting Lawley corner, Tividale defender Liam Smith headed wide.

Against a team of Malvern’s quality if you keep missing chances, you are liable to get punished but although the host’s had a 20 minute spell where they had the majority of the possession. The Tividale back line never looked like faltering and when they were breached Cheshire was on hand. Twice in the space of 6 minutes he was called on to produce good saves. First of all he dived low to his right to turn a Max Kontic-Covengy shot around the post. Then he was equal to a Matt Turner effort after the leagues top goal scorer had worked himself into a shooting position.

Unfortunately that was as good as it got for the home side because with 11 minutes to go Smith was Jonny on the Spot when he prodded home after some indecisive defending from a Lawley corner to double the Tividale lead. The goal was what Tividale needed to settle the nerves and really enjoy themselves and on 81 minutes Darragh Bustin went on a mazy run before letting fly but Weaver again did well to turn it around the post. On 85 minutes Weaver was given no chance when Smith completed his hat trick, running onto a Lawley through ball and hit a pile driver that Weaver had no chance of getting a glove on.

Tividale were not finished there and on 88 minutes. their final goal just about summed up the whole team’s performance. Malvern centre back looked comfortable as he moved with the ball towards the half way line. What he did not count on was the never say die attitude of substitute Chris Bladen, who tracked him back, took the ball off him and three passes later Curtis Cocking just stepped up and bent another worldy past Weaver to complete the scoring.

As was reported earlier Dan Smith’s hat trick was special but Tividale were dominant not only in all areas and apart from that 20 minute second half spell all aspects of the game

Full-time: Malvern Town 0-4 Tividale

Tividale:- 1.Ryan Cheshire, 2.Tom Hurdman, 3. Darragh Bustin 4.Karl Gardner, 5.Daniel Bryson, 6.Liam Smith, 7. Joe Colley (15. Chris Hill 89), 8. Curtis Cocking, 9. Tyree Clarke (16. Chris Bladen 81), 10. Daniel Smith, 11. Joe Lawley

Unused Subs:- 12.Nathan Jones, 14.Freddie Watts, 17. Elliott Hartley