West Midland Regional League

Premier Division

Saturday 7th October 2017

Wolverhampton Sporting 2-3 Tividale

Tividale a bridge too far for Sporting

 
Once again Tividale followed up a mediocre showing with one straight out of the grit, determination and a fair sprinkling of skill category. Just as they had cause to be disappointed as a squad after the Ellesmere defeat. The exact opposite could be said for this performance.

Once again manager Dave King rang out the changes. First of all reverting to a 4-3-3 formation, bringing in Freddie Watts and Dan Bryson at centre backs moving Karl Gardner into the middle of the park to screen the back four, Elliott Hartley on the left of the front three and Dan Smith on the right.

From the kick off Tividale were on the front foot and put their host under pressure. But unlike Tuesday night they got what their pressure deserved when Freddie Watts rose at the back post to head home a Joe Lawley corner after 6 minutes. it should have been 2-0 after 16 minutes but Karl Gardner headed another Lawley corner wide.

Tividale deservedly went 2-0 up on 20 minutes when Dan Smith took the ball down the right flank, left his marker Ashley Evans for dead, cut into the box and as keeper Mark Branch came out to him he neatly slipped the ball square to Tyree Clarke who tapped into an empty net.

Tividale were now rampant and Sporting were struggling to stay in the game as the pace of the Tividale front three was were causing all sorts of problems. But they could not add to their tally.

Half-time: Wolverhampton Sporting 0-2 Tividale

 
After the break the home side came storming back and Mitchell Clarke pulled one back on 65 minutes when he had the run on the Tividale defence and headed home an Angelo Franco corner. It was now all Sporting and although they had the majority of the possession Tividale’s back line constricted them to long range efforts that never really troubled Tividale custodian Ryan Cheshire. At the other end Tividale were relying on the pace of their front men to ensure that Sporting could not overload their attacks.

With just 9 minutes to go and Sporting pressing they were caught on the counter, a ball over the top and Clarke was away he then played in Smith who slotted the ball past the advancing Branch and into the bottom corner.

Fair play to Sporting they were not going to give up their record easily and in the 88th minute Demitri Dunkley made it 2-3 with a smart finish, volleying home from just inside the box. The goal made it a grandstand finish with both teams having a couple of good chances to add to the score, but in the end Tividale held firm and ran out deserved winners against a side that will definitely be up there at the end of the season

Full Time: Wolverhampton Sporting 2-3 Tividale

Tividale:- 1 Ryan Cheshire, 2.Tom Hurdman, 3. Darragh Bustin 4.Daniel Bryson, 5.Karl Gardner, 6. Freddie Watts, 7. Joe Colley, 8. Joe Lawley, 9. Tyree Clarke (17. Jack Lee 89), 10. Daniel Smith , 11. Elliott Hartley (15. Harvey Walker 75)

Unused Subs:-12. Chris Hill, 14. Chris Bladen, 16. Liam Smith.