West Midland Regional League

Premier Division

Saturday 28th October 2017

Dudley Sports 1-2 Tividale

A sporting Dudley but still defeated

In what can be described as in difficult conditions, Tividale came away with another three points against a side that made sure it was not going to be a comfortable afternoon for the visitors.

Manager Dave King made a number of changes from the side that beat Wellington Amateurs in mid week. With keeper Ryan Cheshire still unavailable Luke Kriskinans came back in goal replacing youth team keeper Lewis Handley who played on Tuesday. Other changes were Dan Smith, Darragh Bustin, Liam Smith, Joe Colley and Dan Bryson all in for Freddie Watts, Harvey Walker, Nathan Jones, Elliott Hartley and the impressive debutant Bradley Welding.

Sport’s started the game brightly and Romano Graham posed a serious threat as Tividale came to terms with the pitch. But from their first decent attack after just 8 minutes the visitors were ahead. From a poor clearance by Sports keeper Rajan Shergil, Joe Lawley played in Dan Smith and he gave Shergil no chance with a smart finish. it should have been two on 11 minutes when Lawley struck the post with a shot. Graham had a chance to level the score when Kriskinans failed to collect a cross but Graham headed wide. Tividale increased their lead and Smith got his second when he despatched a Bladen cross with a bullet of a header on 40 minutes.

Half-time: Dudley Sports 0-2 Tividale

A Tividale now used to the surface took control of the game in the second half and had they been more clinical in front of goal, should have been well out of sight. Karl Gardner headed a Lawley corner over the bar when it looked easier to score. Then Dan Smith showed why he is a defenders nightmare when he chased down a ball he had no right to get to, plays it out left to Bustin and his cross is met by Bladen but Shergil saved well. Then a back pass from Sports Ryan Thomas to Shergil, held up on the pitch and Smith beat the keeper to it but with the angle narrowing he could not beat the keeper who parried his shot and a defender cleared.

On the hour mark Jack Hickman had Sports first chance of the half but his shot from distance although beat Kriskinans came back off the post. With 15 minutes to go Bladen headed over another Bustin cross. )On 88 minutes Sports were literally thrown a lifeline. From absolutely nowhere Graham hit a shot from distance that Kriskinans lost in the sun, he tried to palm the ball away but it looped behind him and into the back of the net.

Sports then upped their game in pursuit of a leveller but Tividale saw the game out for the three points.

Full Time: Dudley Sports 1-2 Tividale

Tividale:- :1 Luke Kriskinans, 2.Tom Hurdman, 3. Darragh Bustin (17. Brad Welding 71) 4.Karl Gardner, 5. Daniel Bryson, 6. Liam Smith, 7.Joe Colley, 8. Curtis Cocking, 9. Chris Bladen (14. Nathan Jones 76) , 10. Daniel Smith, 11. Joe Lawley.

Unused Subs:-12. Elliott Hartley, 15. Harvey Walker, 16. Freddie Watts.