Midland Football League

Premier Division

Saturday 18th March 2017

Tividale FC 1-3 Brocton FC

Tividale badgered into defeat

Once again Tividale failed to make the most of their chances at one end and conceded poor goals at the other resulting in another defeat.

However well or poorly you play, football is a results business and it is the goals in the for and against columns that makes the difference. At the moment Tividale are not making the most of the for column and are conceding too many in the against column.

With both sides facing relegation this was never going to be a footballing masterclass but in the end one side is high on confidence while the other is low on it. Neither side really caused any problems until in the 10th minute when a Nick Wellecomme shot came back off the crossbar and strike partner David Berks headed home the rebound. Brocton were then awarded a free kick on the half hour when the ball bounced up and hit the arm of Liam Smith from around a foot away. The free kick was takes quickly and Tividale keeper Luke Kriskinans did well to parry the shot and Wellecomme put the rebound wide. Brocton continued to press and Matt Dockerty had a shot saved by Kriskinans.

Tividale’s only attack of worthwhile in the half came right at the end when Chris Bladen failed to trouble Brocton keeper Aidan Stone with a shot.

Half Time:-Tividale FC 0-1 Brocton FC

The second half needed to be an improvement and so it was. Tividale had a great chance to draw level on 52 minutes when from a Bladen cross, Lewis Probert put the ball over the bar from within the 6 yard box with the goal at his mercy. A minute later Craig Stevens tried his luck from distance but Stone watched it go wide. On the hour after great close control from Bladen he saw his shot come back off the upright and cleared. Brocton had their first effort of the half after 64 minutes when Kriskinans saved a shot from Wellecomme. Tividale again failed to get on the score sheet when skipper Karl Gardner slipped his marker but headed over a Probert free kick.

On 75 minutes Tividale got the equaliser. Young Elliot Harvey cut in from the left flank in the 75th minute and his shot was deflected past Stone by Dockerty. After all the hard work to get back on level terms parity lasted just 90 seconds, when a cross from Tom Rann was headed home by Dan Lomas. Tividale had another great chance to equalise for a second time in the 80th minute when from a Harvey cross Probert saw his header blocked by Stone on his goal line, the rebound came out to Smith, but somehow Stone turned his shot around the post with a brilliant full length dive.

With Tividale pressing and Brocton looking dangerous on the counter there was always the chance of another goal and it was the visitors who took it. More hesitancy in the home defence with no one able to clear the ball and Lomas made the most of it and made the game safe, stabbing the ball home from close range.

This performance just about summed up the majority of Tividale’s season. Plenty of hard work and endeavour but just lacking in the two critical areas of the pitch. On the other hand Brocton are a team in tremendous form and are as good as any team we have played in the last couple of months and if they carry on like this will avoid relegation

Full Time:- Tividale FC 0-1 Brocton FC

Tividale FC:- 1. Luke Kriskinans, 2. Tom Hurdman, 3. Darragh Bustin (14. Chris Hill 62), 4. Karl Gardner, 5. Freddie Watts, 6. James Douglas (15. Natalys Joao 72), 7. Elliot Harvey, 8. Craig Stevens,  9. Chris Bladen, 10. Liam Smith, 11. Lewis Probert.

Unused Subs:-:-12. Andre Edwards, 16. Harvey Walker 17. Joe Woodall