Midland Football League

Premier Division

Saturday 8th April 2017

Sporting Khalsa FC 3-0 Tividale FC

Determined display in defeat

Once again Tividale competed for the majority of this game but in the end the experience of the home side won through.

Khalsa were by far the better side in the opening period and should have been ahead after just 4 minutes when an unmarked Tesfa Robinson headed over a pinpoint Jon Haynes free kick. After a period of sustained pressure they deservedly took the lead on 24 minutes when the away defence failed to track the run of Khalsa’s Fabian Kasiama and the wide man made no mistake placing the ball under the dive of Luke Kriskinans and into the back of the net.

For the rest of the half Tividale had to defend for their lives with some tremendous blocking and last ditch tackles from the back four and midfield and when they were beaten, keeper Kriskinans was again in tremendous form.

Tividale even had the odd foray into the opposing half and youngsters Jake Brigdale, Elliot Hartley and Nathan Jones made sure the experienced Khalsa defence were not going to have an easy ride and they even created a few chances themselves. But Khalsa would have felt that they should have been out of sight at half time

Half Time:-Sporting Khalsa FC 1-0 Tividale FC

When you have not put the game to bed you are always vulnerable to get punished and 5 minutes into the second half Khalsa could have been when after some great work it looked as though if Lewis McPike had just pulled the trigger first time when through on goal Tividale may have been level but he tried to get a better angle and ran into a wall of Khalsa defenders and the chance was gone.

For the rest of the game it was back to normal service as Khalsa attacked and Tividale defended. The pressure finally paid off when Andre Edwards put in a tired challenge on 76 minutes and brought down Khalsa striker Marvin Nisbett in the area and David Meese made no mistake from the spot. A minute later it was three when the first bit of Tividale hesitancy in the game allowed Nisbett to nip in and chip the ball over Kriskinans and into the net.

Full Time:-Sporting Khalsa FC 3-0 Tividale FC.

Tividale FC:- 1. . Luke Kriskinans, 2. Chris Hill, 3. Darragh Bustin, 4. Andre Edwards (17. Daniel Doyle 80), 5. Freddie Watts , 6. Karl Gardner, 7. Nathan Jones, 8. Harvey Walker 9. Jake Brigdale (14. Chris Bladen 70), 10. Lewis McPike, 11. Elliott Hartley (12. Dan Smith 75).

Unused Subs 15. Matt Preston, 16. Seegu Seebeh.