West Midland Regional League

Premier Division

Saturday 4th November 2017

Tividale bridge the AFC hurdle

Tividale took their win streak to 6 matches with a hard fought win over a resilient AFC Bridgnorth here at The Beeches.

With a bit of an injury crisis in the forwards department manager Dave King gave a debut to the returning Demetri Brown. The other changes from the midweek win against Bustleholme were Tom Hurdman, Darragh Bustin, Daniel Bryson and Joe Lawley all in place of Elliott Hartley, Nathan Jones and the injured Bradley Welding and Jack Lee who joined Chris Bladen, Tyree Street and Karl Gardner on the injury list. On the other hand it was great to see Liam Wilkinson on the bench, the first time he had donned a Tividale shirt since the end of August with an ankle injury.

The game started fairly evenly as neither side could gain any momentum and just cancelled each other out. Tividale’s first chance came on 8 minutes when Dan Smith found himself with some space on the left hand side of the box but his strike went just wide of Bridgnorth keeper’s Chris Crook’s left hand post. Bridgnorth’s first chance fell to Sam Robinson, when Tividale switched off at a Bustleholme throw in and that enabled James Chetter to play in Robinson but he shot over.

Tividale took the lead on 13 minutes when from a Joe Lawley corner the visitors could only clear to the edge of their box and Curtis Cocking took a touch and powered a shot into the top right hand corner. The goal was the lift that Tividale needed and they were close to extending their lead 5 minutes later when Brown just failed to get to Bustin’s cross that flashed across the face of the goal. At this point Tividale were now moving through the gears and threatening to run away with the game but could not turn possession into chances.

Against the run of play Bridgnorth were level on 24 minutes when from an innocuous looking free kick that actually sailed over everyone standing in the box. Tividale again switched off and failed to complete the clearance this allowed centre back Tom Taylor to put the ball back into the box and Liam Bood had a free header from 6 yards out and the centre of the goal that Ryan Cheshire had no chance of keeping out. The momentum was now with Bridgnorth and Cheshire did well to parry away a vicious Robinson free kick on the half hour.

Half-time:Tividale 1-1 AFC Bridgnorth

Although Bridgnorth ended the half on a high they were behind within 5 minutes of the second half when from another Bustin cross Smith’s initial shot was blocked but Brown was quickest to the follow up and drove the loose ball into the back of the net.

Bridgnorth were not out of the game by any means and had a golden chance to draw level again when Bood shot wide from a Will Reid cross. Tividale though were still dangerous on the counter attack and went straight down the other end with Bustin playing in Lawley but he lifted his shot over the bar. The game now was on a knife edge with both teams pressing forward and Brown nearly cashed in on a AFC defensive mistake but he could not keep his shot on target.

Tividale finally made the game safe on 78 minutes with a goal of real quality and one that epitomised their threat on the counter attack. rom a Bridgnorth attack. Tividale won the ball on the edge of their own box and fed the ball out to Smith, he then played in Brown who swept that ball out to the marauding Bustin who’s cross looked to go behind Smith but somehow he acrobatically volleyed the ball from behind him and into the back of the net.

The goal really ended any threat that Bridgnorth had and the home side comfortably managed out the closing minutes without any major worries..

Full Time:Tividale 3-1 AFC Bridgnorth

Tividale:-1. Ryan Cheshire, 2. Tom Hurdman, 3. Darragh Bustin, 4. Freddie Watts, 5. Daniel Bryson, 6. Liam Smith, 7. Joe Colley, 8. Curtis Cocking, 9. Demetri Brown (12. Nathan Jones 79), 10. Dan Smith(16. Elliott Hartley 81), 11. Joe Lawley. (14. Liam Wilkinson 70).

Unused Subs:-13. Lewis Handley, 15. Harvey Walker.