West Midland Regional League

Premier Division

Saturday 8th September 2018

Tividale 3-1 Hereford Lads Club

Tividale’s Lads overcome Hereford’s

In what was always going to be a difficult fixture. Tividale came through a hard-fought contest with the three points but not without some controversy.

This was the first game with the trimmed down squad that manager Dave King had promised. Liam Smith, TJ Munthali and Chris Thomas had all been released with the best wishes of the club and all thanked for their impeccable service to the club. So with Demetri Brown on holiday and Elliott Hartley injured. Tividale were able to welcome back Freddie Watts and Harvey Walker into the squad for the first time this season.

Tividale started the first half on top and should have taken the lead when Dan Smith could only head over a Darragh Bustin cross. Bustin was proving a thorn in the Hereford side in the early part of the game and it was from his corner on 20 minutes that Curtis Cocking was brought down by Hereford’s Thomas Harding as he surged into the box. Cocking got up to take the penalty but his shot was well saved by visiting keeper Steven Bell. The home side did go 1-0 up three minutes later when Hereford defender Jamie Cuthbertson headed into his own net from a Tividale corner. Hereford’s first real chance came from a ball into Tividale’s back post that was met by Cuthbertson with a chance to make amends but Tividale keeper Ryan Cheshire saved well at his near post. Tividale hit back immediately with Tyree Clarke graizing the post with a header and Liam Wilkinson hitting the crossbar with a fierce drive via a touch by Bell.

Half Time:-Tividale 1-0 Hereford Lads Club

Again Tividale were the side on top at the start of the second half and deservedly went 2-0 up after 49 minutes. Again Bustin found the left bye line and whipped in a cross that found it’s way across the box to fellow wing back Tom Hurdman and he dropped his shoulder to lose his marker and his shot beat Bell at his near post with a left foot shot. A goal that was not only scored with his standing foot but was his first ever competitive goal for Tividale in what is his 96th appearance.

Hereford struck back within a minute when Zac Sirrell headed home. The rest of the half was played in torrential rain and as usual in these conditions the tackles looked spectacular with playing sliding all over the place but Hereford were now also looking fairly dangerous and looked as though they may get something out of the game. That was until well into injury time Tividale were awarded a fee kick from about 40 yards. The referee blew his whistle and Lee Smith immediately clipped the dead ball over Bell and into the back of the net. A great end to a fierce contest.

Full Time:-Tividale 3-1 Hereford Lads Club

Tividale:-1. Ryan Cheshire, 2. Tom Hurdman, 3. Darragh Bustin, 4. Freddie Watts (14. Dan Bryson 83), 5 . Ben Birch, 6. Matt Hunt (17. Brad Welding 78), 7. Lee Smith 8. Liam Wilkinson, 9. Tyree Clarke (12. Rion Francis-Mills 75), 10. Dan Smith, 11. Curtis Cocking
Unused Subs:-15. Karl Gardner, 16. Harvey Walker