West Midland regional League
Premier Division
Saturday 27th October 2018
Shifnal Town 0-5 Tividale

Tividale Shif five past Town

Tividale rounded of the month of October with a 5-0 win that meant their league record for the month read played 6, won 6, scored 27 and conceded 0. Regardless of what standard of football you are playing at that is some feat. To do it in as competitive league as this makes it even more remarkable. So hats off to Dave King, his backroom staff Keiron Bustin, Ian Postle, Steve Barrow, Antony Hawker and John Cotton and of course every one of the players in the Tividale squad.

At the end of last season Tividale suffered what at the time was a shock defeat here at Shifnal and our host’s openly admitted that they were helped out by a number of players from a higher level and some personnel from RAF Cosford.

This time manager Dave King was taking no chances with the opposition and regarded this as one of our toughest game of the season so far. Once again King rotated his squad with Ben Birch, Freddie Watts and Liam Wilkinson coming in for Matt Hunt, Karl Gardner and Reece Shilvock.

A feature of this run of results has been that Tividale have scored an early goal and settled any nerves and this game was no different. Demetri Brown opened the scoring on 4 minutes when he was put through by Darragh Bustin and he placed the ball past Shifnal keeper Tom Whittaker and into the back of the net. Surprisingly Brown had a similar chance 30 seconds before his goal but his final touch let him down and Whittaker was able to get to the ball.

Tividale’s next chance came in the 9th minute when it was Dan Smith’s turn to slice through the home defence but he could not hit the target with his shot and found the side netting. On 12 minutes Brad Welding curled a stunning 25 yard effort just over Whittaker’s crossbar. A minute later and Shifnal had their first sight of goal when full back Brandon Tanomjit tried a drive from distant that Tividale keeper Ryan Cheshire watched as it cleared his cross bar. Welding then tried a 17th minute free kick that Whittaker saved comfortably, but the keeper could only beat away another Welding free kick 3 minutes later and it was cleared to safety.

On the half hour Shifnal could count them selves unlucky to go further behind. Jeff Agyeman’s last ditch tackle to deny Brown looked a brilliant challenge to most people on the ground but the officials between them adjudged it a foul on the edge of the box. There was nothing fortunate about what happened next as Bustin stepped up and fired it into the top right hand corner with Whittaker a bystander.

5 minutes later and it was 3-0 and game over as Wilkinson found Brown with another defence splitting pass and the striker finished with aplomb. Tividale were now in complete control and Brown was denied his hat trick by a fine Whittaker save on 37 minutes after some great work from Welding down the right flank. Shifnal’s Adrian Jones then tested Cheshire on 41 minutes with another long range effort but this time the keeper had to push it over his cross bar.

Tividale had the last chance of the half when after a counter attack Wilkinson rolled the ball into Brown but he got his shot all wrong and skied it over the bar.

Half Time: Shifnal Town 0-3 Tividale

 
Shifnal started the half really well and Jones had the first effort on goal but dragged his effort wide on 49 minutes. A minute later and Tividale were 4-0 up. An out swinging Welding corner was headed on from the edge of the box by Birch and Brown’s deft flick of his head was enough to steer the ball past Charlie Baker who had replaced Whittaker in the Shifnal goal at half time.

Baker was going to be just as busy as Whittaker was in the first half and on 57 minutes he pulled off a final double save. First he blocked a Dan Smith effort and then got up to hold onto Bustin’s shot from the rebound. Shifnal could have easily had a goal in their column as Cheshire and Birch had a complete breakdown in communication when a Birch nod back somehow beat Cheshire but bounced wide of the post. On 65 minutes it was 5-0. A poor clearance from Baker landed at the feet of Brown and he tried the spectacular from a full 40 yards. The keeper under pressure from Tividale substitute Rion Francis-Mills tried to palm it clear but could not get enough on it and Francis-Mills was able to force it over the line.

Shifnal ended the game on the front foot and on 72 minutes Kyle Montague forced a save out of Cheshire. Then with 7 minutes to go a Will Wells cross was headed wide by Jordan Bailey. Tividale were now more interested in defending their 6th consecutive clean sheet and played out the remaining minutes with a lot of resolve.

Full Time: Shifnal Town 0-5 Tividale

Tividale Supporters Man of the Match – Demetri Brown

Tividale:-1. Ryan Cheshire, 2. Bradley Welding, 3. Darragh Bustin, 4. Ben Birch, 5. Dan Bryson, 6. Freddie Watts, 7. Lee Smith, 8. Liam Wilkinson, 9. Dan Smith (16. Rion Francis-Mills 60), 10. Demetri Brown (17. Jake Brigdale 73), 11. Curtis Cocking (12. Harvey Walker 73)

Unused Subs:-14. Karl Gardner, 15. Reece Shilvock