West Midland regional League
Premier Division
Saturday 3rd November 2018
Tividale 3-1 Wellington

Hartley gets Tividale out of a Jam

 
With striker Tyree Clarke injured, Dan Smith and Rion Francis-Mills both unavailable. The last thing Boss Dave King required was for frontman Jake Brigdale to limp off after just 10 minutes. But misfortune for one player is the chance to grab an opportunity for another and Elliott Hartley grabbed his chance with both hands.

Wellington arrived at The Beeches with a fairly impressive recent record and after a shaky start to the season were unbeaten in the league since August. So the home side were under no illusion that this was going to be a tight affair and so it proved.

Once again Tividale had changes to the starting line up. But due to the wedding of midfielder Lee Smith and the absence of Dan Smith and Francis-Mills along with long term injured Tyree Clarke and Tom Hurdman they were becoming more necessary than planned. So into the side that beat Hawkins Sport in midweek came Ryan Cheshire, Dan Bryson, Freddie Watts and Curtis Cocking for Luke Kriskinans, Ben Birch, Karl Gardner and Lee Smith.

Just as they were in midweek Tividale were second best for most of the first half and were fortunate to be level at half time. Yet possibly if Brigdale and Demetri Brown had not been denied by fine saves from young Wellington keeper Zac Griffiths it may have been a more comfortable first half. Instead Wellington grew in confidence and took the game to the home side.

The first Wellington chance came in the 8th minute when after a poor clearance by Cheshire, the ball was fed out to Wellington’s Paul Jones but his shot although on target was deflected off Bryson for a corner. Brigdale had by now limped off to be replaced by Hartley. Wellington had an even better chance on 17 minutes when after great work from Jones again down the right flank his cross was blazed over the bar by Saul Thomas.

Wellington were having the better of the exchanges but fell behind against the run of play on 23 minutes when Darragh Bustin crossed the ball into the danger area, Brown’s flick on left Griffiths in no-mans land and Hartley was there to nod the ball into an empty net, The visitors continued to press and on 33 minutes from a Adam Newbury corner Brad Welding headed clear at the front post but it landed in front of Luke Griffiths, but he could not keep his volley down and it cleared Cheshire’s bar.

A minute later and they were level. Liam Wilkinson surprisingly caught in possession by Stuart Davies and with no Tividale player going to close him down he was left with no option but to have a go himself and he sure did, rifling the ball into Cheshire’s bottom left hand corner. George Hayes then brought out a save from Cheshire on 38 minutes and Tividale defender Freddie Watts made a terrific last ditch tackle to deny Thomas a simple tap in as Wellington cranked up the pressure but they could not add to their tally before the half time whistle.

Half Time: Tividale 1-1 Wellington

 
Tividale started the second period with a lot more urgency and on 57 minutes Bustin sent Brown away but the frontman could not get a clear shot off and in the end put the ball over the bar. On the hour mark Luke Griffiths tested Cheshire with a shot that the keeper held well. Tividale were ahead again on 61 minutes when a Welding low cross found it’s way to Hartley and the forward tucked the ball just inside the left hand post.

Wellington nearly came up with an immediate response when Thomas had Cheshire diving at full strength to turn his shot around the post for a corner. Hartley was denied his hat trick on 67 minutes when he was denied by Zac Griffiths beating his shot away for a corner. On 76 minutes Tividale were awarded a free kick out on their right and about 30 yards out. Welding stepped up and with a bit of wind assistance hit the ball over the despairing Griffiths and into the back of the net to put Tividale 3-1 up.

Tividale were now pretty much in control of the game and could have added a fourth but Bustin was denied by Griffiths. Wellington were reduced to 10 men with 10 minutes to go when after what could only be described as hand bags ended with Tividale’s Liam Wilkinson and Wellingtons Jack Lewis receiving yellow cards. Unfortunately for the Wellington player he had already received a first half booking and so it was the end of the game for him.

The game meandered to a conclusion with Tividale pretty much now in control and the visitors did not really threaten in those closing stages apart from a Jones effort that sailed high and wide. While at the other end Bustin fired over and Brown looked to have been denied a penalty when he went down in the box but the referee waived play on,

Full Time: Tividale 3-1 Wellington

Tividale Supporters Man of the Match – Elliott Hartley

 
Tividale:-1. Ryan Cheshire, 2. Bradley Welding (16. James Welch 88), 3. Darragh Bustin, 4. Freddie Watts, 5. Dan Bryson, 6. Matt Hunt, 7. Reece Shilvock, 8. Liam Wilkinson (12. Ben Birch 76), 9. Jake Brigdale (15. Elliott Hartley 10), 10. Demetri Brown, 11. Curtis Cocking

Unused Subs:-14. Karl Gardner, 17. Harvey Walker