West Midland Regional League
Premier Division
Saturday 1st December 2018
Tividale 1-2 Bilston Town Community

Bilston burst the bubble

 
It was inevitable that this day had to come and it was Bilston that ended Tividale’s unbeaten league run at 15 and their win streak at 10. Tividale can have no complaints as they were never on their A-game and were beaten by a side that on the day were not going to be overawed.

The Tividale cause was not helped by the straight red given to striker Dan Smith after 40 minutes. But that just cemented the fact that it was not going to be Tividale’s day.

In what is Crohn’s & Colitis  awareness week, an illness that is close to the Tividale squad. All of the Tividale’s staff and players wore special T shirts highlighting the two illnesses that have no cure at present.

With the squad rotation in regular use at Tividale it meant all of the squad have had plenty of game time. So even with the suspension of Ben Birch and Lee Smith, the absence through injuries of Tyree Clarke and Matt Hunt and the unavailability of Tom Hurdman. The depth of the squad meant the replacements would make no difference to the strength of the side. In fact Harvey Walker, Jake Brigdale and Rion Francis-Mills were rested from the cup win in midweek at Coton Green while Freddie Watts, Dan Bryson, Demetri Brown and Dan Smith were drafted into the starting line up.

Bilston came into the game matching Tividale’s 3 centre backs and wing backs and it was an even start to the game. Tividale had the first sniff of goal on 14 minutes when Curtis Cocking fired wide from a Brad Welding corner. Bilston’s Rivaldo Miguel then went through down the flank’s twice in a matter of minutes but both times he was let down by his final ball. Brown looked like he was all set to put the home side 1-0 up after 26 minutes but he was foiled by a great tackle from Bilston Centre back Aarondeep Grewal.

On 34 minutes Bilston were awarded a free kick on the edge of the Tividale box and one of Grewal’s centre back partners Sufyan Zia fizzed the ball over the bar.  It was the in the 40th minute that the red card came. Smith doing what he always done giving defenders no time on the ball but his challenge on Bilston’s Marylson Cariata was late. You could debate if it warranted the straight red but had it been the other way round we would have possibly expected the same.

Half Time:- Tividale 0-0 Bilston Town Community

 
Once again the second half started with neither team gaining an advantage. A Reece Shilvock shot that went just wide for Tividale on 52 minutes and a Cocking header that came off the bar from a Darragh Bustin long throw on 58 minutes was about as good as it got for the home side as after the hour Bilston began to take control of the game.

Bilston’s Ryan Boothe had a couple of great chances to put the visitors ahead but was twice denied by Tividale keeper Ryan Cheshire. The second on 62 minutes he turned around the post brilliantly for a corner. From the corner Boothe hammered a shot that was deflected for another one.

Bilston opened the scoring on 64 minutes when after some great work down Bilston’s left the ball broke to Zazi at the back post and he made no mistake sweeping the ball past Cheshire and into the back of the net.

Tividale were not going to give up their undefeated run lightly and immediately brought on Rion Francis-Mills to partner Brown as they pressed for the equaliser. But they were always going to be risking the Bilston counter and when they built up a head of steam put the Tividale defence under intense pressure and they were denied by Cheshire on 86 minutes when he tipped over a Bilston free kick with 4 minutes to go and then they had another great chance to go 2-0 up when Boothe headed over

In the 88th minute Bilston did put the game to bed when Zazi went through unchallenged and fired home. The home side were not finished yet and deep into injury time Elliott Hartley clipped the ball over Bilston keeper Mark Brach to reduce the arrears. But that was as close as they got and despite throwing everything at the visitors in the last few seconds the referee brought the curtains down on the game and Tividale’s unbeaten run.

As disappointing a result as it was, the question will be how we react to this. It definitely was not a shocking performance against a poor side. Far from it, It was a tough game against a very good Bilston side. So we can take heart from that as we go into our next game.

Full Time:- Tividale 1-2 Bilston Town Community

Tividale Supporters Man of the Match – Curtis Cocking

 
Tividale:-1. Ryan Cheshire, 2. Bradley Welding (16. Elliott Hartley 73), 3. Darragh Bustin, 4. Karl Gardner, 5. Dan Bryson, 6. Freddie Watts, 7. Reece Shilvock (15. Rion Francis Mills 67), 8. Liam Wilkinson, 9. Dan Smith, 10, Demetri Brown, 11. Curtis Cocking (14. Jake Brigdale 85).

Unused Subs:- 12. Harvey Walker, 17. James Welch.