Match Report
West Midland Regional League
Premier Division
Saturday 29th December 2018
Cradley Town 0-6 Tividale
Cradley can’t convert chances then crumble
A clinical second half performance put paid to Cradley’s hopes of getting anything out of this game, After a first half performance that had the league leaders under a fair amount of pressure for most of the 45 minutes.
Tividale started the game with only the one change from the starting line that demolished Smethwick 11-0 in their last outing. Lee Smith who came on for the injured Karl Gardner started as one of the back three. The bench included new signing Jamel Fuller and Ben Birch back from injury.
In what was a very cagey opening period it was Cradley who had the first effort on target in the 12th minute when a Cameron Milne shot from distance was comfortably taken by Tividale keeper Ryan Cheshire. 5 minutes later winger Jerry Koomson wasted a glorious opportunity when he blazed wide when through on Cheshire’s goal.
It was the 20th minute when Tividale had their first chance of note. A Brad Welding free kick was parried away by Cradley keeper Benjamin Manley but straight to Tividale striker Dan Smith but the keeper bravely blocked Smith’s follow up shot. On 26 minutes it was Welding’s wing back partner Darragh Bustin’s turn to have a go from a free kick on the edge of the box but his effort flashed just wide of Manley’s post. From the resulting goal kick Tividale failed to meet the ball and Cradley forward Dan Bell latched onto the bouncing ball but he could only loft the chance over Cheshire’s bar.
On 31 minutes came the breakthrough. Cradley defender Lucas Muckley was penalised for going into the back of Dan Smith in the penalty area and Bustin made no mistake from the spot sending Manley the wrong way. Manley was back in action again 3 minutes later when he turned a Curtis Cocking effort around the post.
Cradley ended the half as they started it, on top and from a Chris Pickering cross Bell will feel he should have at least made Cheshire work with his header instead again he cleared the cross bar
Half Time:- Cradley Town 0-1 Tividale
Unfortunately for Cradley Tividale found another gear in the second half and simply blew the home side away. In the 50th minute Dan Smith was taken out on the edge of the box and Welding stepped up. As soon as he hit it you knew there was only going to be one conclusion as the youngster curled an absolute beauty over the Cradley wall and into the top corner giving Manley no chance whatsoever.
Tividale now had a bit of a cushion and on 59 minutes they had clear water. All brought by what looked like a massive slice of luck. A Demetri Brown shot seemed to take a deflection and went skywards only to loop over Manley and into the back of his net. 6 minutes later and it was 4-0. Substitute Alex Cameron who had replaced the previously injured Dan Smith got onto a through ball and with his first touch of the game drilled the ball between the smallest of gap’s between Manley and his near post.
The visitors were now in complete control and as they have done for most of the season had no intention of taking their foot off the gas as they went for more goals and Manley again foiled Cocking with a brilliant double save. The keeper had no chance though in the 75th minute when a long Bustin throw made it’s way to Brown 8 yards out and he thundered a shot into the roof of the net.
Cradley’s James Crofts did force Cheshire to tip a pile driver over the bar in the 83rd minute in what was the home sides only real threat to the visitors goal in a one sided second half. It was Tividale though who had the last word in the 88th minute when Cradley’s defence blocked substitute Elliott Hartley’s run after he had raced at the heart of their defence but the ball broke to Cameron and he swept the ball home to finish the scoring.
With both manager Dave King and his assistant Keiron Bustin on a Christmas break. Coaches Ian Postle and Steve Barrow were in charge for this game and once again they stuck to the way Tividale had played all season, pressing for the 90 plus minutes. The big difference with this result was that they had to dig deep in the first half defending from the front and they were superb.
Full Time:- Cradley Town 0-6 Tividale
Tividale Supporters Man of the Match – Dan Bryson
Tividale:-1. Ryan Cheshire, 2. Bradley Welding (14, Elliott Hartley 62) , 3. Darragh Bustin, 4. Freddie Watts, 5. Lee Smith, 6. Dan Bryson, 7. Reece Shilvock (16. Harvey Walker 70), 8. Liam Wilkinson, 9. Dan Smith (15. Alex Cameron 64). , 10. Demetri Brown 11. Curtis Cocking
Unused Subs:-12. Ben Birch, 17 Jamel Fuller
Lineup
10. Demetri Brown | GoalGoal |
5. Frederick Watts | |
3. Darragh Bustin | Goal |
8. Liam Wilkinson | |
9. Daniel Smith | |
16. Bradley Welding | Goal |
11. Curtis Cocking | |
4. Daniel Bryson | |
7. Lee Smith | |
18. Reece Shilvock | |
1. Ryan Cheshire |
Subs
7. Harvey Walker | Sub18 |
14. Elliott Hartley | Sub16 |
25. Alex Cameron | GoalGoalSub9 |