West Midland Regional League Premier Division

Saturday 12th January 2018
Hereford Lads Club 0-1 Tividale

Lads Lose to Leaders 

 
Unfortunately the things that happened off the pitch at times overshadowed what was a very good game between two well matched sides. Tividale came up against a side that had only lost 2 games at home all season and had conceded just the 8 goals in their 9 games.  So this was always going to be another game that Tividale would have to be on their mettle and ready for an afternoon of hard graft.

With manager Dave King back in the dug out after his Christmas and New Year break. He was welcomed with a full squad minus the long term injured. Both Dan Bryson and Dan Smith were back after missing last weeks 1-1 draw at Dudley Town and they both went straight into the starting eleven replacing Reece Shilvock and Alex Cameron who were named amongst the substitutes. of the game

Tividale had the first chance when Demetri Brown found Brad Welding down the right but he could not keep his shot down and Lads Club keeper Steven Bell watched it sail over his bar. A couple of minutes later and Lads Club’s Adam Hockey did well to get his shot away but he his effort was hit high and wide. Curtis Cocking then brought out a fine save from Bell. In the 16th minutes a Freddie Watts shot was charged down by the Lads Club defence and as Dan Smith went for the rebound he was brought down in the area by Lads Club’s full back Jason Burke. Darragh Bustin placed the ball on the spot and although Bell went the right way he could not keep out the spot kick.

The impressive Kiea Cowley-Hair who was a handful all game forced Ryan Cheshire to dive full length to turn his shot around the post and Lee Smith’s header from Brad Welding’s free kick found the back of the net but as Tividale celebrated going 2-0 up, it was wiped off for offside. Brown then had a great chance but he could not find the target after he was put in by Dan Smith. While it was Tividale that just shaded the first half, Lads Club were always dangerous on the break and with Kiea Cowley  a willing and able target man they always threatened. Lads Club’s Kalum Wildig will feel he should have done better with a shot that he blazed over the bar. But Brown then headed wide after good work again from Dan Smith as the half came to a close.

Half Time:- Hereford Lads Club 0-1 Tividale

 
Again Tividale started the half with the first clear chance but again Brown failed to hit the target, dragging his shot wide of Bell’s far post.  Tividale could have rued that miss because from then on Lads Club literally took the game by the scruff of the neck and had a stranglehold on proceedings.

Lads Club could consider themselves unlucky not to have got on the score sheet at least once as they pressed but Tividale dug deep and defended for their lives. Nothing epitomised their never say die cause more than Freddie Watts who had to stretch every muscle in his neck to head away a Wildig goalbound thunderbolt.

Cocking led Tividale on a rare counter but possibly took the wrong option when shooting from about 30 yards out and not troubling Bell when in hindsight playing in one of his two forwards may have been a better option, Welding then found Bustin with a superb cross but the opposite wing back headed wide. At the other end Lads Club had what looked like a decent penalty shout turned down.

In the end Tividale held out after sustaining a lot of pressure in the second half to gain the three points and Dan Smith even had a couple of chances at the death to add to the score line but he was foiled by Bell with the first one and fired the second one over the bar.

Full Time:- Hereford Lads Club 0-1 Tividale

Tividale Supporters Man of the Match – Freddie Watts

 
Tividale:-1. Ryan Cheshire, 2. Bradley Welding, 3. Darragh Bustin, 4. Ben Birch, 5. Dan Bryson. 6.Freddie Watts, 7. Lee Smith (16. Reece Shilvock 73), 8. Liam Wilkinson, 9. Dan Smith, 10. Demetri Brown (12. Alex Cameron 85), 11. Curtis Cocking

Unused Subs:-14. Elliott Hartley, 15. Jamal Fuller, 17. Jake Brigdale