West Midland Regional League

Premier Division

Saturday 9th March 2019

Wellington 5-1 Tividale

Wellington put the boot into Tividale

As bad as the day was. Nothing was to prepare us for the news that the last of the great pioneers of football in Tividale, Harry Shaw. Had passed away in the early hours of Sunday 10th March 2019.

Even though this is non league football and everyone,  regardless of what part you play in your club it could be staff, players, hospitality, commercial, groundstaff, corner flag collector or whatever. There are times when you look at yourself and think. Could I have done better and this was one of those days for the management and players. Fact was Tividale were not at the races from start to finish and Wellington fully deserved their win.

With the wind at gale force and blowing across the pitch. Trying to play football was never going to be easy and both teams struggled but the away side seemed to cope the better at the start and poised the greater threat but were thwarted by some great Wellington defending. In the first Wellington corner of the game, Tividale’s keeper Ryan Cheshire looked to have caught his own defender Matt Hunt while punching clear and Hunt had to go off with a blood injury but returned later with what’s known as a Terry Butcher (a bandaged head).

Tividale’s first attack was after 13 minutes when from a Darragh Bustin throw Dan Smith fired over the bar. Wellington were now getting into the game and were looking a lot more comfortable and they should have opened the scoring when Paul Jones found room down the Wellington right but his low cross into the box evaded everyone. They did take the lead however in the 27th minute when a free kick from Wellington skipper Will Perkins was put into the Tividale box and unusually for Tividale they failed to win either the first or second header and Paul Jones benefitted when a Joe Davies shot hit the striker and sent Cheshire the wrong way.

As the half progressed Wellington were becoming more dominant and confident as Tividale started to make a string of unenforced errors. Tividale did have a great chance to draw level on the stroke of half time when a Tom Hurdman cross was met by Dan Smith but his header went straight into the arms of Wellington keeper Matt Apperley.

Half Time:- Wellington 1-0 Tividale

 
Although a goal down you felt that now the wind had dropped Tividale would push on in the second half. So the first goal of the half was going to be vital. Once again Tividale started the brighter and Hunt just failed to turn in a Bustin free kick.

Wellington’s game plan now was to allow Tividale to keep the ball but keep their shape and discipline and when in possession hit the visitors on the counter and on 63 minutes from a Tividale corner Wellington did just that. They cleared the initial corner and Luke Griffiths took the ball off Bustin and played in Jones who was left one on one with Cheshire and he slid the ball home. The home side were also helped with some more unusually poor Tividale decision making and on 65 minutes a mix up between Liam Wilkinson and Lee Smith allowed Matt James to cash in. He released Jones who played the ball to Sam Pearson who in turn found the overlapping Sam Hunt and the full back’s cross found Jones who fired home for his hat trick.

Tividale then possibly had their best spell of the half and on 77 minutes they pulled one back. A Bustin cross was met by substitute Brad Welding and Appereley failed to deal with his looping header, pushing it out for fellow Tividale sub Alex Cameron to head home. Any thoughts of an unlikely comeback lasted just 3 minutes as again Wellington cashed in on Tividale giving away possession again. This time Pearson the beneficiary and he played in Jones and though Cheshire did well to block the first shot he could not stop Wellington winning the ball back and Luke Griffiths cashing in at the back post via another deflection that left Cheshire in no mans land.

Tividale’s day went from bad to worse as in the final minute Jones again broke free after another Tividale error and Hunt in trying to retrieve the situation was adjudged to have brought down the striker in the area and Jones made it 5-1 from the spot. In the aftermath of the penalty decision Tividale boss Dave King was sent from the dug out to just about sum up Tividale’s miserable day.

Harry’s death after possibly our worst day of the season at the age of 94. Put everything into perspective. He was a wonderful man who had found his new Tividale family. RIP Harry

Full Time:- Wellington 5-1 Tividale

Tividale Supporters Man of the Match – Difficult to name one

 
Tividale:-1. Ryan Cheshire, 2. Tom Hurdman, 3. Darragh Bustin 4. Ben Birch, 5. Karl Gardner (12. Brad Welding 63), 6. Matt Hunt, 7. Liam Smith, 8. Liam Wilkinson, 9. Dan Smith (16. Jamel Fuller 63), 10. Demetri Brown (15. Alex Cameron 63), 11. Curtis Cocking.

Unused Substitutes:-14. Reece Shilvock 17. James Welch.