West Midland Regional League

Premier Division

Saturday 6th April 2019

Tividale 1-0 Wem Town

Wem make Tividale work

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For the second time in two weeks Tividale were made to battle against a side threatened with relegation but this time they not only scored the goal but were also able to keep a clean sheet.

They say it’s tough at the top and we can assure you it can’t be any tougher than it is for us at the moment.

Tividale just made the two personnel changes from the Dudley Sports game, Karl Gardner came in as a direct replacement for Ben Birch and Tom Hurdman coming in for Reece Shilvock but his one led to a few positional changes. Tom came in at right back, Brad Welding switched to left back and Darragh Bustin moving into midfield.

It was a fairly lively start to the game and Tividale had the first effort on goal when Bustin tried to chip Wem keeper Liam Caines after he was put through by Curtis Cocking but he could not get the height on it to clear the keeper. Two minutes later and Wem had their first chance when after some great work from Tom Astley he played in Chris Pell but the striker shot wide. A minute later and it was Demetri Brown who tested Cains but the keeper had no problems as Brown’s shot lacked any power. But he had to produce a fine save to deny Brown again two minutes later.

Tividale were now stepping up the pressure  and when Wem defender Dave Walybyoff brought down Dan Smith on the edge of the box and from the Bustin free kick Cains turned a Lee Smith header around the post and Wem were also able to defend the next three corners that immediately followed.

Wem should have took the lead on 20 minutes when a mix up in the heart of the Tividale defence lead to a goalmouth scramble and they should have put the ball in the back of the net but Gardner was able to clear the lines. On 28 minutes Dan Smith had an effort on goal deflected for another corner and a minute later Callum Briscoe tried his luck for the visitors from distance but that one flew wide of Ryan Cheshire’s post.

Tividale took the lead on the stroke of half time when from a Welding corner Matt Hunt met it at the far post with a thumping header that gave Cairns no chance

Half Time:-Tividale 1-0 Wem Town

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Tividale had a great chance to extend the lead a minute after the restart when Dan Smith cashed in on a Wem defensive mistake but Cairns was quickly off his line to intercept Smith’s pass into Brown.

On 50 minutes Dan Smith blazed over the bar and then another superb Cocking through ball on 53 minutes was put wide by Brown. Dan Smith did find the back of the net heading home a Bustin free kick on 55 minutes but he was immediately flagged for offside.

While the home side could not find that vital second goal, there was always the chance that Wem could snatch one themselves and Wem substitute Jordan Batchelor had a glorious chance on the hour mark but he rushed his shot and failed to find the target lashing the ball high and wide.

Tividale carried on creating the chance while Wem looked dangerous on the counter attack. The best of the chances in the closing stages were Cairns saving comfortably a Bustin header from a Welding cross on 72 minutes and then Brown worked his way into a shooting position but shot wide. Matt Hunt did well to clear a Wem attack and in the last minute Cheshire had to get down sharply to deny Jim Astley.

In the end although the performance was not great it was the three points that count. We now take a break from league action with a Premier League Cup tie against Dudley Town on Wednesday (10th April) before our penultimate league fixture against Black Country Rangers next Saturday (13th April)

Full Time:-Tividale 1-0 Wem Town

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Tividale Supporters Man of the Match – Matt Hunt

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Tividale:-1. Ryan Cheshire, 2.Tom Hurdman, 3. Darragh Bustin, 4. Karl Gardner (17, Jamal Fuller 70), 5. Dan Bryson. 6. Matt Hunt, 7. Lee Smith, 8. Brad Welding (12. Alex Cameron 78), 9. Dan Smith, 10. Demetri Brown (15. Harvey Walker 89), 11. Curtis Cocking.

Unused Substitutes:-14. Reece Shilvock, 16. Elliott Hartley.