JW Hunt Cup

1st Round

Wednesday 17th October 2018

Tividale 3-2 Lye Town

Tivi just won’t Lye down 

Tividale showed how far they have come not only as a team but as a club as they twice came from behind to knock high flying Midland Football League club side Lye Town out of this years JW Hunt Cup.

Manager Dave King would be the first to admit that the JW Hunt Cup is not the top of his priority list and even though Lye were at full strength and also included ex Tividale keeper Charlie Price on loan from Alvechurch.  He was always going to keep on rotating his squad and so brought in Luke Kriskinans, Dan Bryson, Freddie Watts, Harvey Walker and Elliot Hartley and rested Ryan Cheshire, Karl Gardner, Matt Hunt, Lee Smith and Dan Smith, all who started in the win at Pegasus on Saturday. Added to those rested was Liam Wilkinson serving the 2nd of his 3 game ban, Tom Hurdman and Tyree Clarke both who were out injured.

Lye started the game much the better and young Lewis Worsey was causing all sorts of problems down the left flank and Kriskinans had to be on his toes in dealing with some great crosses into the Tividale box.  One resulting in Bryson clearing a Jack Till effort off the line after 8 minutes.

While Lye dominated the early stages, Tividale always looked dangerous on the counter and in their first attack on 12 minutes Brad Welding had Price a little concerned with a pot shot that in the end the keeper comfortably saved. Lye deservedly took the lead on 16 minutes, when after some neat possession play Ben Billingham played the ball into ex Tividale playmaker Joe Lawley and he swept the ball home from 8 yards.

Lye had the lead for exactly 2 minutes when from a partly cleared Tividale corner Welding attacked the box beating Lye defenders Adam Meacham and Lewis Probert before laying the ball off to Demetri Brown and his first time pass found an unmarked Ben Birch (who had stayed up after the corner) at the back post who had a tap in to equalise. Maybe the goal was against the run of play but it was the spur the home side needed and they were now making a game of it and although there were now other scares at either end Tividale finished the half the stronger.

Half Time: Tividale 1-1 Lye Town

The second period was only two minutes old when Worsey picked out Lawley in acres of space and Tividale should know if there is one player you don’t give a shooting chance to around the edge of your box, it is Joe Lawley and he made no mistake firing past Kriskinans and into the bottom left hand corner.

Once again Lye were dominating and Tividale were hanging on with some great defensive work and goal keeping. with Kriskinans save to deny Ben Billingham the highlight of that period. But as in the first half Tividale rode the pressure and grew into the half and were unlucky not to draw level on the hour when Price turned away a Brown volley. Then a piece of brilliance from Reece Shilvock on 71 minutes when he chipped the ball over Meacham to Dan Smith who had come on in place of the injured Hartley and with his first touch flicked the ball past Price with the outside of his boot to make it 2-2. Five minutes later and Tividale were ahead. Another Welding free kick but this time it dipped and dropped on the edge of the Lye 6 yard box, nobody dealt with it and it ended up going in at the far post.

Tividale had a great chance to put the tie to bed on 79 minutes when Meacham brought down Bustin in the box. Bustin stepped up to take the penalty but Price guessed the right way diving to his right and pulled off a fine save. Smith then saw his effort on the turn clear the cross bar.  Lye had the last chance of the game in the dying seconds but substitute Josh McKenzie could not get a clear shot on goal and the ball bounced out for a goal kick.

So Tividale now go on to meet Hawkins Sports in the 2nd round, who play in the WMRL Division Two.

Full Time:- Tividale 3-2 Lye Town

Tividale:-1. Luke Kriskinans, 2. Bradley Welding, 3. Darragh Bustin, 4. Ben Birch, 5. Dan Bryson, 6. Freddie Watts, 7. Reece Shilvock, 8. Harvey Walker, 9. Demetri Brown, 10. Elliot Hartley (15. Dan Smith 68), 11. Curtis Cocking

Unused Subs:-12. Matt Hunt, 13. Ryan Cheshire, 14. Karl  Gardner, 16. TJ Munthali