Walsall Senior Cup
2nd Round
Wednesday 14th November 2018
Tividale 0-3 Sutton Coldfield Town

Sutton make Tivi suffer

 
If you want to understand the saying fine margins. Then this game was a perfect example . Three nil may look harsh on paper but Tividale were superb especially in the first half were they arguably were the better side but could not make the most of their chances. While at the other end higher level Sutton made no mistake when theirs came around.

Once again Boss Dave King rotated his squad not helped by the ever growing list of injuries mentioned previously and in the “Gaffers Notes”, He brought in keeper Luke Kriskinans, defender Dan Bryson, Liam Wilkinson for the rested Ryan Cheshire, Karl Gardner and Lee Smith.

Tividale attacked from the start and had the visitors in all sorts of trouble in the opening couple of minutes as they pressed forward but despite their pressure they couldn’t get that vital effort on goal and the first real chance fell to Sutton’s Louis Monaghan in the 3rd minute when he latched onto a pass from Jonathon Letford who himself had led a counter attack but the frontman fired over the bar.

Liam Wilkinson had Tividale’s first chance on 12 minutes when his shot whistled over the bar of Sutton keeper Connor Hopkins. The hosts had an even better chance 2 minutes later when a Bradley Welding corner was headed wide by Dan Smith from 8 yards.

After the frantic start both sides settled down and chances were now at a premium for most of the first period and it was not until the 32 minutes when Monaghan almost deceived Kriskinans with what looked initially looked like a cross but it was caught by the wind and the Tividale keeper had to help it over the bar.

Sutton went ahead on 40 minutes when although Kriskinans produced a brilliant one hand save from a Sutton corner the ball landed nicely for Sutton defender James Mutton who poked the ball over the line. Sutton should have extended their lead on 43 minutes when a Ben Birch error let in the impressive Birmingham City loanee Francis Amartey and he unselfishly played in Monaghan but again he shot high and wide.

Half Time Tividale 0-1 Sutton Coldfield Town

 
Tividale were again the dominant side at the start of the second period with Reece Shilvock and Wilkinson pulling the strings and they nearly produced what would have been a stunning equaliser on 48 minutes when after some neat build up work. Curtis Cocking lofted a peach of a ball over the Sutton back line and perfectly for Darragh Bustin who ran onto it, but his volley went straight into Hopkins’s midriff.

Demetri Brown then stood up an inviting ball into the Sutton box. It beat everyone bar Welding at the back post but the angle was too tight and all he could do was smash it into the side netting. Sutton extended their lead in the 64th minute when substitute Alex Moore produced a stunner of a free kick to leave Kriskinans a spectator as it went over the Tividale wall and into the right hand corner.

Even at 2-0 down you felt that Tividale were still in the game and had a great chance in the 67th minute when Smith was put through by Brown, but again Hopkins saved.  Smith then returned the favour setting up Brown but that man Hopkins again denied the striker.

Sutton finally saw the home side off in the 78th minute with a third goal. Kriskinans made a mess of a clearance leaving Amartey with the ball at his feet and he literally walked the ball into the net.

The game ended with three good chances. In between Sutton’s Letford heading just wide in the 85th minute and the same player putting wide a Moore cross in the 90th minute. Tividale substitute Rion Francis-Mills was also denied by Hopkins in the 89th minute.

Full Time Tividale 0-4 Sutton Coldfield Town

Tividale Supporters Man of the Match – Reece Shilvock

 
Tividale:-1. Luke Kriskinans, 2. Bradley Welding, 3. Darragh Bustin, 4. Ben Birch, 5. Dan Bryson, 6. Freddie Watts (12. Tom Hurdman 75), 7. Reece Shilvock, 8. Liam Wilkinson 9. Demetri Brown (17. Rion Francis-Miller 80), 10, Dan Smith (16. Elliott Hartley 80), 11. Curtis Cocking

Unused Subs:- 14. Karl Gardner, 15. Harvey Walker