West Midland Regional League

Premier Division Cup
3rd round

Tuesday 16th April 2018

Tividale 1-4 Dudley Sports

Tividale are mmmboped by the Hansons

Tividale fans endured possibly the worse 20 minutes of football in the Dave King era as four Hanson’s and a Beckford cashed in on some woeful defending.

King made a number of changes to the side that won at Black Country Rangers on Saturday. In came Brad Welding, Karl Gardner, Reece Shilvock, Alex Cameron and Harvey Walker. Due to the unavailability of Dan Bryson for the Bridgnorth game he was also left out. Tividale had Jamal Fuller cup tied, Demetri Brown rested, Lee Smith, Curtis Cocking and Ryan Cheshire all unavailable and due to the unavailability of Dan Bryson for the Bridgnorth game he was also left out.

It all started so well for Tividale and after just 5 minutes Darragh Bustin had a goal bound shot pushed around the post by Sports keeper Ryan Pratt. From the resulting corner Matt Hunt headed wide. On 13 minutes Tividale were ahead. A Welding free kick was met at the back post by Ben Birch and he headed home.

That was as good as it got for Tividale in the first half, because on 20 minutes Sports were level. A high ball into the box was misjudged by Tividale keeper Lewis Handley and Richard Hanson nodded the ball into an empty net. A minute later and Sports striker Emile Beckford was given the freedom of the Tividale penalty area but he blazed over. Sports were now over running the home side and Handley did well to beat away a Jim Hanson shot.

Tividale held out until the 30 minutes when Sports took the lead. From a Sports throw in, Jim Hanson held off two Tividale challenges before rolling the ball to Richard Hanson and he fired past Handley and into the bottom left hand corner. Sports were now happy to allow Tividale to have the majority of the possession and just pick off any loose balls. And it worked out perfectly on 35 minutes. Liam Wilkinson had a shot saved by Pratt on 34 minutes and the keeper launched the ball upfield. Tividale looked to have it covered but from an awful piece of defending they handed the ball to Sport’s midfielder Abdul Ishola who in turn found Beckford who slid the ball home to make it 3-1.

The goal was just the confidence boost Beckford needed and he was now causing the Tividale defence all sorts of problems. On 39 minutes the forward flicked the ball over the head of two Tividale defender and smacked a shot on the volley that Handley pushed away but only back to Beckford and the young keeper was just able to get down to save his follow up shot. The reprieve was short lived as two minutes later Tividale again gave the ball away just inside their half to Beckford and the forward arrowed to the edge of the Tividale box before smashing the ball past Handley and into the back of the net.
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Half-Time:-Tividale 1-4 Dudley Sports

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Tividale had to replace the injured Cameron at half time and was replaced by Tom Hurdman. Bustin was now pushed forward and Hurdman dropped into the full back position. Even with the changes Tividale were still struggling with Beckford and on 52 minutes he was again able to get another shot off that drifted wide. Tividale actually had their first chance of the half on 57 minutes when a Welding free kick failed to hit the target. On 59 minutes Dan Smith had an effort saved by Pratt.

Tividale were now looking a lot more dangerous but Beckford was still a threat every time he was any where near the ball and on 63 minutes he was again allowed to get off a shot that smacked off the post and went wide. 5 minutes later and Matthew Hanson drilled one wide of Handley’s post.

Tividale’s best move of the half was between Smith and substitute Elliott Hartley with a neat piece of interplay that ended with Smith firing over. Then on 75 minutes Bustin had a free kick bravely blocked by Sports captain Jamie Parker.

Tividale’s night was summed up in the 86th minute. Tividale’s Smith was adjudged to have been brought down by Ishola in the Sports penalty area, Bustin stepped up but his spot kick was saved by Pratt.

And so it’s Dudley Sports that meet Wolves Casuals in the semi final while we dust ourselves down and go again in our final all important league game against AFC Bridgnorth

Full-Time:-Tividale 1-4 Dudley Sports

Tividale Supporters Man of the Match – Could not pick one

Tividale:-1. Lewis Handley, 2. Bradley Welding, 3, Darragh Bustin, 4. Ben Birch, 5. Karl Gardner (15. Elliott Hartley 62), 6. Matt Hunt, 7. Reece Shilvock, 8. Liam Wilkinson (Ikhlaas Ahmed 72), 9. Dan Smith, 10. Alex Cameron (12. Tom Hurdman 45), 11. Harvey Walker.

Unused Subs:-14. Dan Bryson, 17. Niall Clarke