Midland Football League

Premier Division

Saturday 14th January 2017

Walsall Wood FC 1-3 Tividale FC

These Woods hold no fear for Tividale

 
At last Tividale got the result the majority of their play over the last few weeks had deserved and in the end were well worth their win away at high flying Walsall Wood.

Tividale were on the front foot from the off and Craig Stevens tested the range finder after only 4 minutes but his effort sailed over the bar. Then Lewis McPike had a go on 10 minutes but Wood keeper Lewis Gwilliams had no problem dealing with it. Then Stevens played in Chris Bladen but Gwilliam was quickly off his line to foil the striker.

Wood had their first effort on 16 minutes when a Louis Harris shot was touched onto the crossbar and over by Tividale keeper Luke Kriskinans and from the resulting corner Harris himself headed over. A minute later and Joey Butlin headed down a cross into the box to Drew Aiton but Kriskinans was equal to his shot. Tividale were now under a bit of pressure as Wood took the upper hand and Aiton was again foiled by Kriskinans.

The deadlock was broken on 26 minutes when slightly against the run of play Dan Smith bundled home a McPike corner at the back post. Tividale made it two 8 minutes later with a goal that this report will never do justice.  Darragh Bustin won a ball he had no right to win on the half way line and swept an unbelievable first time 60 yard cross field ball to McPike on the right wing. McPike then hit a superb cross that Bladen met with an unstoppable header that hit the back of the net before Gwilliam had chance to even move.

Right on the stroke of half time Harris again blazed over after good work from Butlin. 

Half Time:-Walsall Wood FC 0-2 Tividale FC

Wood had the first chance of the second half when on 48 minutes Liam Molesworth should have done better with a strike but he blazed over.  On 58 minutes Tividale hit Wood with their third. Centre back Luke Wright was robbed by Dan Smith and Smith unselfishly played in Bladen who fired past the stranded Gwilliam. Tividale were now running the show and Jacob Wedderburn just could not keep his header down from a McPike free kick. There now came a spell of Wood pressure and on 70 minutes a Harris shot was deflected for a corner. From the corner Adam Wood headed wide. Then Kriskinans made a superb save from Molesworth when his shot took a massive deflection and somehow the keeper adjusted his body to palm the ball around the post. From the corner Wood again headed wide. Then Kriskinans touched over a Aiton shot.  With 7 minutes to go Wood pulled one back when an Aiton cross evaded everyone in the penalty area and nestled just inside the far post.

Tividale had two great chances to restore their three goal advantage. First with two minutes to go from a Lewis Probert free kick Gwilliams dropped the ball and substitute Harvey Walker was the first to react, stabbing the loose ball against the post.  Then in injury time Gwilliams made a hash of a clearance and it fell to Bladen, but the keeper redeemed himself by throwing himself at the strikers feet and deflecting his shot wide with his foot. 

Full Time:-Walsall Wood FC 1-3 Tividale FC

Tividale FC:- 1. Luke Kriskianans, 2. Jacob Wedderburn, 3. Chris Hill, 4. Karl Gardner, 5. Freddie Watts, 6. Craig Stevens, 7. Lewis McPike (12. Tom Hurdman 75), 8. Lewis Probert, 9. Chris Bladen, 10. Darragh Bustin, 11. Dan Smith (17. Harvey Walker 80).

Unused Subs:-:-14. Shane Grainger, 15. Seegu Seebah, 16. Dominic Oliver.