Midland Football League

Premier Division

Saturday 18th February 2017

Tividale FC 2-2 Rocester FC

No winner’s in Roman battle

Tividale and Rocester played out an entertaining draw at the Beeches but in the end the point was a bitter sweet pill to swallow. as Tividale will feel that it was a couple of points dropped.

The afternoon started with a minutes silence for ex Tividale manager Terry Jones who passed away in the week and Terry would have been pleased with the performance from both sides. Tividale welcomed back Andre Edwards in his first game since he fractured a bone in his foot way back in August and gave a debut to Frenchman Nathalys Joao.  And it was Joao who had the first effort on goal after just 2 minutes when Rocester keeper Richard Froggart had to be at full stretch to turn his shot around the post. Joao was also involved with the opening goal after 17 minutes when his brilliant through ball sent Nathan Jones away and he fired past Froggart and into the bottom left hand corner.

Rocester’s first chance came a couple of minutes later but skipper Martyn Smyth’s effort flew high and wide. Tividale’s Craig Stevens then tried a dipping volley that just cleared the bar on 22 minutes.

Rocester were level on 26 minutes when a  Joe Brockley free kick was headed home at the front post by Ashleigh Lynch. The goal was the start of some Rocester pressure as they started to take control of the game and were unfortunate not to have gone ahead on 34 minutes when Tividale keeper Luke Kriskinans lost the ball under pressure from a corner and Oliver Roome slotted home the loose ball but referee Ryan Haynes disallowed it for a foul on Kriskinans. To be fair it was one of those that you would not have been happy with had it gone against you.

Rocester did go ahead before half time and this was under controversial circumstances. Tividale felt that the opposition’s forward’s twice received the ball in offside positions. First when the ball was played in the assistant raised his flag for offside and while he correctly stood his ground he missed Callum Riddell also in an offside position when he slotted past Kriskinans. There was some discussion between the officials and in the end the referee felt that the offside was incorrect and over ruled it and as the assistant had not seen the second offence that was not given and the goal stood.

Half Time:-Half Time:- Tividale FC 1-2 Rocester FC

The second half started with a great chance for the visitors with Will Mansfield sent straight through the middle of the Tividale defence from a Roome through ball but Kriskinans was alert to the danger and cleared. From then on Tividale dominated the half and Froggart  had to beat away a Jones effort  two minutes later. Jones then sent in a whipped corner that Lewis Probert collected on the edge of the box, beat a marker and smashed a shot that Froggart saved. A minute later another Jones corner fell this time to Stevens but his shot was blocked on the line and scrambled clear. Tividale striker Chris Bladen then hit a pile driver that went straight at Froggart when a yard either side may well have drawn the home side level.

With time running out it looked like all the valiant Tividale work was going to count for nothing when in injury time a Bladen knock on fell for Jones and from an acute angle beat Froggart via a deflection off a defender to earn a point.

Full Time:-Full Time: – Tividale FC 2-2 Rocester FC

Tividale FC:- 1. 1. Luke Kriskinans, 2. Tom Hurdman, 3. Chris Hill, 4. Karl Gardner, 5. Andre Edwards (14. Jamie Hunt 64), 6. Craig Stevens, 7. Darragh Bustin , 8. Lewis Probert (15. Seegu Seebeh 80),  9. Chris Bladen, 10. Nathalys Joao (16. Lewis McPike 64), 11. Nathan Jones.

Unused Subs:-:-12. Harvey Walker, 17. Elliott Harvey.