Midland Football League

Premier Division

Tuesday 28th March 2017

Tividale FC 2-2 Highgate United FC

Tividale finish on a high against The Gate

For the first time in quite a while Tividale will feel that they actually got a little bit of what they deserved from a game. Yet when they went down to 10 men with 20 minutes to go and then fall behind 5 minutes later. It looked like the footballing Gods had reversed out of The Beeches once again.

Unbelievably just as it was against Brocton in our last home game, Tividale dominated possession in the first 10 minutes but it was the visitors that took the lead with a carbon copy of the Brocton opener. This time it was forward Marco Adaggio who saw his shot come back off the bar and left back Orrin Pendley who reacted quickest firing the rebound past Tividale keeper Luke Kriskinans and into the back of the net.

Tividale had their first shot on target within 30 seconds off the goal but Highgate keeper Brad Hayward had no problem saving Chris Bladen’s effort. Highgate then dominated the possession but could not extend their lead. On 17 minutes a Perrin cross to the back post was met by Adaggio but his header was straight at Kriskinans. Then a lovely flowing move ended with a slide rule pass from Josh Hawker to Lei Brown, but the prolific marksman’s effort was equalled by the Kriskinans who turned his shot around the post. On 24 minutes it was Adaggio again who failed to find the back of the net with another header from a Brown cross, this time heading wide.

After the let off’s the home side ended the half on a high and were handed a massive dose of luck on 41 minutes when Hayward made a hash of a Dan Smith cross come shot and the ball found it’s way into the net.  Tividale had a chance of going ahead second’s before the break with a Liam Smith pile driver but it just cleared Haywards bar.

Half Time:-Tividale FC 1-1 Highgate United FC

As with the first half it was Tividale who started the second the better and should have been ahead on 51 minutes with a combination of two great pieces of individual skill. First Nathan Jones at full throttle flicks the ball over his marker and leaves him literally running the wrong way, he then plays the ball into Seegau Seebah, who is face to face with his marker, he feins to go one way, drags the ball back and leaves his marker for dead but then makes a mess of the easiest part and shoots well wide.

Tividale continued to dominate but just could not get that all important goal and their frustration began to show. On 68 minutes Seebah got himself a silly booking when he kicked the ball away after Highgate were awarded a free kick. A minute later out of pure frustration he completely mistimed a tackle and received a deserved yellow card. Problem was,  it was straight after he had received the silly one earlier and Mr Tyler the referee had no choice but to send him off. 5 minutes later and disaster struck. The impressive McCauley Manning who had come on as a substitute hit a rasping shot from the edge of the box on 75 minutes that gave Kriskinans no chance and the visitors the lead.
The two events could have just about seen off a team coming into the game on the back of 5 straight defeats. But Tividale hit back almost immediately with substitute Elliott Hartley stabbing the ball home after fellow sub’s Harvey Walker’s shot was to hot to handle for Hayward.

As at the end of the first half Tividale had a great chance to score and win the game, when Hartley led a counter attack down the left flank and found Jones in space and one on one with Hayward but the keeper did well saving with his right leg.

Full Time:-Tividale FC 2-2 Highgate United FC.

Tividale FC:- 1. Luke Kriskinans, 2. Tom Hurdman, 3. Darragh Bustin, 4. Karl Gardner, 5. Freddie Watts, 6. Craig Stevens, 7. Seegau Seebah, 8. Liam Smith 9. Chris Bladen (14. Harvey Walker 74), 10. Daniel Smith (15. Elliott Hartley 70), 11. Nathan Jones.

Unused Subs:-:-12. Chris Hill 13. Tim Beech 17. Matt Preston