Midland Football League

Premier Division

Saturday 29th April 2017

Tividale FC 2-4 Long Eaton United FC

Goodbye to the MFL

This performance epitomised the season on a whole. The first half was poor and Tividale looked  very much like a team that deserved to be relegated  While the second half performance was a massive improvement and showed that the future on the pitch is looking good.

It was 10 minutes before either side threatened when Long Eaton’s Blair Anderson tested Tividale keeper Luke Kriskinans with a shot that he saved comfortably. On 17 minutes Tividale had another escape when a Blaine Hancock shot struck Kriskinans left hand post from 8 yards.

Tividale had to make two substitutions in the first 20 minutes when they lost both Matt Preston and Nathan Jones due to injuries and on 22 minutes with them still sorting themselves out Long Eaton went ahead. Kriskinans had to race out to clear a long ball aimed for Anderson and with the ball not going to reach his penalty area, he headed clear. Unfortunately his header landed at the feet of wide man Andrew Todd and from about 35 yards he calmly hit the ball back over Kriskinans and into the net.

Hancock had a great chance to extend the lead on 37 minutes when Freddie Watts slipped and although his shot beat Kriskinans, Karl Gardner was there to block on the line. A minute later the visitors were not to be denied when Danny Brain went through and fired past Kriskinans with the home defence appealing for offside in vain. Tividale had to wait until the 45th minute for their first chance. An Elliott Harvey free kick was met at the near post by Chris Bladen but Long Eaton keeper Lewis Walker saved.

Half Time:-Tividale FC 0-2 Long Eaton United FC.

Tividale had to improve in the second half and on 57 minutes after some good work by Harvey Walker down the right he played in Jamie Hunt but his shot was saved by Walker. On 64 minutes Long Eaton went further ahead when they completely carved open the Tividale defence and Todd was on hand to blast his second and the visitors third into the roof of the net.

With the game now looking all over, Tividale were given a lifeline on 70 minutes. Dan Smith raced into the Long Eaton box, he goes down under a challenge from Kallum Keane and the referee Mr Hughes awards Tividale a penalty. It was one of those that had it been the other way we would not have been happy but with the way our season has gone it was a case of “every little helps” as they say and Bladen fired into the bottom right hand corner. Three minutes later and it could have been really interesting when Bladen was put through but his shot went straight at Walker.

On 82 minutes the visitors regained their three goal advantage when once again they went through the Tividale defence much to easily and Hancock finished. Tividale at least ended the season with the last goal at “The Beeches” in a long and difficult season when deep into injury time Bladen latched onto a superb through ball and when on goal he unselfishly squared the ball to Smith who controlled the ball and beat Walker with his shot .

Full Time:-Tividale FC 2-4 Long Eaton United FC.

Tividale FC:- 1. Luke Kriskinans, 2. Tom Hurdman, 3. Darragh Bustin, 4. Matt Preston (16. Karl Gardner 20),  5. Freddie Watts, 6. Jamie Hunt, 7. Harvey Walker(14.Charlie Wilson 72), 8. Daniel Smith, 9. Chris Bladen, 10. Nathan Jones (15. Danny Doyle 20), 11. Elliott Hartley.

Unused Subs:- 12. Chris Hill, 13. Lewis Handley, 14. Charles Wilson.