Damage in the Box!: Tividale

It was FA cup time once again as the competition moved into the 1st Qualifying Round. Work commitments meant I had to choose a tie that was close enough to get to after one had completed ones hours.

It was Hobson's Choice really as there was only one game that allowed me to do this and, as luck would have it, it turned out to be a cracking cup tie.

Formed in 1899, Wolverhampton Casuals, of the West Midlands Regional League, were taking on Tividale, of the Midland Football Alliance, one step higher. This is the first time the sides had met in two seasons, when both sides were in the WMRL (Tividale were promoted in 2011).

This was only the second ever FA Cup tie staged at Casuals Brinsford Stadium, their first being in the last round when they beat Pilkington XXX 2-0.

On a glorious sunny afternoon, it was a pretty even first half with both sides having decent chances. Dan Watson in the home goal though had to work slightly harder to keep the score blank.

However, as the half entered stoppage time, Dean Clarke cut in from the wing and fired a low shot, which beat Tim Beech at his near post, to give the homesters an interval lead.

The Cassies were just four minutes away from a cup upset when James Cooper scored a fantastic volley from the edge of the box to take the game to a replay.

On the balance of play in the second period it was no more than Tivi deserved as The Casuals struggled to get out of their own half such was the domination of the visitors. Tividale missed numerous chances, hit the crossbar and it did appear that the Cassies had lady luck on their side, had ridden the storm and were going to hold on.

Maybe it needed something special to break their stubborn resistance and that is indeed what Cooper provided. Someone in the crowd filmed the goal if you want to take a peep.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AmdmmVy74n8

The replay will take place next Tuesday at The Beeches.

Wolverhampton's Brinsford Stadium is pretty basic, with just a small seated stand, but it certainly makes the most of what it has got. The man on the gate, as you drive in, was incredibly welcoming and was happy to pass the time of day.

There is a small clubhouse, but the best has to be The Cassies Cafe. The pie, chips & gravy were served on a proper plate and the portions were generous to say the least.

All in all a great day out at a very friendly club and I would recommend a visit to anyone.

Saturday 8th September 2012
FA Cup 1st Qualifying Round
Wolverhampton Casuals 1-1 Tividale
Attendance: 104 (h/c)

For the second Saturday in succession I found myself in the West Midlands. Three weeks after I originally planned to go Tividale (the pitch was frozen that morning) I finally made it to The Beeches today, the 4th round of the FA Vase being an irresistible attraction.

Tividale is a 'blink and you miss it' place, the ground being situated on the main A4123 road between Oldbury and Dudley. The ground is in the middle of a housing estate just off this main road.

I arrived in good time to bag a parking spot near the ground as there were warnings that, with a larger than normal crowd expected, there may be problems. This allowed me to take advantage of the Tividale clubhouse where there was a choice of 3 ales on draft (I opted for a belated Skinner's Christmas Fairy ale).

The first thing you notice as you enter The Beeches is the slope. The ground is on a hill on the pitch gradient certainly reflects this. All the cover is along one side of the pitch, with wooden benches providing the seating requirements.

There was a decent attendance today, as the later rounds of the FA Vase tend to bring the crowds out. Both sides are slightly above mid-table in their respective leagues, Tividale in the Midland Football Alliance and Binfield in the Hellenic Premier League (step 5 v step 5).

Despite the windy conditions, and a heavy sanded pitch, a tight game was expected but, unfortunately for the visitors from Berkshire, the tie was effectively over after 15 minutes. Tividale, despite playing into the wind, raced out of the blocks and blitzed The Moles with a three goal salvo.

After 7 minutes Chris Russell skinned the full back and raced through to cross for Matt Jukes to tap home. After 11 minutes a ball was played high into the box, but the wind held it up, and it fell nicely to Lee Chilton on the edge of the area who curled it home. Tivi's third goal arrived after 15 minutes when a cross from Jason Chilton was hit home by Luke Paskin.

Tividale had chances to extend their lead but a shell shocked Binfield managed to avoid conceding anymore goals before the half time interval, even managing to get into the Tividale penalty area in the dying moments of the first half.

Whatever Binfield manager Mark Tallentire said at half time seemed to have worked as they started more positively and, after 53 minutes, Ian Davies got a goal back. Maybe there was a chance of a comeback? Tivi were rocking but on the hour Jukes broke through and rounded the keeper to restore the homesters three goal advantage.

Any faint hope Binfield did have was extinguished on 68 minutes when substitute Callum Whitty was shown a straight red card for an 'over the top' challenge. This allowed Tividale to run riot in the final period of the tie.

The superb Chris Russell again did the hard work to cross for Chilton to tap home his second (82). Russell finally got the goal his performance deserved when he ran through to dink the ball over the advancing 'keeper (85). In the 90th minute Jukes tapped home to complete his hat-trick.

This was the second successive game Tividale had won 7-1 and it deservedly put them into the hat for Monday's 5th round draw.