On a wet Bank Holiday afternoon, defences came out on top as Tividale preserved their unbeaten start to the league campaign at Chasetown FC – although they were unable to add to their 100 per cent start to the season.
As goal-less encounters go, this actually was not a bad game of football. Perhaps devoid in chances, both sides did have a go and at times had larger periods of the game on top.
The first period was largely better than the second and more attempts at goal followed as a result.
Tividale had a couple of long range efforts which flashed wide, while the hosts created two early chances for Richard Davies and Nick Wellecomme but neither attempt really threatened Charles Price in the away goal.
Midway through the half, Nathan Waite timed a pass to perfection to Lee Parsons, but Price rushed off his line to deny the Chase midfielder.
Former Scholar Jazz Luckie, who had only signed for Tividale at the weekend, almost marked his return to Chasetown with a goal, heading wide from six yards out.
The hosts had strong appeals for a penalty turned away when Wellecomme was barged off the ball inside the box but the referee deemed the challenge to be a fair one.
As the half came to an end, David Bellis fired over from long range for the visitors as they tried to make their territorial advantage count.
The second period’s main highlight was a run from Richard Davies that began in his own half and carried on until the edge of the box before flashing a shot no more than a foot wide of the post.
Substitute Simon Brown saw a free kick easily gathered by Price but Tividale rarely threatened Chase goalkeeper John Bateman whose afternoon was mainly dealing with crosses into the box.
Chasetown: Bateman, Johnson, Ravenhill, Slater, Robinson, Downes, Butler (Brown, 68 mins), L Parsons, Wellecomme, Waite, Davies. Subs not used: Evans, George, McDonald, Pond.
Tividale: Price, A Parsons, Foster, Bellis, Huckfield, Paskin, Downing, Botfield, Archer (Penny, 86 mins), Taylor-Boyce, Luckie (Wardle, 76 mins). Subs not used: Plows, Williams, Turner.
Click below to see more of Dave Birt’s pictures from the game:
