Tough for Tipton as Gornal grab winner

West Midlands Regional League Division One

GORNAL ATHLETIC 1 TIPTON TOWN 0

A keenly fought derby resulted in the home club securing all three points after somehow withstanding Tipton’s far more dangerous and frequent attacks.

Tipton commenced well, pegging Gornal back for a spell before Gornal managed to find some ardour of their own. The bitterly cold wind continued unchecked throughout, to the clear dismay of both club’s watching fans.

It was not until almost 40 minutes had elapsed that Matt Martin, once of Tipton, gave Gornal a 1-0 lead, spotting the smallest gap in their defence before drilling the ball home. Tipton responded with vigour, Scott Broadway firing for goal although a little off target and in the 43rd minute Teejay Davies’s clever cut-back in the right side of the Gornal penalty area failed to find an attacker.

The second half began with Tipton’s Davies blatantly chopped down in the home penalty area, sadly for Tipton the spotkick was superbly parried aside by keeper, Collingridge.

Stung

This half produced far more dominant soccer from Tipton, stung at their earlier reverse. Connor Scott’s effort towards the Gornal goal was worthy of a better ending, and on 49 minutes skipper, Sam Hesson’s smart effort, on the back of a spell of frenetic activity in the Gornal goalmouth, was a whisker away from an equaliser.

But the dangerous Matt Martin, Gornal’s best outlet, came close to doubling their lead just on the hour, his scorching free-kick skimming the visitors’ bar. Davies’s wily twists were countered by Reece Dabbs, the latter’s doggedness finally overhauling the Tipton youngster.

Soon afterwards a quite disgraceful and dangerous foul upon Davies by home skipper, Langford, saw the latter immediately dismissed.

It seemed that Tipton might just pull the game out of the fire now and, on 75 minutes, they finally netted only to see their hopes dashed with the referee, enforcing an offside decision when at least 30, maybe 40 yards from the incident, with no linesman’s flag raised, and so ruling out the score. Howls of derision all round the watching throng, including a few home supporters to boot!

Squirmed

Still striving for an equaliser, Broadway’s 77th minute volley squirmed narrowly past the home post before the same player was denied once again, all three points somehow staying with the Garden Walk club.