Tividale 3 Alvechurch 0

FA Cup extra preliminary round With a meeting of two Midland Alliance sides who had dropped only two points between them in the opening eight matches of the season, what had the potential to be an early summit meeting turned into a one-sided affair.

Having had right back Andrew Parsons justifiably red-carded for an obvious elbow into the head of Alvechurch striker Jamie Spencer in the 27th minute, Tividale refused to be knocked out of their stride and the ten men added a second ten minutes later before ending the game as a contest eight minutes after the restart.

Alvechurch could point to the fact their opponents’ goalkeeper Charlie Price should have received a red card when he deliberately handled outside the area in the 33rd minute but such was the hosts’ dominance – and Alvechurch’s impotence – that there was the sense Tividale would have been in the hat on Monday even if they had gone down to nine men.

The hosts had raced into a third-minute lead thanks to the first of two awful defensive blunders. Parsons’ cross from the right flank looked harmless but goalkeeper Liam Maher and his back line left the job of clearing to each other to present Nathan Waite, at the far post, with a tap-in so unexpected he almost ballooned it over the bar.

Alvechurch’s Karl Fellowes sent an effort drifting over from 20 yards before the controversy over the red card – and non-red card – erupted but further awful defending at a corner saw Waite denied a second in the 36th minute only by a brilliant block on the line by Alvechurch right back Ashley Wakeman.

The reprieve was short-lived as the ten men doubled their advantage with an even more embarrassing goal, Ryan Winwood cutting in from the left onto his right foot and hitting a low cross into the area which was unaccountably ignored by three defenders before creeping in around a surprised Maher.

And it should have been three in first-half injury time after Waite caught Thomas O’Sullivan dwelling on the ball on the edge of the Alvechurch area and mugged him only to fire horribly over with only the shell-shocked Maher to beat.

Alvechurch supporters expecting their collection of Birmingham City academy starlets to respond after the break were disappointed as Tividale continued to dominate and Waite killed the game, controlling a ball over the top deftly before slipping past a defender, rounding Maher and rolling the ball home for the game’s outstanding moment.

Alvechurch belatedly responded with sub Ross Dempster heading a Joe Wright cross at Price but Tividale almost added a fourth in the 81st minute with only the angle of post and bar denying Stuart How’s free-kick from the edge of the area.

Dempster lobbed an effort just wide as Price dashed from his line late on but as the Tividale dressing room resounded Yellow Submarine after the game, the Alvechurch fans were busily reassessing hopes an unbeaten start could signal that this is their year.

Teams, Tividale: Charlie Price, Andrew Parsons, Jason Chilton, Chris Field (Levi Bailey, 90+1 min), Mark Smith, Richard Huckfield, Ryan Winwood (Michael Wardle, 76), Sam Williams, Nathan Waite, Stuart How, Kyle Hill (Jamel Wilson, 30). Subs not used: Daniel Evans, Aaron Bains, Simon Flower. Booked: Williams, 31min, foul. Sent off: Parsons, 27min, serious foul play.

Alvechurch: Liam Maher, Guy Clarke, Ashley Wakeman, Karl Fellows, Scott Smith, Thomas O’Sullivan, Dayle Kenny (Max Loveridge, 59), Julian Triana, Joe Wright (Anthony Fitzmaurice, 84), Jamie Spencer (Ross Dempster, 53), Omar Sterling-James. Subs not used: Jack O’Donnell, Josh Moreton. Booked: Clarke, 76, foul; Sterling-James, 90+1, high feet.

Referee: Mr Jonny Walker.