TIVIDALE are within touching distance of Midlands Alliance title glory.

A hard-fought draw against second-placed Boldmere St Michael at The Beeches on Saturday has all but secured top spot with only a handful of games remaining.

They went into the crunch contest on the back of mid-week wins against Alvechurch and Continental Star and then did enough against Boldmere to maintain their eight-point gap at the top.

A nervy first half hour meant neither side could gain any meaningful possession. However, the match sprang to life on 38 minutes when a Nathan Waite flick-on was laid into the path of the on-rushing Chris Field. He drove into the Boldmere penalty area before wrong-footing keeper Liam Maher with a shot that went in at his near post.

Boldmere had a great chance to draw level four minutes later when a long ball was played down field into the path of Simeon Maye. As Tividale keeper Charles Price raced out to narrow the angle Maye rolled the ball past him towards the empty net. But Tividale skipper Richard Huckfield had other ideas and somehow made the ground to clear the ball off the line.

Boldmere drew level on 73 minutes when Tivi conceded a corner from a wayward back pass. The home side then failed to get any worthwhile distance on the clearance and the lively Maye fired home through a mass of bodies to ensure the spoils were shared.

The result means that just four points from this week's matches will secure Tividale's promotion.

They were due to play Coleshill at home last night before welcoming Walsall Wood to The Beeches on Thursday followed by Heath Hayes this Saturday.

Boss Stuart Scriven is delighted with how his team have performed in recent weeks.

He said: "We are now in the home straight and it's well and truly in our own hands. All we need now is four more points.

"To be in such a good position is a credit to the coaches, the squad and their fitness levels. We have had a difficult month trying to fit in a lot of fixtures, but the players have been brilliant.

"We have only lost one game and our fitness levels and determination have been fantastic. Now we need to get over the finishing line this week.

"It will be a fantastic achievement for the club and something we targeted at the start of the season."

Tivi have been given an added lift after welcoming top scorer Nathan Waite back into the fray for the run-in.