Tividale 0 Northwich Victoria 4, Midland Football League

It’s been a long time coming, but Vics finally ended their away-day blues in considerable style as they blew Tividale away in the first 25 minutes, going 3 - 0 up with a display full of quality.

Firstly, Joe Hurst played Perry in down the left and he put a superb cross in first time for Callum Parker to power a header into the back of the net, giving Louis Connor in the Tividale net no chance.

Then, a minute later, it was Parker’s turn to cross the ball in low from the right for San Unwin to fire in under Connor’s body to make it two for the Vics.

Soon after, it was three after 23 minutes as Frazer Cookson played a ball in from deep, only for Zak Kouroyianni to loop a header back over his own keeper .

It could all have been different though had Tividale taken a gilt-edged chance in the fifth minute as a cross came in leaving Pearlman a free header from two yards out which he somehow managed to put wide.

The rest of the first half then settled down with Vics controlling the game, always pressing Tividale when they had the ball and looking full of confidence.

Matty Clarke had a shot high over the bar and Parker flicked a chance wide whilst Tividale’s only noteworthy chance was a cross whizzed across the face of goal but with no player there to turn the ball home.

A quieter second half football wise but no less dramatic – debutant Will Lloyd fired a shot just over the bar and Unwin managed to get round the keeper one-on-one but the angle was too acute and he fired into the side netting as Vics managed the game well, allowing Tividale few chances to get back into the match.

The fourth goal came in the 70th minute as substitute Dylan Switters cut inside from the left and curled an effort at goal which the keeper could only push out for the waiting Unwin to tap the ball into the net.

Switters then nearly created a goal for himself as he waltzed past the defence but he couldn’t get his shot away before the keeper collected the ball.

Then we had the drama as Tividale’s Lewis Taylor-Boyce was all over the back of Switters as he was striding forwards, bringing him down resulting in a bit of handbags, with Taylor-Boyce pushing Switters in the face.

The referee (who had an excellent game) had no option but to send him off, whilst Unwin and a Tividale player received a yellow for their part in the afters.

Tividale had now lost their heads, especially Jakob Burroughs who shortly afterwards launched himself two-footed into a “tackle” on Unwin – a horrible challenge and another straight red.

Vics then played out the remaining few minutes to earn themselves a morale-boosting victory to take into their next tough game away at Highgate United.

Vics: Reid, Camozzi (Ogundare), Cookson, Keyworth, Hurst, Parker (Lynch), Smith (Crellin), Clarke, Perry (Lynch), Unwin, Parker (Switters). Sub not used: McWilliams