TAMWORTH
0     TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR
3
   
(0) (0)
After extra time – 0-0 after 90 minutes
  Date : –  Sunday 12th January 2025
Kick off : –  12.35
  Competition : –   FA Cup Third Round
Venue : –  The Lamb Ground
  Crowd : –  3,720
  Referee : –  Peter Bankes (Liverpool) Linesmen : – Mr. Edward Smart; Mr. Nick Greenhalgh
  Fourth official : –  Sam Borratt
  Weather : –  Cold, dry
  Spurs kicked off the first half attacking the Castle end
  Playing time : –   90 + 9 minutes and Extra Time  30 + 2 minutes

 

TAMWORTH TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR
GOAL-SCORERS
      None   Tshikuna (o.g.)  100m 37s
         Kulusevski  106m 26s  (asst Son)
         Johnson  117m 10s
  CARDS
    Creaney (wrestling with Dragusin) 60   Dragusin (wrestling with Creaney) 60
    Tonks (asking for a yellow card) 83   Porro (foul on Enuru) 75
    Champelovier (asst coach) (dissent) 85    
    Williams (foul on Porro) 92    
    McGlinchey (foul on Maddison) 95  
   
  TEAMS
1.   Jas SINGH 31.   Antonin KINSKY
     
33.   Ben CROMPTON 23.   Pedro PORRO 
18.   Jordan CULLINANE-LIBURD 6.   Radu DRAGUSIN    (  24.   Djed SPENCE  91)  
26.   Hadyn HOLLIS 14.   Archie GRAY
3.   Callum COCKERILL-MOLLETT  (  28.   T SUNDIRE  68)  
3.   Sergio REGUILON
      
8.   Ben MILNES  (c)  (  6.   Alex FLETCHER  81)  29.   Pape Matar SARR  (  15.   Lucas BERGVALL  68) 
15.   George MORRISON 8.   Yves BISSOUMA
10.   James MADDISON  (c)  (  21.   Dejan KULUSEVSKI  91  )  
19.   Tom McGLINCHEY    
4.   Tom TONKS    (  20.   N TSHIKUNA  85  22.   Brennan JOHNSON   
22.   Beck-Ray ENORU  (  14.   Kai WILLIAMS    81)  16.   Timo WERNER  (  7.   Heung-Min SON  91  )  
   47.   Mikey MOORE   (  19.   Dominic SOLANKE  68)  
9.   Dan CREANEY    (  12.   Christopher WREH  85)    
Substitutes Substitutes
  21.   Leon PHILLIPS 40.   Brandon AUSTIN
  2.   Matt CURLEY 48.   Alfie DORRINGTON
  5.   Kennedy DIGIE 64.   Callum OLUSESI
  7.   Kyle FINN 42.   Will LANKSHEAR

    = Assist        =  Goal scored      =  Own goal scored

Manager : – Andy Peaks Manager : –  Ange Postecoglou
Kit Supplier : – Macron Kit Supplier : – Nike
Shirt Sponsor : – Bradley Scott Windows Ltd. Shirt Sponsor : – AIA
Shirt Sleeve Sponsor : – $wen Shirt Sleeve Sponsor : – Kraken
Colours : –  Red and Black shirts, Black shorts, Red Socks
Colours : –
Images of kits courtesy of the marvellous Colours of Football website

 

MATCH REPORT
  All the pre-match gumph about 96 places separating the two sides in the league pyramid, the portacabin changing rooms, the cold showers and non-league players being butchers, bakers and candlestick makers is the stuff that FA Cup reporting is all about.  Lazy tropes that don’t do the underdogs any justice and prepare for the giant-killing that the media hunger for.  Well, it was hyped up that Tottenham came close to being knocked out, even though they went on to win 3-0 in extra time.  Not a great performance from Spurs, but the opposition were playing the game of their life and raised theirs accordingly.

With tickets extremely limited, I had to settle down and watch it on TV, which was a warmer option, but there is no substitution for being there.

However, some of those stereotypical images rang true, as it was like Sunday morning park football, where players have to put up the nets when there was a part at the net on the Tamworth goal was not fixed to the bar properly which meant that the match kicked off five minutes late.

Making a few changes to rest some players, Ange had a strong side out and also a number of first-teamers on the bench.

25 seconds in and Tamworth broke away down the left by Enoru forced Toni Kinsky to push a shot to the near top corner wide.  Spurs dealt with the ball in from the corner well, despite lots of shoving by the home players.  Spurs then got the ball on the plastic and won a corner, which the keeper Singh caught under no pressure, then released quickly as the Lambs tried to catch Tottenham out.  It was the first chance for the much feted long-throw expert Tonks to launch one into the box, but it was headed away by Dragusin and Spurs were not messing around with the ball but were clearing it up-field.

It took seven minutes for Spurs to have their first shot when Maddison got the ball in space on the edge of the box and fired an effort at goal that was headed over for another corner. This one was played in low and was kicked away, but Tottenham had a lot of possession and were keeping the ball on the surface, although it was hard to turn and stop on the frosty surface.

A long throw in the 14th minute from the right went past everyone, including Kinsky’s punch, to hit the far post but there was a push on the keeper anyway. A good build-up from the back ended with Maddison having a shot from inside the D that went a foot over the bar.  Spurs made a couple of loose passes on the Tamworth left and McGlinchey fired in a low shot from right of centre 20 yards out with Archie Gray blocking it for a corner, which Kinksy held well coming well off his line. 

Tonks showed that he is also able to use his feet, when he kicked Mikey Moore a few inches under his knee as the intimidation continued.  The pitch seemed uneven and that wasn’t referring to the slope on it, but the ball was bobbling making passing on the ground problematical.  That led to a lot of balls being launched forward making the game disjointed. The first shot on target of the match saw Maddison nutmeg Milnes and look for the keeper’s bottom left corner, but it was pushed wide as Singh dived full length. Sarr got another shot on target. Taking the ball down in the box level with the keeper’s left-hand post but it was blocked for another corner.

There were a lot of Tamworth feet being left in and Maddison caught one high up on the shin from Hollis.  Then Creaney shoved Kinsky after the keeper had caught a corner, pushing him straight into another Tamworth player, leaving Toni holding his jaw.  Robbing Tonks on two occasions in the same move, Maddison received the ball inside the box and turned Hollis easily, but the ball was too close to him to get much on his shot and as Singh dived to take it into his chest, it was a straightforward save.  Some passing around at the back saw Dragusin have to stretch to reach a pass and he poked it wide of Kinsky, who had come out to the edge of his box and had to recover to put the ball out under pressure from Creaney.

In truth it was a difficult game mainly because of the conditions rather than the opposition, who were sitting in hoping for a set-piece, so it was 0-0 at half-time. 

So, Spurs faced playing uphill in the second half and Tonks was soon leaving a late one on Bissouma, but the ball had been played to Maddison who hit a first time shot that the keeper got down to well but picked up an injury in doing so.  At the other end, a Tamworth free-kick was well claimed by Toni, who came out to rise above everyone, before Creaney left one on Porro.  On the other side of things, Hollis showed good skill to drag the ball back and away from Sarr and Werner.  Timo was close to opening the scoring with a header from a Moore cross that Hollis headed away on the goal-line.  The non-stop concentration by the ITV commentators about how long had gone without Spurs scoring did discredit to Tamworth and seemed to ignore that Liverpool took 26 minutes to score against Accrington Stanley at Anfield yesterday, which wasn’t on a dodgy pitch.

Although Bankes is a Premier League ref, he allowed Creaney to throw Dragusin down with a judo throw and then when they got up again, they both got booked for continuing the argy-bargy.  It was all a bit pointless, as Kinsky caught it high above the masses in front of him.  Singh came out to block Werner’s shot when Brennan slotted a pass through to him and Timo hit the ball low giving the keeper a chance, whereas if he could have dinked it, the keeper wouldn’t have saved it.  Reguilon and Maddison worked the ball well close to the dead-ball line and set-up Werner, who crashed a shot that was blocked by Cullinan-Liburd.  The same Tamworth player won a header from a corner, but it bobbled wide of the goal to the right.  It sparked Ange into two substitutions with Bergvall on for Pape and Mikey Moore went off with Dominic Solanke replacing him.

Because Tamworth are non-league, they were being allowed to get away with a lot as Porro was bundled over and then Enuru went in on Johnson after the ball had gone. Regi got onto Werner’s pass down the left and Reguilon picked out Johnson at the far post, but his volley only found the side-netting.

As the game passed the 70 minute mark, Spurs were taking more control of the play, but that was nearly undone when a clearance hit Tonks and  almost looped over Kinsky, but he was alert enough to get back and take the ball high under the bar.  Porro fired in a fierce cross to the near post that Singh blocked away before the game got scrappy, with Creaney backing in and throwing arms around people without conceding a free-kick and Tonks was booked for waving an imaginary second yellow card at Dragusin.

Hilarity ensued when Porro’s firm pass hit Morrison in the groin and with it being a very cold day, he felt the pain, but got up before the physio had to come on and administer the sponge and cold water !  McGlinchey then got booked for a foul on Maddison, before he popped up at the other end to take advantage of Solanke’s slip in the Spurs box to hit a shot to the near post that Bissouma blocked for a corner, which led to two more shots one blocked again by Yves and then a poked effort that Toni got behind to take falling to his left.

So, a flurry of excitement for the home crowd before the 90 minutes ended and extra time was to be played.

Ange had decided enough was enough with Son, Kulusevski and Spence coming on and Werner, Maddison and Dragusin leaving the game.  After Tshikuna had a shot that was way too high and then Porro was taken out late by Williams and another yellow card went Tamworth’s way.  A good pass outside him found Sergio Reguilon overlapping into the box and the Spaniard had a low drive saved by Singh’s legs at his near post.  When the keeper picked up a pass inside his box from Milnes, the referee indicated that it was not a back-pass despite no other Tamworth being anywhere near there. Johnson got onto the end of a diagonal pass forward by Reguilon and put the ball invitingly across the face of goal, but nobody in a light blue shirt was there to put it away.

There was no tempo to our game and while it was a difficult pitch, there seemed a reluctance to run at Tamworth with the ball until Son picked up the ball in his own half, running away from Crompton who was so slow he couldn’t even trip him, although Cullinane-Liburd just blocked him off after Sonny had laid the ball off.  Porro lined it up and with Tamworth expecting a shot, he slid a pass wide of the wall to the right to Brennan Johnson.  He played the ball square, with it coming off a defender, running behind Bergvall to Solanke, who poked it at goal, but the ball came off Tshikuna’s foot and then his knee to go over the keeper’s dive and then bobble over the line.  It was a goal in keeping with the rest of the game, with the scrappy nature of the tie, but they all count.  It prompted a spell of pressure on the Tamworth goal with Johnson having a shot saved after good work on the left by Son.

After the second half kicked off, Kinsky had to kick clear, but it didn’t go very far, with McGlinchey trying to lob it back over his head, but Kinsky was back as the ball sailed over the bar.  Tottenham killed the game off when Kulusevski scored with a low drilled left foot effort into the far corner after taking a touch to control Son’s pass to him inside the left side of the box.

Williams had a chance when the ball found its way to him inside the left side of the box and he drilled a low shot looking for the far corner, but Kinksy quickly flopped behind it to hold the shot.  Sonny swerved past a defender in the box and put the ball back to Dom, but it was a bit short and was cleared. 

When Williams went down in the Spurs box, the home fans wanted a penalty, but he got up again and Archie blocked his shot.  Tottenham then calmly
played the ball around in their own area, with Bissouma (one back-heel) and Spence (two drag-backs in his own box) working the ball out to Kulusevski, who returned it wide right for Djed.  His low ball into the box aimed at Dominic was blocked, but as it went to Morrison, it was toed off him and Brennan Johnson swept it first-time wide of Singh’s dive to his right.

It was a tough match on an unusual pitch for Tottenham and although Tamworth took it to extra-time in a good performance for a non-league team, they did what they wanted to do and pulled us down to their level.  Getting involved with the shoving and pulling was designed to unsettle us, so that worked, but the much talked about danger from set-pieces was well dealt with by our defence on the whole.  Kinsky’s dominance in coming for high balls in the box snuffed out a lot of the anxiety they might have caused other clubs.  Archie Gray showed that he is a mature young player who is calm and unflustered by the bullying tactics employed, although Radu Dragusin has to learn not to get involved and to channel his aggression in the right way.  Quite a few Spurs players took a kicking, with Porro, Maddison, Moore and Johnson the main recipients of Tamworth’s lack of control in their tackling, but Tottenham were anchored by a fine performance by Yves Bissouma, who moved the ball well and tidied up without any histrionics.

It was almost as though the non-League club felt their chance had gone at the end of normal time with the opportunity they had then.  More space appeared for Spurs to play in and the full-backs were hitting long diagonals that got wide players in behind the Tamworth defenders.  As the home players tired, the Tottenham players ran at them more, finding less pressure on the ball or players tracking the runs.  It wasn’t just physical tiredness, but mental too, as they switched off at Porro’s free-kick allowing Brennan space and time to control Pedro’s ball to him before firing it across goal.  The naivety of the Tamworth sub Wreh was exemplified by him dragging Reguilon around by his arm when the home side had Spurs penned in their own corner, allowing time to be run down as any danger disappeared.

It was pleasing to see Dragusin and Gray making runs out of defence with the ball, as this commits opposition players and makes pace for others.  So, despite having to go to extra time, we are in the hat for the Fourth round and there were some positives to be taken out of the game, but Tamworth will take the plaudits and rightly so, as they put up more of a fight than some of the Premier League teams we have played.

Stanford Rivers

 

MATCH NOTES
 
  • This was the first match that has ended 0-0 after 90 minutes since Ange Postecoglou took over.

 

OTHER RESULTS
  Sheffield United 0 Cardiff City 1
  Everton 2 Peterborough United 0
  Fulham 4 Watford 1
  Aston Villa 2 West Ham United London 1
  Wycombe Wanderers 2 Portsmouth 0
  Birmingham City 2 Lincoln City 1
  Bristol City 1 Wolverhampton Wanderers
2
  Middlesbrough 0 Blackburn Rovers 2
  Liverpool 4 Accrington Stanley 0
  Leicester City 6 QPR 2
  AFC Bournemouth 5 West Bromwich Albion 1
  Brentford 0 Plymouth Argyle 1
  Chelsea 5 Morecambe 0
  Exeter City 3 Oxford United 1
  Norwich City 0 Brighton & Hove Albion 4
  Nottingham Forest 2 Luton Town 0
  Reading 1 Burnley 3
  Sunderland 1 Stoke City 2
  Leeds United 1 Harrogate Town 0
  Mancashter City 8 Salford City 0
  Coventry City (Won 4-3 on pens; a.e.t.) 1 Sheffield Wednesday 1
  Hull City 1 Doncaster Rovers  (Won 5-4 on pens; a.e.t.) 1
  Woolwich Wanderers 1 Mancashter United  (Won 5-3 on pens; a.e.t.) 1
  Crystal Palace 1 Stockport County 0
  Ipswich Town 3 Bristol Rovers 0
  Newcash United 3 Bromley 1
  South Coast Big Club 3 Swansea City 0
  Millwall 3 Dagenham & Redbridge 0
  Leyton Orient (won 6-5 on pens a.e.t.) 1 Derby County 1
  Mansfield Town 0 Wigan Athletic 2
  Preston North End 2 Charlton Athletic 1