Tamworth v Tottenham: FA Cup third round – live

3 days ago

The Guardian

Tamworth v Tottenham FA Cup third round live

Minute-by-minute report: Join John Brewin as non-league Tamworth bid for a giant-killing against Spurs

39 min: Dragusin and Kinsky get in a mess, and the goalie has to hack clear. He’s had a couple of shaky moments, mostly not of his own doing.

37 min: Tamworth have been robust and organised. A few reducers going in, and with no VAR, it’s a gamble worth taking. Tottenham have played far worse than they did against Liverpool in midweek.

35 min: Tamworth corner. Pushing and shoving in the Spurs box. Kinsky looks safe as he collects the ball.

33 min: Maddison takes a cruncher from McGlinchey but Spurs keep the ball. Johnson sets Porro on the overlap but the ball zips off out, and possibly near the ley lines for which Tamworth is known.

32 min: Nice skill from Maddison, cutting beyond Milnes and Singh makes a decent save. Sarr then forces another corner.

30 min: Now it’s Tottenham’s turn for a set piece. Maddison’s kick can’t beat the first man. The ball comes out to Werner. Shot blocked, and Porro gets snuffed, too. It’s not happening for Ange’s men; they have been slow.

28 min: Here comes one of those Tonks. This time, it’s knocked away. Enoru’s back on but looking discomforted. A shame.

26 min: Enoru, who produced that attack in the first minute, pulls up, having stood on the ball. A hamstring twang? Could well be. Or just a jar.

24 min: Edan Tal: “Is Tamworth’s Tonks one of football’s few onomatopoeic footballers? Don’t think Gary Speed was fast enough to count.”

Tottenham being thoroughly jeered. It’s all good fun.

22 min: Eric Dunn gets in touch: “As you can see from the drone photo of The Lamb accompanying your MBM report, Tamworth have an indoor training facility adjacent to the ground called SnowWorld (artificial ski slope with “real” snow). Surely there’s got to be some humour to be extracted from that. Can’t think of anything myself atm, but then again, I’m only just risen from the scratcher, and yet to partake of any liquid refreshment. Enjoy the match ... it’s games like this that make the whole FA Cup circus so worthwhile.”

Tottenham continue to pass the ball around to the accompaniment of boos.

21 min: Paul Roche also get in touch: “Hi John. Timo Werner education us today. Never knew that. I wonder is that the same in Spain. Perhaps they should introduce that in England. Would have given Accrington the chance to host liverpool, Morecombe Chelsea and Manchester United - Arsenal.”

Timo himself shows a lovely piece of control but fails to find Maddison.

20 min: Gill Kirkby gets in touch: “I was at Anfield yesterday (with no signal, no 3G pitch you see) and the Stanley fans were singing a tribute to Fields of Anfield Road, “Fields of Accrington”. Really hope the Tamworth faithful have rewritten some Spurs anthems, perhaps with reference to the legendary Tamworth two?”

Per wiki: “The Tamworth Two were a pair of pigs that escaped while being unloaded from a lorry at an abattoir in the English town of Malmesbury, Wiltshire in January 1998. The pigs (later named Butch and Sundance after Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid) were on the run for more than a week, and the search for them caused a huge media sensation, as well as immense public interest, both in Britain and abroad.”

19 min: Kinsky does ever so well in claiming the catch from the throw. He looks the part: so far.

18 min: Oof, shot from McGlinchey, and the ball comes off Archie Gray and behind. A corner, rather than a throw.

16 min: Jeers as Maddison makes time and space to shoot and can only thwack it wide.

14 min: Ever-vigilant Liverpool fans would like me to point out that their team was beaten in the Carabao Cup and it was only the first leg. So there.

13 min: Well, that Tonks throw is some weapon. Kinsky is left exposed as it missiles into the box and the ball comes loose, and bounces off the post and out. To Tottenham relief.

11 min: Kieren gets in touch: “Today has a distinct “anything could happen” magic to it, and not just because Spurs won their last match. Nearly dropped my phone at the tip yesterday when Plymouth won. They say lightning doesn’t strike twice, but after Tamworth went straight down and forced Kinsky to save, you never know...

“In other news, on Boxing Day I mentioned in the Newcastle v Ipswich ‘clocko’ a girl in my lectures I hoped to ask out. Well, from the looks of things she’s just broken up with her boyfriend. Like I said, anything can happen...”

10 min: Some high-grade booing from the Tamworth locals. Not had a “you what, you what, you what” yet.

Answer: “you heard, you heard you heard, you heard.”

See also the “woaaaaah” roar for Kinsky’s kicking.

8 min: Spurs dominating possession, going down the slope. Maddison gets turn to spin and shoot.

7 min: Maddison sends Sarr away. Werner and Moore find Brennan Johnson, and it’s a poor effort. A 3g bobble?

5 min: Spurs settle into possession, using the 3g, which looks a tad patchy. Isn’t that when your phone goes to “E” and you know you’re getting nowt.

3 min: Corner forced after Porro finds Reguillon. Maddison takes, and Jas Sing the goalie makes a fine save, and that’s followed by a quick break. The result is a throw and Tom Tonks will launch this one. It’s cleared.

1 min: And the first shot is from Tamworth, whose left winger bursts down the edge of the box and forces a save from Kinsky. The attacker’s name? Beck-Ray Besongbap Enoru, he’s from Cameroon.

Ange is giving it back to the hoons, and laughing away. In the goal net, the Tamworth goalie and their tallest defender are glueing back on the net. Oh, this is glorious stuff. All we need is Jimmy Hill to come on and run the line.

The goal nets look to have been tampered with. Behind Ange, a load of bloody hoons, to quote Alf Stewart, are making a nuisance of themselves, giving it the big one.

The teams take to the field. It looks brass monkeys in Tamworth. James Maddison is carrying out the team talk in the Tottenham huddle.

It’s cramped in the tunnel, and Ange Postecoglou looks determined. The 3g pitch beckons.

Bob Andrews, the Tamworth chairman, has spoken to the BBC: “It is the biggest day in the club’s history. We thought Wembley was good in the FA Vase but this tops it. To have a Premier League club of this stature at Tamworth is fantastic. It is just nice to get all the crowd here. I wish we could get more in but we are full to capacity.

“The money from this game is going to help us develop the ground itself. We need better dressing rooms, we need a stand down the bottom end - we need various things. It’s tidy but it needs upgrading.”

So, how were the changing rooms? Timo Werner seems chipper enough as he states that in Germany, the smaller team always hosts the cup tie.

Tamworth: Singh, Crompton, Cullinane-Liburd, Hollis, Cockerill-Mollett, Tonks, Milnes, McLinchey, Morrison, Enoru, Creaney. Subs: Phillips, Curley, Digie, Fletcher, Finn, Wreh, Williams, Tshikuna, Sundire.

Reguilon, Sarr, Maddison, Johnson, Werner, Moore in, Djed Spence, Son, Solanke, Kulusevski and Bergval out, with Bentancur on the sidelines, too. Kinsky continues in goal.

Tottenham: Kinsky, Porro, Dragusin, Gray, Reguilon, Sarr, Bissouma, Maddison, Johnson, Werner, Moore. Subs: Austin, Spence, Dorrington, Bergvall, Olusesi, Kulusevski, Son, Solanke, Lankshear.

Here’s Ben Fisher’s excellent story on Tamworth FC.

Nickname: The lambs.

To the slaughter? Let’s see.

‘Tottenham are going to hate it’: Tamworth up for FA Cup shock

Tamworth, a busy, proud market town in the west Midlands, full of history, its best known son the arch-drude Julian Cope, hosts the mighty Tottenham. They’re 16th in the National League so play a decent standard of football, so can Ange’s boys have it all their own way. After that tough night in beating Liverpool in the FA Cup, a thin squad will be rotated. This is the tie of the round for those who like to see the minnows host the elite.

Kick-off is at 12.30pm UK time. Join me.