Tamworth 0-3 Tottenham: Non-league side tick almost all the FA Cup magic boxes
2025-01-13
Category: sports

A net malfunction, a goalkeeper becoming a father hours earlier and a defender pulling off a 'Maradona' skill he could not explain.Non-league Tamworth's performance against Tottenham had nearly everything you could dream of in an FA Cup tie - except a goal.The Lambs, one of the few semi-professional teams left in the fifth-tier National League after back-to-back promotions, would even have had a rematch at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium had replays not been scrapped this season.Premier League Spurs needed extra time to win the tie 3-0 after it had finished goalless in 90 minutes, but it was an occasion wrapped by tales befitting the historic competition.The Staffordshire club, based not too far away from Birmingham, had been looking forward to this one - as they welcomed the eight-time FA Cup winners to the Lamb Ground and their artificial pitch.National TV cameras were there in a bid to catch that fabled magic of the competition - and they got their wish early on when Beck-Ray Enoru had to climb onto a team-mate's shoulders and tape a hole in the net so the game could start, delaying the kick-off.Tamworth performed admirably throughout, matching Tottenham for most of the game - and even had chances to win it.But there were other moments which caught the eye too. That included 32-year-old journeyman centre-back Haydn Hollis' pirouette to lose two Spurs players - a decision which could have gifted the visitors a chance had it gone wrong.Tamworth later posted on social media a picture of Diego Maradona doing the same bit of skill for Argentina."Their manager [Ange Postecoglou] just said to me, 'that's good enough to get you in the door here'," said Hollis afterwards."I said, 'believe it or not, I've never done it before'. That's not my game, you'll never see that again."He also cleared a header off the line from Timo Werner, which is probably more his normal game.
'Bless her for letting me play' - big day for new dad Singh
Tommy Tonks, who drives a food van for work five days a week, caused Spurs repeated problems with his long throw-ins. One even hit the far post.His name was all over social media at one stage with viewers loving the 33-year-old's work."All the lads can be proud of themselves," Tonks told BBC Radio 5 Live in an interview alongside his family. "I was cramping up a little bit. We would run through brick walls [for each other]. "I've not been in the house much this week. "I'm in the twilight of my career - hopefully I can have more nights like this. The FA Cup is really special to me and the club."Anything else missing? Oh, just that goalkeeper Jas Singh's partner had a son the day before the game.The 34-year-old building surveyor, who has played for several non-league clubs in the West Midlands, put in a star performance and denied James Maddison and Werner."I just became a father yesterday and it just gets sweeter for me," he told BBC Radio 5 Live. "This is a quiet day at the office. First time, a little boy. My partner is still in hospital, bless her for letting me play today."On the game, he added: "To take a team like that to extra time is incredible and to do it in the way we did â we actually had a go."Maybe on another day a ball falls the other way â we should be proud. They brought the big boys on at extra time, and we were all having a laugh in our huddle saying, 'here we go!'."I am frustrated, but when the dust settles I will be proud. "You don't get better than this. The majority of my career has been part-time - to have a day like this is incredible."Singh was first beaten by an own goal from substitute Nathan Tshikuna, before Dejan Kulusevski and Brennan Johnson sealed Tottenham's success with a scoreline which hugely flattered them.
'Back to the day job, unfortunately'
Tamworth boss Andy Peaks has been a professional football manager for precisely three days.He signed a new full-time contract on Thursday, meaning he can leave his job as a support worker at Tresham College in Kettering.Having taken charge of Tamworth in 2022, the 54-year-old has said he was struggling to combine both roles after leading the club up from the Southern Football League.After the Spurs game, he added: "They all go back to work tomorrow, but they can go with their heads held high."Everyone put a shift in, everyone stuck to the remit. It was unbelievable from our boys, I'm just so proud of them."On his players starting to struggle in extra time, Peaks said: "Why wouldn't we be getting tired by then? We're a part-time club against, I think, probably 11 internationals at that stage."Nottingham Trent University lecturer and Tamworth player Tom McGlinchey, a summer signing from Coalville Town, added: "Immensely proud of the lads. Amazing day and a shame we couldn't get over the line."Back to work lecturing tomorrow - back to the day job, unfortunately."