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Tamworth To The Top

A Fan's Blog
Started on 5 November 2023 by InsideForward
Latest Reply on 9 November 2023 by InsideForward
 
Monday 3rd July 2023

I’ve got my dad to thank for suffering 28 years as a season ticket holder at Tamworth FC.

At least I support my local team. It’s just a shame I had to be born and bred in the town of Tamworth, rather than Manchester or Liverpool.

Thanks to an unbelievable year, we’ve just been promoted from the third tier of non-league football. We won the Southern League Premier Central (ever heard of it?) on goal difference, which means for the 2023-2024 season, we’ll be plying our trade in the Vanarama National North. Whilst you might not have heard of the likes Banbury Town, Brackley or Bishop’s Stortford, we do get to play Scunthorpe United this year.

And we’re one step away from the dizzying heights of Oldham, Rochdale and Southend. Two steps away from the football league…

So, what does a club like Tamworth do when it’s just achieved promotion and all the fans are excited for the upcoming season? It sacks its popular manager and puts a complete unknown in charge, of course.

If ever there was a time to write a blog about life as a Tamworth fan, it’s now.

But first, let me tell you a little about my home town of Tamworth.

Famous for an indoor ski centre, Drayton Manor (a poor man’s Alton Towers) and Alfred the Great’s daughter dying here, it’s fair to say Tamworth isn’t a town you associate with football. We’re just northeast of Birmingham and about an hour west of Leicester, but we try to avoid any association with either city. We’re a proud market town with a solid Anglo-Saxon history.

And as for the club.

It started out 90 years ago. Some ups, including an FA Cup 1st Round win over Torquay United in the 1960s, were followed by downs. The club almost collapsed in the 1970s and early 1980s. In 1984, some local businessmen took over and effectively saved us. One of those businessmen was Bob Andrews, who is still chairman to this day and much loved by the fans.

Two things happened in May 1989. Firstly, I was born. Secondly, Tamworth won the FA Vase Trophy, which is the national cup for teams below the Vanarama National and regional leagues. It’s a big deal, because it gives clubs such as ours the chance to play at Wembley. And our club holds the record for the biggest attendance at the old Wembley when we drew the final (we won the replay at Peterborough’s stadium). I wasn’t there of course, but my dad was. Which meant he wasn’t at my birth. I don’t hold it against him.

I started following The Lambs properly in the 1990s. Dad was pleased that he had somebody to take with him to the games – home and away. I haven’t missed a single game since 1995, including pre-season friendlies.

In 2003, we were promoted to the top-tier of non-league football – the Vanarama National. That’s the highest we’ve ever been. And for all but two of the next eleven seasons, we stayed there. Always flirting with relegation, we never finished any higher than 15th.

In our first season in the Vanarama National in 2003, we also made it to the final of the FA Trophy. The FA Trophy is the top trophy for the National League. I was there at Villa Park when we lost to Burscough FC. I was 14 and convinced we were going to win. It would have been incredible to see, but Dad and I did the short journey home with heartbreak instead.

Two years on the bounce, we had decent FA Cup runs. In 2006, we made it to the Third Round where we lost on penalties to Stoke. The following year, we were on TV as we lost 4-1 at home Norwich. Kyle Storer’s goal for us was unbelievable, but two goals apiece from Darren Huckerby and Dion Dublin (before Homes Under The Hammer came calling) showed the difference in class.

In 2012, we played Everton at Goodison Park in the FA Cup Third Round. I was so proud to see my club at a Premier League ground playing a Premier League team in the biggest domestic cup competition in the world. Close game, all things considered, but we lost. We haven’t had much to shout about in the FA Cup since.

After being relegated from the Vanarama National in 2014, we spent four years in the Vanarama National North, which is the level we’re at now. Three of those seasons were spent pushing for play-offs, but 2018 saw us drop to the third tier of non-league football. Only once before last season did we get a sniff of promotion, finishing runners-up in 2020.

And then there’s last season. What a year. Winning the league on goal difference thanks to a 92nd minute goal rescuing a point in the last game…I can’t even put words to that. I’ve never felt emotion like it. Even Dad said he thinks that might have topped 1989 – I’m sure he means the FA Vase win, not my birth.

So, that brings us to today. Like I said, we’ve just sacked our title-winning manager. Andy Peaks did a great job for us. We’ve got a lot to thank him for. As much as he should have been given the opportunity to lead us in the new season, Bob and the board have consistently made the right decisions for this club. If they want better football and think this Sam Davis guy is the man to deliver it, we’re behind that.

Sam Davis may only be my age. His experience may only have come at a local football club in Birmingham. But if he has Bob’s backing, he has our backing. We’re buckled in and ready for the ride.

And I’ll be here to blog each step of the way…

Come on you Lambs!
Wednesday 5th July 2023

So far, all we’ve had is a statement from Bob and the board to say that the new gaffer will be responsible for implementing an attacking and modern style of play. We scored a decent amount of goals en route to winning the league last season and the football wasn’t bad, considering the level we were at.

So, I've been doing some digging on Sam Davis to try and figure out how we might look and play next season.

We’ve already done a lot of transfer business. That also raises questions about why the manager has been changed now, particularly if we’re looking at shifting the style. But what’s done is done.

The only bits of information I can find so far is that Davis seems to like a 4-3-3 formation. It looks like most of the creativity in his local teams came from the wings. That might suit us. Kyle Finn was one of our best and most creative players last season, cutting in from the right flank. We’ve also just signed Ben Acquaye from Vanarama North rivals Banbury. He played almost every game for them at this level and had a decent season with them last year, so we’re quite excited about him. He’s more of an out-and-out winger, rather than somebody who likes to cut in.

Dan Creaney has got to start up front. He got 34 goals for us last season. He’s a big target man up top, so I’ll expect to see Finn playing off him again and Acquaye getting balls in the box for him.

I’ve also read that Davis likes a sitting midfielder to anchor the midfield. I’d expect our captain, Ben Milnes, to pick that job up. I’m not sure who else we have to play that role, if that’s what Davis goes with.

I’d put money on new boys Callum Reilly and Nathan Tshikuna being the other two central midfielders. Reilly played at Championship level with Birmingham years ago. Still only 29, he’s bounced down the leagues for a few years since. He barely played for Banbury last season, but I still expect him to be a cut above at this level if he gets game time. Tshikuna was with Royston last season in the same league as us. He was too good for that league, but hasn’t been at this level before. At 24, I think he could easily become one of our better players.

In defence, I’ve read that Davis likes a back four. He like attacking full backs, so he’ll like Callum Cockerill-Mollett on the left. He played well for us last season. But we’ll need him to be a bit more defensive-minded if he’s playing behind Acquaye. On the right, we’re short. Matt Curley did ok last season, but only ever played at this level once before – and that was a handful of games for us a few years ago. I’m also not convinced he offers enough pace or width to cover Finn moving infield. Davis might want to look for another option there.

I’m glad to see Jordan Cullinane-Liburd back with us. He’s big, strong, quite quick for this level and he’s got a good throw-in on him. He’s just done three years at this level with Brackley, so that’s a good signing I reckon. I’m expecting Jamie Willets to partner him at the back. We signed him for the second half of last season and he was impressive. Another big, strong lad who is good in the air, he also picked up a couple of important goals for us last season.

Jaz Singh will no doubt be in goal. He’s been our keeper for a few years. He’s dependable and he’s experienced at this level. At 33, he’s probably the right age now as well.

So, based on what I know of Sam Davis, I think our starting XI as it stands is likely to be:

GK Jaz Singh
DR Matt Curley
DC Jordan Cullinane-Liburd
DC Jamie Willets
DL Callum Cockerill-Mollett
DM Ben Milnes
MC Nathan Tshikuna
MC Callum Reilly
WR Kyle Finn
WL Ben Acquaye
ST Dan Creaney

From the bench, we’ve got Leon Phillips as a backup goalkeeper. He’s a young lad we’ve signed from Boston United. In defence, we’ve signed Brad Gascoigne from Kettering who were relegated from this league last season. He might challenge Jamie Willets for a starting spot. We’ve also got Liam Dolman who did ok last season, but at 35 and looking about 18 stone, I don’t think he’s good, young or fit enough for this level.

In midfield, Jamie Jellis is a good, hard-working central midfielder. We had him on loan last season and he did well, so I’m glad we’ve made it permanent. He’ll get game time and should push Reilly and Tshikuna for a starting spot. Lindon Meikle was also on loan last season and we’ve made that permanent. He adds experience. He’s 35 and played beyond this level before, so he’s a nice defensive midfield option.

We’ve got good options on the flanks. Former Leicester City graduate Dempsey Arlott-John can play off either flank and up front, plus he’s only 21, so he could be a good signing from Harborough. Kai Williams has come in too. We had him a few years ago and he wasn’t good enough, but he’s had a steady couple of years at Telford even though they were relegated last year, so hopefully he brings something this time around. Despite being quick, Luke Fairlamb wasn’t great last season, so I can’t see him getting much game time.

Up top, we’ve got Alex Jones and Ty Deacon. Both are pretty much like-for-like for Creaney, although Deacon is a grafter and a lot more mobile. He’s more likely to serve as a Plan B if the big man up top isn’t working.

Our first pre-season game is away at Stockton on Saturday. It’s a long old journey to the North-East, particularly for pre-season, but I’ll be there of course and will keep you updated.

Come on you Lambs!
Friday 7th July 2023

Sam Davis is making moves on the squad already.

Yesterday, the Lambs’ fan site was saying that we’d signed a lad called Kallum Cesay. A quick Google search shows he’s 20 years old and plays either right-back or as a defensive central midfielder, which I identified the other day as being the two areas of concern for me. Cesay came through the ranks at West Ham and Spurs, so he’s got good pedigree. He’s also a full international with Sierra Leone and has got two goals in two games for his country. Not bad for a right-back.

I checked the Tamworth website, but nothing had been confirmed. The fan site is now saying it’s a trial and he’s likely to feature against Stockton tomorrow.

It gets better.

Davis was spotted at a triallists game in Hereford yesterday. And this morning, the fan site says we’ve picked up three lads from that game on trial.

Dimitri Sea is the first. He scored twice in the triallists game. He’s a French striker who was in the Aston Villa academy. He moved to Barrow and scored one goal in ten games for them in League Two a couple of seasons ago. He’s meant to be pacy, which is an option we haven’t got up front. I’m just a bit concerned by the fact he hasn’t played football in a year and nobody else has taken a punt on him yet.

We've also taken Hayden Lindley on trial. Thanks to Google, all I know is Lindley came through the Man City academy before moving to Aston Villa. He played in the FA Cup against Liverpool that time the Villa had a big COVID outbreak. He made a few appearances for Newport in League Two last season, but he was recalled and eventually released by Villa at the end of the season.

Zuriel Otsei-Taiwo is the other lad we’ve got on trial. He was at Southampton. There’s not much about him on Google, other than a fan-written Southampton article describing him as “dynamic”, having “positional fluidity” and demanding he be given a chance last year when Southampton struggled in the Premier League. If that’s anything to go by, he sounds interesting.

Still no news on any staff movements, so it looks like Davis is keeping hold of the current backroom staff for now.

Stockton away tomorrow. Let’s do this.

Come on you Lambs!
Saturday 8th July 2023

MATCHDAY – Friendly – Stockton Town vs. Tamworth

It was about a 3-hour drive. We got here quite early, so Dad and I managed to stand right on the halfway line. The Tamworth fan site was accurate yet again: Kallum Cesay is on trial and named at right back, whilst Otseh-Taiwo, Lindley and Sea are all on the bench.

The starting XI is:

GK Jaz Singh
DR Kallum Cesay
DC Jordan Cullinane-Liburd
DC Brad Gascoigne
DL Callum Cockerill-Mollett
DM Ben Milnes (c)
MC Jamie Jellis
MC Callum Reilly
WR Kyle Finn
WL Ben Acquaye
ST Dan Creaney
Subs: Phillips, Otseh-Taiwo, Willets, Dolman, Curley, Lindley, Meikle, Tshikuna, Arlott-John, Fairlamb, Williams, Deacon, Jones, Sea

Good to see Davis starting pre-season with what looks to be a strong line up.

Kick off. The starting shape does look like a 4-3-3. And it looks like Milnes is the sitting midfielder.

10 mins – We’ve started well. Acquaye is a threat early on. He’s moving outside and inside off the left wing and giving his full back a lot to think about. Reilly has just hit the bar with an effort from the edge of the box.

20 mins – We’ve had about four corners already. Cesay has been on all of them. Not sure whether there’s anything we can read into that.

28 mins – GOAL TO TAMWORTH!!! (Ben Acquaye) Good play by Cockerill-Mollett down the left. He lofts a ball into the path of Acquaye who gets inside his full back and smashes a left-footed finish into the far corner. 1-0 to Tamworth!

30 mins – We’re dominating the play. It looks like we’ve had almost all the ball and about 10 shots already. The ball is moving quickly and with purpose. It’s very early, but we look very good.

38 mins – GOAL TO TAMWORTH!!! (Kyle Finn) The cross comes over from Acquaye which evades everybody, including Finn at the back post. Cesay picks it up on the right of the penalty box and lays into Finn who nutmegs the keeper at the near post. 2-0 to Tamworth!

43 mins – PENALTY TO TAMWORTH! A deep cross comes in from Cockerill-Mollett and Creaney is bundled over in the box. It looked a penalty from where I’m stood. It should be Milnes on this.

44 mins – GOAL TO TAMWORTH!!! (Ben Milnes) Captain fantastic smashes it into the top left corner from the spot. 3-0 to Tamworth!

45 +1 mins – GOAL TO TAMWORTH!!! (Kyle Finn) A corner comes in from Cesay and Stockton fail to clear it. Gascoigne scrambles the ball to Finn on the left side of the penalty area who takes a touch before firing it across the keeper and into the back of the net for his second. 4-0 to Tamworth!

Half-time. We’ve been brilliant. Stockton are poor and we won’t get carried away by 45 minutes of football, but we were front foot all half. We passed the ball well and at a high tempo, created really good chances and finished well. Stockton haven’t had a shot and haven’t seen a lot of the ball. I’ve just checked the stats on my phone and it says we’ve had 55% possession. It feels a lot more than that.

The wing play is really good. Acquaye is a constant threat down the left. Finn is picking up where he left off last season and Cesay supporting him from full back looks a proper player. Based on those 45 minutes alone, we should be signing him.

Let’s see how the second half goes. We’ve brought on Willets for Gascoigne at the back and Tshikuna for Jellis.

56 mins – GOAL TO TAMWORTH!!! (Callum Reilly) Another Cesay corner comes in. The Stockton defender heads it up in the air, rather than out. Reilly attacks it as it comes back down and buries his header into the back of the net. The Stockton keeper could have done better, but we’re not complaining. 5-0 to Tamworth!

60 mins – Cesay at right-back is unbelievable. He’s class going forward, reads what Finn is doing every single time and he can defend as well. Stockton’s winger hasn’t had a look in. We need to sign this lad. Double substitution as Acquaye and Creaney make way for Kai Williams and Alex Jones. It’s like for like.

61 mins – GOAL TO TAMWORTH!!! (Kai Williams) He’s only just come on! Yet another Cesay corner isn’t dealt with by Stockton. Reilly picks it up and plays a lovely ball into Williams on the left of the box. He edges forward, beats his man on the outside and smashes one off the crossbar and in. 6-0 to Tamworth!

68 mins – Stockton have just tested Singh in goal for the first time today. Their big lad up front gets the beating of Cullinane-Liburd and hits a low one. Big Jaz saves well and pushes it behind for a corner, which comes to nothing.

70 mins – Triple substitution. At right back, Otseh-Taiwo replaces Cesay who has been brilliant. Lindley, the other triallist, comes on for Milnes in midfield. And Finn comes off for Dempsey Arlott-John on the right flank.

73 mins – Substitution. The final triallist, Dimitri Sea, comes on for Callum Reilly. Reilly played well today. It looks like Davis is dropping Arlott-John and Williams on the flanks into a deeper position and Sea is going to sit up front with Jones. Looks like 4-4-2. Davis obviously wants to look at this for the last 20 minutes or so.

80 mins – Final substitutions. Big Jaz is coming off in goal for the young lad Phillips to see the game out. Cullinane-Liburd is out for Dolman at centre back and Curley is coming on at left-back for Cockerill-Mollett.

87 mins – GOAL TO TAMWORTH!!! (Kai Williams) This was just a tale of two wingers. Arlott-John beats his man on the right before moving infield. He plays a nice ball to Williams on the left, who then beats his man and moves infield himself before placing a right-footed effort into the far post. Very nicely done. 7-0 to Tamworth! I’m losing count here…

89 mins – Sea has just missed an open goal. It was on a plate after good work from Arlott-John down the right, but he’s put it over. Not ideal when you’re on trial.

FULL TIME. Stockton 0-7 Tamworth. Great result and a very good performance to go with it. A result like that should really give the boys some confidence going into the rest of pre-season. Not to mention the football they played – 56% possession, 88% passing accuracy and 31 shots with an xG of 4.74.

Davis got a big cheer from the travelling fans at the end of the game. He’s started well…

Next Saturday, we travel to Wales to play Guilsfield in our second pre-season match. They're a second tier Welsh side, so should be a bigger test than what Stockton were today. Looking forward to it already! In the meantime, let’s see if Davis snaps Cesay up before somebody else does.

The drive home won't feel like 3 hours after a 7-0 win.

Come on you Lambs!
Friday 14th July 2023

I’ve just watched Sam Davis’ pre-match interview on the Lambs website.

He's confirmed that one of our triallists, Zuriel Otseh-Taiwo, has joined Halifax in the Vanarama National on a permanent deal. We can’t argue or compete with that.

Davis confirmed that we’re talking to Kallum Cesay about a permanent deal, but he doesn’t sound confident. He said that there are lots of clubs looking at him and Tamworth are taking a “realistic” outlook on that. That would be disappointing, but understandable. He was brilliant against Stockton and, fair to say, looked a cut above us. You never know; let’s see what happens.

It looks like Davis really wants to strengthen at right-back. The fan site is saying we’ve brought in another one on trial. A lad called Sean Wilson. Liverpool academy player who played a few games in the Welsh Premier League last season. Sounds promising. If it’s true, I’d expect him to be in the squad for tomorrow’s game.

There are some rumours doing the rounds that Cockerill-Mollett might be leaving as well. Apparently, his contract isn’t secure and Ebbsfleet and Warrington are in for him. If he leaves for Ebbsfleet, I get that. They’re a Vanarama National side. But Warrington? They’ve only just been promoted to the Vanarama North, just like us. That’d be a sidewards step if ever I’ve seen one. Hopefully Davis will sort that contract out though because we haven’t got another left-back in the side.

Come on you Lambs!
Saturday 15th July 2023

MATCHDAY – Friendly – Guilsfield vs. Tamworth

Lovely day in Wales today.

Davis has gone with another strong line up, with new triallist Sean Wilson on the bench. The starting XI is:

GK Jaz Singh
DR Kallum Cesay
DC Jordan Cullinane-Liburd
DC Jamie Willets (c)
DL Callum Cockerill-Mollett
DM Hayden Lindley
MC Nathan Tshikuna
MC Callum Reilly
WR Kyle Finn
WL Kai Williams
ST Dan Creaney
Subs: Phillips, Wilson, Curley, Gascoigne, Dolman, Fairlamb, Milnes, Meikle, Jellis, Arlott-John, Acquaye, Jones, Deacon, Sea

Half-time. Guilsfield 1-3 Tamworth.

A long-range screamer from Tshikuna, followed by headers from Creaney and Cesay (please sign him!) put us 3-0 up after 34 minutes. Five minutes later, Guilsfield pulled one back through Hyne.

FULL-TIME. Guilsfield 2-6 Tamworth.

Guilsfield started the second half much better than us and got a second on 57 minutes. But we recovered and extended the gap to three goals again within ten minutes. First, a header by Willets from a corner, followed by a penalty by Milnes to make it 5-2. Davis changed to a 4-4-2 again with 15 minutes to go and we looked solid. With a few minutes left, triallist Sea scored the best goal of the game from outside the box to wrap up a good win.

Our possession stats were 60% today. Pass completion was 88% again and we had 9 shots on target from 17 with an xG of 3.00. But, we also gave up 12 shots to Guilsfield with an xG of 1.51 and we looked a little wobbly at times.

We’re exciting, that’s for sure.

Come on you Lambs!
Sunday 30th July 2023

Pre-season has come and gone in the blink of an eye.

After our 6-2 win away at Guilsfield, we travelled to Grimsby to play Grimsby Borough. We then took on the perennial Welsh champions, The New Saints, at the Lamb Ground, before closing pre-season with a trip to Lancashire to face Atherton Colleries.

Here are the results and goalscorers:

Tuesday 18th July 2023: Grimsby Borough 1-9 Tamworth Goalscorers: Gascoigne, Deacon (4), Sea, Fairlamb (2), Finn

Saturday 22nd July 2023: Tamworth 4-1 TNS Goalscorers: Finn, Willets, Milnes (p), Arlott-John

Saturday 29th July 2023: Atherton Colleries 1-3 Tamworth Goalscorers: Finn, Acquaye (2)

Some really pleasing results and performances, especially the win over TNS. 29 goals in 5 games is more than promising and we had more of the ball than any of the teams we played. That said, we didn’t look the most solid defensively and we creak under pressure, so something for Davis and the team to improve on there.

From a transfer perspective, Callum Cockerill-Mollett left us for Warrington. Dad and I are really annoyed about that as he was a starting man for us and it’s a sidewards step. It also means we’ve got no natural left back at the club. We missed out on Kallum Cesay. He joined Mansfield in League Two. We knew he was a cut or two above us anyway. No permanent deal yet for Hayden Lindley who is still on trial. Davis confirmed Sean Wilson has gone and won’t be offered a deal.

We took on 8 more triallists with varying results. Josh Tobin looked a good sitting midfielder and played a couple of games for us. Davis seemed confident on that one, but Leyton Orient nicked him. Again, can’t compete with a club of that size. We also trialled a couple of left backs in Kyron Farrell and Ryan Corrigan. Farrell looks the better option, so hopefully there’s a deal to be done there.

At right back, Josh Clarke came in on trial and he looks a good player. He was in the Championship with Brentford three years ago, so not sure whether a deal is realistic there. We’ve also looked at Andrew Eleftheriou and Kory Roberts, both of which have experience at this level and above.

But still no more signings with under a week until the big kick off at home to the biggest team in the league: Scunthorpe United.

Come on you Lambs!
Saturday 5th August 2023

MATCHDAY – Vanarama National League North – Tamworth vs. Scunthorpe United

Today is the big day. Recently promoted versus recently relegated. Scunthorpe United – by far the biggest club in this division and probably the biggest test we could have been given on opening day.

But look. We’ve had a good pre-season. We’ve scored bags of goals, played fluid attacking football and our possession stats have been good too. Sam Davis was confident in his pre-match press conference, and I’m confident too.

Dad and I have picked up a programme, grabbed a coffee and taken our seats with the sun on our faces. The 4,500 or so capacity Lamb Ground is about half full. That’s more than last season’s average.

The starting XI is announced:

GK Jaz Singh
DR Matt Curley
DC Jordan Cullinane-Liburd
DC Jamie Willets
DL Luke Fairlamb
DM Ben Milnes (c)
MC Nathan Tshikuna
MC Callum Reilly
WR Kyle Finn
WL Ben Acquaye
ST Dan Creaney
Subs: Phillips, Gascoigne, Jellis, Arlott-John, Deacon

Fairlamb at left-back is left field. That just goes to show the lack of options at the moment. Also, I’m not sure where Kai Williams is. He had a decent pre-season and there’s no news of an injury, so that’s a surprise.

Kick off. We’re 4-3-3, as expected.

10 mins – It’s a good start. We’re keeping hold of the ball well. Not much in the final third at the moment, but the same can be said of Scunthorpe. When Scunthorpe do have the ball, it’s clear they’ve got a bit of quality about them.

20 mins – GOAL TO TAMWORTH!!! (Dan Creaney) We’re a goal up! Fairlamb and Acquaye play a nice one-two down the left flank by the halfway line. The ball is fed into Tshikuna in the middle of the pitch, he lays into Finn who first time plays Creaney a through ball. With the keeper coming out, Creaney dinks him for the opening goal. Just about deserved on the balance of play. 1-0 to Tamworth!

23 mins – PENALTY TO TAMWORTH! Finn floats a corner over from the left and Scunthorpe’s Shrimpton clearly handballs it. Dad and I could see that from the opposite stand! Milnes got three in three in pre-season, so surely…

24 mins – GOAL TO TAMWORTH!!! (Ben Milnes) The skipper smashes it into the bottom left corner to double our lead. The Scunthorpe keeper went the right way, but there was too much on the shot. What a position we’re in now! 2-0 to Tamworth!

30 mins – GOAL TO TAMWORTH!!! (Dan Creaney) My word, what is happening!? Cullinane-Liburd brings the ball over the halfway line and just casually lobs a ball into the area. Creaney jumps and beats the Scunthorpe keeper to it with his head for his second of the game. We’re flying. 3-0 to Tamworth!

40 mins – Scunthorpe have seen a lot of the ball in the last ten minutes. A goal before half-time brings them right back into this, so hopefully we can see it out and go in three goals to the good at the break.

42 mins – GOAL TO TAMWORTH!!! (Ben Milnes) OH MY GOODNESS, WHAT A GOAL! A bad tackle on Finn wins us a free-kick about 30 yards out. We put Willets and Cullinane-Liburd up and everybody is expecting Milnes to put this into the area. Instead, he bends it into the top right corner. Am I dreaming right now? It’s not even half-time! 4-0 to Tamworth!

Half-time. Where do I begin? Putting the scoreline to one side – if we can – we’ve been brilliant. We’ve controlled the game, our passing is slick, our movement is fluid… we look on a different planet to Scunthorpe. I was determined to not get carried away by pre-season, but we’ve now taken those performances (and scorelines) into the season against the biggest team in the league. Unbelievable.

48 mins – Scunthorpe have come out firing. Two shots in quick succession, both testing Big Jaz, come off the back of good pressure. It was to be expected. The lads look composed and comfortable so far though.

60 mins – One thing that Dad and I have noticed is the movement and availability of both Reilly and Tshikuna. With Milnes sitting as an anchor, Reilly and Tshikuna are both coming to get the ball from him, laying it out wide and then supporting their respective wingers or Creaney when the ball is upfield. We’ve always got an option in midfield. It’s good stuff.

66 mins – GOAL TO SCUNTHORPE!!! Just as we were starting to play comfortably and look completely in control, Scunthorpe have pulled one back through Shrimpton. A long ball is played forward and both Willets and Milnes don’t deal with it well enough. It bobbles back to Shrimpton who fires across Singh and into the bottom left corner. 4-1 to Tamworth!

70 mins – Substitution. Acquaye comes off for Arlott-John for his debut. Acquaye has been relatively quiet today. It looks like Finn is going left and Arlott-John is coming to the right. We’ve been on the ball pretty much permanently since the goal. We’re settling back down which is good. Twenty minutes left to make sure we don’t implode. To be honest, it just doesn’t look like we’ve got that in the locker, despite Scunthorpe’s goal.

74 mins – GOAL TO TAMWORTH!!! (Dempsey Arlott-John) It’s five! That substitution and positional switch takes immediate effect! It’s a great counter attacking goal. Cullinane-Liburd deals with a Scunthorpe attack with a clearing header. It comes to Finn who plays a good one-two with Creaney before surging down the left flank. His cross goes a bit too far, but Arlott-John picks it up by the byline, runs back on himself before cutting it and firing a left-footed finish into the near post. A great goal all round. 5-1 to Tamworth!

79 mins – Substitution. Jellis for Tshikuna. That puts a bit of energy and graft into the midfield for the last ten minutes or so.

80 mins – GOAL TO TAMWORTH!!! (Callum Reilly) This is just crazy! We’re running riot. The football is beautiful. It’s pass after pass, run after run. Creaney holds up play and gives it to Reilly, who plays it down the right to Arlott-John before continuing his run forward. Arlott-John beats a man and lays it to Jellis on the edge of the box. He feints a shot and plays in Reilly, who takes a touch and casually curls it into the top left corner. A classy finish to a beautiful team move. And an assist for Jellis within a minute of being on the pitch! 6-1 to Tamworth!

83 mins – Substitution. Deacon comes on for Creaney. Again, that’s for a bit more energy up top. Creaney has ran himself into the ground up there today. He’ll be disappointed to be coming off on two goals though.

FULL-TIME. Tamworth 6-1 Scunthorpe. Nobody saw that coming. The lads have blown me away today. What a result. The football too…we looked brilliant in every department. I’ve just checked the stats: possession was 61%, passing accuracy was 91% and we had 2.05 xG from 8 shots on target. One of which was a penalty too, which shows how difficult some of those goals were to score.

Everybody hangs back to send Davis and the lads back to the dressing room with a standing ovation. One game down and it looks like Bob and the board have pulled off a masterstroke here. Spennymoor away next week and I can't wait after what I've seen today.

Come on you Lambs!
Love this. Will be following!
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A sensational win against a side that I would presume will be a promotion rival come the back-end of the season.
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Tuesday 8th August 2023

I've been on cloud nine since Saturday. I can’t get over how good we looked.

The win put us top. This is normally the bit where I say “we don’t expect to stay there”, but after that last game, why not? We blitzed the biggest team in the league. I’ve watched a lot of non-league football over the past couple of decades and I don’t remember seeing a performance like that.

Ok. Time to take the rose-tinted Tamworth glasses off now and see what’s going on off the pitch.

Sam Davis has confirmed that Lindley has been let go, which I think is a shame. I'm not sure Meikle is good enough to back Milnes up at this level. That means the only triallists left at the club are Andrew Eleftheriou at right back and Kyron Farrell and Ryan Corrigan at left back. Luke Fairlamb did a good job against Scunthorpe, but he’s not a long-, medium- or short-term solution really.

Looking ahead to Saturday, it’s Spennymoor away. It's another long drive to the North East. Here’s a little snapshot:

Spennymoor Town

Current Position: 6th
Media Predicted Finish: 7th (Playoffs)
Last Game: Won 3-2 vs. Banbury (a)
Danger Man: Glen Taylor (Striker) – 48 goals in last two years for Spennymoor. Scored two against Banbury in previous game.

There’s been some investment in Spennymoor in the last few years. Rumour has it that Glen Taylor up front is paid a grand a week, which is absurd at this level. He guarantees goals, I suppose.

I’ll check in again on gameday, unless there’s anything to report in the meantime.

Come on you Lambs!
Friday 11th August 2023

DEAL DONE! KYRON FARRELL JOINS TAMWORTH.

The website confirms that we’ve signed Irish left-back Kyron Farrell on a free transfer.

I’m happy with that. He looked a solid full back in the handful of pre-season games he played for us. He’s had five years’ experience at this level (albeit the South league) after being released by Millwall in 2017. He spent a year with Concord Rangers before three years at Hampton and Richmond. Last season, he played 39 league games and scored one goal as Braintree finished 7th in the Vanarama National League South.

On paper and on the relatively little I’ve seen of him play, that’s a good enough signing for me.

Davis has said that he could feature against Spennymoor tomorrow, so let’s see.

Welcome to the club, Kyron!

Come on you Lambs!

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