Tottenham survive extra time, ‘torpedo’ long throws and Tamworth heroics in FA Cup thriller | OneFootball

Tamworth is not short of lore, having been a royal centre for the Kingdom of Mercia until the Vikings invaded. On Sunday, we came mightily close to another historic chapter in the town’s epic tale.

Tottenham Hotspur didn’t hold back against National League opposition, blooding the best Ange Postecoglou could muster, from the start or off the bench at the Lamb, but the fifth-tier hosts, on the grandest occasion in their history, were anything but put to the slaughter.

Spurs required extra time and the ugliest of own goals to see off David in this Goliath tussle, a goal that would not have been possible in previous seasons when a replay was on offer.

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Tottenham wrapped up their win in extra time (Getty Images)

Dejan Kulusevski and Brennan Johnson did put the tie to bed with two well-taken goals, but another evening of mental turmoil awaits for Postecoglou, as he tries to fathom why a team who looked to have turned the corner with their dogged victory over Liverpool in midweek could look so flat, against such inferior opponents.

You pretty much had a full house in the non-league FA Cup third round tie bingo before a ball had even been kicked. The ramshackle Lamb Ground did not even measure taller than Tottenham’s team bus as it made its way past the town’s most famous sporting venue – the Tamworth SnowDome – into the corrugated metal metropolis.

A first glimpse of the modern-day cup leveller then greeted the players as they went for their pre-match amble: the bobbly 3G pitch.

Artificial surfaces of this kind – any average five-a-side player knows the perils of accumulating thousands of black rubber bits in the washing machine – are controversially not permitted in the Football League. In the fifth tier of the pyramid, they are a lifesaver. Against Premier League opposition, they help nullify the best talent around.

People were perched on roofs aplenty, scaffolding erected to house TV crews, with food vendors struggling to cope with unprecedented demand. To cap the pre-match heartwarming experience for the purists, kick-off was delayed as the netting was fixed only with some tape.

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Kick-off was delayed by five minutes for a classic ‘Sunday league’ scene (Getty Images)

Postecoglou seemed to be enjoying the occasion, baiting the crowd who were in spitting distance over his shoulder, but when the match did get underway, the Australian’s demeanour changed as the added bounce stopped Spurs from finding their rhythm, with those “torpedo” long throws from sandwich business owner Tom Tonks causing further unsettlement.

A strong Spurs lineup created little of note in the opening period, with Jasbir Singh in the home goal, Tamworth’s penalty shootout hero in the last round, only forced into one fine save in the opening period.

The hosts in fact had a few half-chances of their own, with the firebrand Beck-Ray Enoru giving Pedro Porro a torrid time down the left flank. Cries of “Premier League, you’re having a laugh” greeted the half-time whistle. The boisterous locals had a point.

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Tamworth boss Andy Peaks was proud of his side’s efforts (Getty Images)

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Ange Postecoglou’s demeanour changed as the added bounce of the 3G pitch stopped Spurs from finding their rhythm (Getty Images)

As the match wore on, Spurs created more and more chances as elite level fitness told. Singh was forced into several fine stops, with Johnson missing a glorious opening at the far post when left unmarked.

The emergence from the bench of Chris Wreh, son of former Arsenal forward Christopher Wreh and nephew of George Weah, had scriptwriters scrambling for their quills late on, but he could not find a winner in normal time as the cup minnows took the might of Spurs to extra time. “Can we play you every week?” was next on the banter playlist.

On came more star names for Spurs, with Postecoglou fielding arguably his strongest front six for the extra 30 minutes.

No amount of talent was required for the goal that killed the Tamworth dream, as Nathan Tshikuna bundled the ball into his own net. Kulusevski and Johnson almost seemed embarrassed to celebrate their game-clinching strikes. Spurs really had been given an almighty scare.