Tottenham survive almighty scare to beat Tamworth in extra-time

Tottenham breathed a huge sigh of relief after needing extra-time to overcome non-League Tamworth 3-0 in the third round of the FA Cup.

The final scoreline flattered Spurs, who laboured throughout the opening 90 minutes and might well have conceded deep into stoppage time when Tom McGlinchey and Jordan Cullinane-Liburd both went close to scripting one of the competition’s greatest fairytales.

In the end, the Lambs were undone in scrappy fashion as Nathan Tshikuna inadvertently directed his attempted clearance over his own goal line from Brennan Johnson’s cross (101).

Substitute Dejan Kulusevski then doubled the eight-time winners’ advantage as he collected Heung-Min Son’s pass to fire low beyond Tamworth goalkeeper Jas Singh (107), whose partner was watching from hospital after giving birth to a baby boy on Saturday night.

With the hosts running on empty, Johnson blasted in a cruel third for the visitors with two minutes of extra-time remaining (118) as Ange Postecoglou’s side avoided an unwanted upset.

Postecoglou told ITV: “It was a challenging game as we expected it to be. They made it hard for us, with the surface it was about us staying clam and being persistent in our football.

“In the end, we got the job done. I told the players to stay clam and be persistent. We knew we would finish strong and you could see they were tiring a bit.

“It’s a game of football you go into it with trepidation and knowing you can slip up with the challenges. In most parts the boys kept their heads. I thought they stayed clam and persisted and got through.

“We are through to the next round and that was the objective. Tamworth did really well and should be proud of their efforts. For us, we move on.”

Lambs to the Spurs slaughter? No chance…

Andy Peaks’ men – some 96 places beneath their opponents in the English football pyramid, produced the game of their lives. The Lambs, who were down in the seventh-tier Southern Premier Central as recently as 2022/23, were a match for their illustrious opponents in normal time.

Tamworth, who knocked out League One Huddersfield to reach round three, had their chances to consign Spurs to the ignominy of a first FA Cup defeat to a non-League outfit since the 1914/15 season when they were dumped out by Norwich City.

Within 30 seconds, Beck-Ray Enoru tested Antonin Kinsky at his near post as the hosts signalled their intent. They were not here to let this opportunity pass them by.

Back-to-back league titles have taken Peaks’ side to the summit of non-League football.

The team comprised of a jazz singer, building surveyor, bricklayer, sports-science teacher and zip salesman were good value for extra-time as Timo Werner continued to toil. The German was kept out by Singh during a one-vs-one, meaning it is still just one goal in 26 loan appearances this season.

Tom Tonks, who runs a sandwich business on the side, provided his usual threat from long throws. One of them beat Kinsky and hit the post, but referee Peter Bankes had already awarded a foul.

Contending with the artificial pitch where just under 4,000 were crammed into this compact ground next to the A51, Postecoglou often stood motionless in his attempts to retain a degree of calmness – but he did not hesitate to summon Son and Kulusevski in extra-time.

It was a move which ultimately proved the difference as, after Tshikuna’s misfortune from Dominic Solanke’s scuffed attempt, it was Son who set up Kulusevski for Spurs’ second before Johnson rattled in from close range to add the gloss as Tottenham reached round four after an almighty scare.

Peaks ‘immensely proud’ of players

Tamworth boss Andy Peaks told ITV: “I’ve told my players to be disappointed because we were that close to causing a massive upset, but equally be massively proud.

“Everyone put a shift in and when you look at the team we were up against, it was unbelievable from our boys – I am so proud of them. We had chances, the ‘keeper made saves but what was brilliant is we were in the game right till the end.

“We knew it was going to be tough. I wanted people to see what we were about, and I think we have done that. I wanted to come here and talk to you guys and be proud of what I have seen – I am immensely proud.

“To get a home draw was better. The chance we had to level it was them coming here. They have been so respectful and to bring a team like that says a lot. I cannot knock them.”

Heroic display from Tamworth falls short

Sky Sports’ Ben Grounds:

“Tamworth’s next game is a Birmingham Senior Cup match against Boldmere St Michael’s, the day before Spurs face Arsenal in the Premier League. But for 100 minutes, these two sides were level pegging.

“What a heroic display from the part-timers. Tottenham limped into the fourth round. Peaks’ outfit pushed them all the way at a buoyant Lamb Ground on an occasion for the whole town to be proud of – albeit with a tinge of disappointment after they missed out on a potentially lucrative replay.

“Spurs’ extra-time goals failed to sour a memorable occasion for the non-League club, who received a standing ovation.

“Tamworth had asked for volunteers to help clear the ground on Saturday morning to ensure the biggest match in the club’s history could go ahead 24 hours later and Postecoglou showed plenty of respect with his starting line-up.

“From the moment kick-off was delayed due to an issue with the net in one of the goals, you felt you were witnessing a cup classic. Play eventually got under way five minutes later after Enoru got on the shoulders of goalkeeper Singh to help fix it.

“Tamworth dug into their energy reserves and were almost rewarded with a dramatic stoppage-time winner. A slip by Solanke presented a chance for McGlinchey but Yves Bissouma got across to block and Kinsky gratefully gathered the loose ball. It was a moment in time which would have entered FA Cup folklore, but it wasn’t to be.”

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