Tamworth's humble 4,000-seater home could be the scene of the next FA Cup giant killing on Sunday lunchtime, when Premier League titans Tottenham Hotspur rock up to the Lamb Ground for a blockbuster third-round tie.
The fifth-tier hosts are one of just two non-league teams still competing for cup stardom, while their revered visitors are approaching the 17-year mark without a major honour next to their name.
Match preview
© Imago
Out to avoid being on the wrong end of a knockout shock on Sunday, Tottenham have already come out on the correct end of one cup surprise this month, controversially edging out Liverpool in the first leg of their EFL Cup semi-final on Wednesday evening.
Mere moments after escaping a potential second yellow card for wiping out Kostas Tsimikas, Swedish sensation Lucas Bergvall produced the one moment of attacking quality needed to separate the two Wembley hopefuls, giving Ange Postecoglou's men a slender advantage to protect at Anfield next month.
The unforeseen beating of Arne Slot's troops represented an increasingly rare triumph for Tottenham, who only have four wins under their belt from their last 15 matches in all competitions and had gone without a victory in four straight matches before Bergvall's brilliance.
Early FA Cup exits have also been commonplace in North London since Spurs last made it to Wembley for the semi-finals in 2017-18; the visitors have failed to make it past the fifth round in any of their last six attempts, although they have not been eliminated in the third round since losing to North London rivals Arsenal in 2013-14.
Furthermore, the Lilywhites have prevailed in each of their last nine FA Cup contests versus non-league opponents since being stunned by then-Southern League side Norwich City 110 years ago, a run that includes a 5-0 humbling of Marine at this stage in 2021.
© Imago
Even if Tamworth end up suffering the same fate as their fellow non-league foes did four years ago, simply hosting a Premier League powerhouse at the Lamb Ground will represent a momentous occasion for Andy Peaks's men, who have already sent two of the 92 packing in this season's tournament.
After prevailing in a six-goal thriller with Macclesfield in the final preliminary stage, Tamworth defied the odds to eliminate Huddersfield Town in round one, before holding their nerve from 12 yards to get the better of Burton Albion and prolong their magical journey.
The National League side from Staffordshire are not total strangers to the FA Cup third round, having also made it this far in each of the 2005-06, 2006-07 and 2011-12 seasons, but they lost all three of those contests and are therefore yet to earn their maiden fourth-round appearance.
The Lambs do not come into Sunday's historic event with the wind in their sails either, having lost their last two games against Solihull Moors (2-0 in the National League) and Sutton United (1-0 in the FA Trophy); the former result left them languishing in 16th place in the National League table.
Peaks has now masterminded just one win from Tamworth's last six matches across all tournaments, but form is not the be all and end all for occasions such as Sunday's, where the Lambs will be pitting their wits against Premier League opposition in the FA Cup for just the second time after losing to David Moyes's Everton in 2012.
- D
- L
- W
- D
- L
- L
Team News
© Imago
Spurs' success over Liverpool in midweek was partially overshadowed by the serious head injury to Rodrigo Bentancur, but Tottenham confirmed at half time that the Uruguayan was conscious and communicating as he was sent to hospital for further tests.
An official update on Bentancur's condition is yet to land, but he will certainly join Spurs' lengthy absentee list for Sunday's game, which Micky van de Ven (hamstring), Cristian Romero (thigh), Destiny Udogie (hamstring), Wilson Odobert (hamstring), Guglielmo Vicario (ankle), Ben Davies (hamstring) and Richarlison (hamstring) should also be unavailable for.
Fraser Forster is also uncertain owing to illness, but new signing Antonin Kinsky excelled on his debut in the triumph over Liverpool, and Postecoglou will also have James Maddison and Pape Sarr back from suspension at the Lamb Ground.
The Spurs boss may have no choice but to field some senior players this weekend, but expect the likes of Will Lankshear, Alfie Dorrington and Mikey Moore - assuming he is fully recovered from a troubling illness - to make the first XI.
As for the non-league hosts, 25-year-old attacker Ben Acquaye is on the long road to recovery from an ACL rupture, and left-back Callum Cockerill-Mollett was not involved in the loss to Sutton after picking up an injury in the Solihull Moors defeat.
On a brighter note, 6ft 3in centre-back Jordan Cullinane-Liburd made his return from a three-game ban in the FA Trophy defeat, and having started the successes over Huddersfield and Burton Albion, the 29-year-old ought to come back into the first XI for the visit of Spurs.
Tamworth possible starting lineup:
Singh; Crompton, Libard, Hollis, Fairlamb; McGlinchey, Milnes, Tonks, Williams; Morrison; Creaney
Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup:
Austin; Gray, Dorrington, Dragusin, Reguilon; Maddison, Sarr, Bergvall; Werner, Lankshear, Moore
We say: Tamworth 0-5 Tottenham Hotspur
An already injury-hit Tottenham side should put out a highly inexperienced attack and defence for Sunday's game, offering Tamworth a sliver of hope that they can pull off the upset of all upsets.
However, Postecoglou's lack of senior options means that he should still field a few players with plentiful experience, and it will surely only be a case of how many the Lilywhites win by.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Ben Knapton
