Spurs narrowly avoid humiliation in FA Cup against terrific Tamworth
Tamworth 0 v Tottenham Hotspur 0 (O-3 AET))
Tshikuna (og) 101
Kulusevski 107
Johnson 118
By Kaz Mochlinski at the Lamb Ground
FA Cup
Third Round
Tottenham Hotspur avoided one of the biggest shocks in the history of the FA Cup, although they needed extra-time and a fortuitous own goal to survive against semi-professional opponents on a testing trip to Tamworth.
Two Tottenham goals either side of half-time in the additional 30 minutes finally broke the deadlock and broke the hearts of the immensely impressive non-league side, just when the contest looked to be heading for a penalty shoot-out.
But it required the Spurs head coach, Ange Postecoglou, to send on Son Heung-min, Dejan Kulusevski, Dominic Solanke, and Lucas Bergvall from the substitutes’ bench, as well as withdrawing the vulnerable Radu Drăgușin.
Ange afterwards rightly praised his team for their composure and resilience in adversity, as they did not panic and crumble in a unique atmosphere against Tamworth’s part-time players producing the performance of their lives.
Tottenham continued creating chances throughout the 120 minutes of thrilling end-to-end action at the Lamb Ground, in a game at a level never previously seen in all the 91 years that it has been Tamworth FC’s home.
However, equally inescapably it is desperately disappointing for Spurs supporters that most of the scoring opportunities were not clear-cut - and none were taken until the last 19 minutes of extra-time.
That was partly down to Tamworth’s tenacious defending, but also notably thanks to a series of fine saves by the excellent home goalkeeper, Jas Singh, who very nearly missed the match due to his partner’s pregnancy.
The club had arranged for a car to be prepared to whisk Singh off from The Lamb to the local hospital at any moment if she was to go into labour, but in the end the birth occurred on the previous evening, with their first child, a baby boy, brought into the world.
“My partner is still in hospital, bless her for letting me play today” Singh reflected. “You don’t get better than this. The majority of my career has been part-time - to have a day like this is incredible.”
Even when Tamworth’s keeper was beaten, his teammates helped out by twice clearing goalbound efforts off the line. Yet Tottenham’s troubles were not just in getting past Singh plus his resolute and determined defenders.
Tamworth were extremely proud to have had a real go at winning the encounter themselves, almost scored from their opening attack in the first couple of minutes, and nearly grabbed a goal late in stoppage time with 90 minutes already elapsed.
On an overcast but dry Sunday lunchtime, with the persisting overnight frost making the artificial pitch even trickier for Spurs to adapt to, Postecoglou made six changes from the side that beat Liverpool in the League Cup semi-final first leg.
They were caught cold by Beck-Ray Enoru’s stunning run with the ball from the halfway line down the inside-left channel before unleashing a rising left-footed shot on the angle, which Antonín Kinský did very well to tip over at his near post.
The growing fame of Tamworth’s long throws was fully justified as Tom Tonks sent one into the six yard box right under the crossbar, necessitating Kinský to scramble in order to claw the ball out before it reached the goal-line.
Spurs settled gradually, with James Maddison as the playmaker, as well as wearing the captain’s armband. He also had his side’s best early efforts from the edge of the penalty area, wipping a shot just over the bar, then bringing an excellent diving save out of Singh.
Maddison continued to get forward in the second half, and was denied once more by the Tamworth keeper when conjuring a low strike from the right side of the penalty box. However, Singh’s most vital intervention was to stop Timo Werner.
Leading the Tottenham attack in the centre-forward role, Werner was put through clear on goal by a perfect pass from Brennan Johnson, but one-on-one with the goalkeeper his shot was saved by Singh.
Werner had earlier in the half found space at the far post for a header from FA Cup debutant Mikey Moore’s left-wing cross, only for it to be cleared off the line by Tamworth’s centre-half Haydn Hollis, the man-of-the-match.
That was the second such occurence following Pape Sarr’s low effort from the right in the first half, when he picked up a weak clearance of a Spurs corner, only to see it blocked on the line at the near post by Dan Creaney, the Lambs’ striker, back helping his defenders.
The longer that the score remained 0-0, the more the Shed Choir behind the dugouts raised the noise levels as the belief began to grow around the Lamb Ground in an enormous potential upset becoming reality.
Tottenham might easily have not even made it into extra-time if any one of three late attempts of Tamworth’s had gone in, as Hollis’s central defensive partner, Jordan Cullinane-Liburd, twice came close from corners.
Cullinane-Liburd put a header narrowly wide of the near post, then managed a low shot in the penalty area which Kinský was enormously relieved to dive onto. In between, Tom McGlinchey got in on the right for a left-footed strike that was deflected wide.
Just the fact of needing extra-time as a Premier League club against non-league part-timers prompted Spurs to be described as poor, pathetic, and abject, with the failure to score, let alone win, in 90 minutes being an undoubted humiliation.
And it was still not until late in the first half of extra-time before Spurs’ superstar substitutes made the difference, as Tamworth’s heroic efforts eventually started to take a toll and their energy levels finally flagged.
Even then, the vital opening score was an absolutely awful goal to concede, in a goalmouth scramble from a set-piece, given as an own goal rather than being by a Tottenham player, and almost not getting over the goal-line.
It came from a clever piece of play by Pedro Porro at a central free-kick, which he elected to pass into the penalty box rather than trying a long-range shot. Johnson showed good movement to receive the ball, but his strike at goal was blocked.
The rebound fell to Solanke, who miskicked his effort, but it hit Nathan Tshikuna’s knee and dropped over Singh stranded on the ground, going into the net almost in slow motion. It could be one of the ugliest goals ever scored by Spurs in the club’s entire history.
Equally it was an incredibly important goal, at last giving Tottenham the lead over Tamworth going into half-time in extra-time. And, after Solanke’s role in the opener, three of the other subs helped to make sure of the victory.
Djed Spence began both the moves for the second and third goals, with Son playing the pass into the left side of the penalty area for Kulusevski to steer left-footed across the goalkeeper for 0-2. And ‘Deki’ then turned provider for 0-3.
Kulusevski won the ball just outside the box and in the same movement directed it in to the well-positioned Johnson for a beautifully struck first-time finish, which meant that the final scoreline flattered Spurs and did not truly reflect the game.
Tottenham might not mind too much. Postecoglou thought that his side came through a test of their character in the unfamiliar (for them) surroundings of the Lamb Ground. And this week could prove to be a significant turning point in their season.
After four league matches without a win over the Christmas and New Year holiday period, including three defeats, Spurs have triumphed in two consecutive cup games in the space of five days, keeping them for now in both the League Cup and the FA Cup.
They may never again play against the Premier League leaders Liverpool and non-league Tamworth in successive matches. But two such successes at this stage of the season give them some crucial momentum for the second half of the campaign.
Amid a continuing injury crisis, will it really matter in the long run how controversially and scrappily those victories were achieved?
Tamworth: (4-2-3-1) Singh - Crompton, Cullinane-Liburd, Hollis, Cockerill-Mollett (Sundire 68) - Milnes (Fletcher 81), Morrison - McGlinchey, Tonks (Tshikuna 85), Enoru (Williams 81) - Creaney (Wreh 85)
Tottenham Hotspur: (4-2-3-1) Kinský - Porro, Drăguşin (Spence 90), Gray, Sergio Reguilón - Pape Sarr (Bergvall 68), Bissouma - Johnson, Maddison (Kulusevski 90), Moore (Solanke 68) - Werner (Son 90)
Attendance: 3,720
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