Tamworth  v  Brackley Town

Tue 8 Sep - 19:45 Pre season friendly

Tamworth

2-1

Brackley Town

Match Report

On a warm Tuesday evening under the floodlights at The CR MOT Community Stadium, Tamworth welcomed Brackley of the National League North for the penultimate pre-season friendly.

Tamworth got the game underway attacking the Meadow Street end in the first half and a ball through from Wilder to McDonald saw him push the ball wide to Waite and he was upended.
McDonald struck the freekick and it was blocked, but the Lambs kept up the pressure through a couple of long Tonks throws caused problems.
Brackley’s first attack on 6 resulted in a freekick on the right which Tonks booted away and Walters took the ball far away from danger.
The Lambs were working very hard against their higher league opponents. Forde’s right sided corner caused problems on 10, and Tonks long throw from the clearance kept up the pressure for another flag kick which penned back the visitors again.
Walters was upended on the left on 13 and Forde’s deadball came back out to Tonks who struck from distance but it rose high, and wide, of the mark.
Another Forde corner on 19 was hooked away and the visitors countered. Lee cut in from the right and pulled it back for Lowe who struck towards goal from 12 yards but his angled shot went wide of the left hand upright.
Tonks was judged to have pulled York to the floor on 27 and set up the visitors with a freekick just outside the D which trialist (4) struck low and powerfully, and forced Singh into a save on his right.
The Lambs took the lead on 29 courtesy of a fine finish from Bateman on the right of the box after a dangerous cross from Walters on the left was flicked on and fell invitingly for the volleyed strike over the keeper and into the far corner (1-0, 29 mins)
A right sided corner was glanced wide of the mark by Brackley’s number 4 on 33 and on 35 Walters cut past two defenders but was unsurprisingly upended for a Forde freekick which he fed to Walters but the flag denied him.
Rowe-Turner tangled with York on the Brackley right on and trialist (11) planted the ball onto the head of Flowers who was denied the equaliser off his bullet header by Singh’s top drawer close range block.
However, from the corner Flowers stole in at the far post to head home (1-1, 40 mins) in the final action of the half.

McDonald serves up a winner

Tamworth made three changes before the visitors restarted the game and went on the attack, penning The Lambs back for the opening encounters.
On 53, a measured freekick was headed towards goal by the Brackley number 11, but Singh was on hand to expertly deny him.
Walters forged an opening for himself into the box on 53 and forced a corner with his tricky footwork and deflected shot, and from Beswick’s corner on the right McDonald was perfectly positioned near the far post to squeeze his powerful strike through the covering defenders and into the back of the net (2-1, 56 mins)
On 62 Waite was denied by a sliding block from keeper Lewis and Walter’s corner was headed behind by Flowers for another on the left by the clubhouse, which was also headed away.
After a flurry of changes from both sides the Lambs forced a corner on the right and Beswick’s ball was headed back into the box by Magunda, but cleared away to the half way line.
Ndlovu had to leave the field through injury and with Brackley having used all of their subs, left his side a man short for the final 15 minutes or so and this allowed Tamworth to move the ball around with a little more ease.
Despite the intentions of McDonald, Walker got a cross into the box on 82 and it was met by the head of Armson who couldn’t keep the ball down and it landed on the away terrace roof.
As the minutes ticked down, Brackley forced a corner and Flowers powered his header just over the mark, and McDonald squared the ball into the box on 90, but Waite was too quick into position to finish it past the exposed keeper.
Deep into stoppage time the visitor forced a throw on the right and whipped a cross in but Beswick hoofed it away and the final whistle blew on an impressive evenings work from The Lambs.

Tamworth Team:
Singh (c.), Bateman (trialist 65), Wilder (Fry HT), Tonks (Beswick HT), Cullinane-Liburd, Rowe-Turner (Magunda 71), Walters, Forde (Gough HT), Waite, Meikle (Yafai 65), McDonald
Subs: (all used)

Brackley Town Team:
Lewis, Phillips (Chambers 57), Franklin (Walker 57), trialist, Flowers (c.), Dean, Lowe (Armson 66), Murombedzi, Ndlovu, York (Myles 57), trialist (trialist 66)
Subs: Warby

Attendance: not annoucned

Man of the Match: Mr. A. Clarke