Tamworth
V
Macclesfield
Tamworth
0-0
Hitchin Town
Following the home defeat to Leiston, The Lambs welcomed the Canaries of Hitchin Town to The CR MOT Community Stadium in a re-organised fixture following the initial postponement a few weeks previously when the fuel shortage had adversely affected the visitors ability to travel to Staffordshire for their Southern Premier League game.
The visitors came into the game in bottom place the table, without a win in 9, conceding 19 in the process, scoring six and The Lambs fans were hopeful of a quick return to form after FA Cup and league disappointment, ahead of two cup games on the bounce.
Tamworth made five changes to the side that fell to Leiston and lined up a 4-1-4-1 formation with Tyrell Waite starting his 101st game for the club in the number nine shirt.
Hitchin got the game underway with Tamworth attacking the Meadow Street End in the first half.
In their magenta shirts, Hitchin were distinguishable from Tamworth by virtue of their white shorts against the black shorts of The Lambs and both sides went in search of an early breakthrough.
But Stead struck a hopeful effort against the Lambs defence on 5 and McDonald lifted his shot his over the bar from 25 yards on 10 as neither managed to test the opponents keeper.
Dasilva struck low from 35 yards on 15 and Singh pushed it behind one handed to deny him, low at the bottom right of the goal, but no corner was given, and then at the other end Walters fed Forde who saw his shot deflected off Georgiou and into the arms of Horlock in the visitors goal.
The Lambs defence gave the ball away on 20 but thankfully Dasilva dragged his shot well wide of the mark from distance.
Injury to Tearle in the 20th minute forced a prolonged break and an early substitution for the visitors, and it wasn’t until the 25th minute that he was able to be replaced, in between which the players had a drinks break and Tamworth nearly forged an attack.
Yeomans was then booked for a foul on Marsh in the centre circle in a decision that the Shed did not agree with!
McDonald forced a corner on the half hour and he got onto the end of Beswick’s flagkick but glanced the header out past the far post and in a move out of defence on 32 nearly caught a quick through ball into the box but Horlock was quickest.
At the other end Dasilva forced a corner off the cover of Walters and a header from Kettle went well wide of the mark.
Riley brought down Stead on the left wing on 39 and it took two attempts for The Lambs defence to clear and push upfield, which seemed to be bearing fruit until a final touch from Concannon to Forde saw the ball run too long into the box.
McDonald was booked for a foul on Kettle by the right corner flag and Dasilva took the freekick right footed, rolling the ball to Dasilva on the edge of the area but Wilder was perfectly placed to block his shot and Tamworth nearly capatalised with a ball through to McDonald but it was too long to chase.
Forde saw his shot blocked on 45, and it rolled to Walters on the right of the area but his shot was wide of the near post and struck the side netting.
Two minutes added time were shown at the end of a first half that will not live long in the memory of home or away fans!
Tamworth restarted proceedings attacking the Castle End and McDonald rifled a half volley onto the roof of the net from 25 yards in the Lambs first attack.
Yeomans dealt comfortably with a headed clearance from a dangerous right wing cross from Hitchin on 47 and Horlock pushed Concannon’s right footed angled strike around the post on 50.
Beswick’s corner then caused mayhem in the visitors box with Wilder, Concannon and McDonald all being thwarted from close range before the ball went out of play and Wilder drilled a low cross in from the left on 52, but Horlock smothered it before it got to Waite or McDonald.
Riley was replaced by Cox on 55 as The Lambs shuffled the pack and a flowing move out of midfleld ended with a Wilder shot low at Horlock from the left and then Waite took a tumble while trying to get past the last defender, but no foul was given, and there was another change on the hour with Taylor coming on for Walters.
The substitute front man tried to get through the Canaries defence on 63 but was thwarted at the last hurdle by Horlock, and a cross from Waite on the left on 68 was nearly met by the head of Wilder, but a deflection took it behind for a right sided corner which Waite got his head to, but Horlock stopped it with his chest at the near post.
Concannon then glanced a header just wide of the mark via another deflection on 70, and when the ball came out his powerful strike was blocked allowing Hitchin to break and Dasilva to fire high and wide of the mark from distance.
Taylor managed to get his head onto a ball in the area in the next move and it was clawed out off the line by Horlock as Hitchin survived another attack.
Akubuine picked up a yellow card for dragging Waite back on the half way line on 73 as The Lambs continued to find it difficult to get through a stubborn back line and then Concannon threaded the ball through to Beswick on 77 but his low finish from 12 yards on the left of the penalty spot was blocked by Horlock’s low dive as Tamworth continued to be frustrated.
Hitchin responded by surging forwards and Luke Brown went down under a challenge from Forde with the ball bouncing in front of them both, and Brown stepped up to take the deadball but struck it into the wall twice.
Stead forced a corner with a shot off Hart on the left on 79 and Alex Brown hit the resulting flagkick it on the volley and watched it spin away into the Meadow Street terrace where a dozen travelling fans watched with their collection of flags.
McDonald then tried to square the ball from the right on 81 but his pass was diverted out for a corner on the right which the visitors defended against.
Concannon curled a shot around his marker on 82 but also the right hand post, and both Yeomans and Waite crossed in quick succession from opposite sides but both were too long.
So, Hitchin pushed on, on 86 and Alex Brown’s cross was blocked for a corner on the left but it went straight out on the other side as Horlock went down with cramp.
The game entered five minutes of added time and after a Hitchin substitution the visitors found themselves with a chance in front of Singh’s goal, but they were denied a shot by the offside flag, and then Stead struck the side netting after a strong run into the box from the right as The Lambs held on..
As the clock ran down the visitors looked increasingly unlikely to give an inch, before the final whistle blew on a point a piece.
Singh, Yeomans, Wilder, Beswick (c.), Riley (Cox 55), Hart, McDonald, Forde, Waite, Concannon, Walters (Taylor 60)
Subs: Birch, Cokerill-Mollett, Tait-Moran
YC: Yeomans 27, Mcdonald 42
Horlock (c.), Akubuine, A. Brown, Marsh, Georgiou, Jones, Moloney, Tearle (Kettle 25), Stead, L. Brown (Cawley 93), Dasilva
Subs (4 only): Webb, Black
YC: Akubuine 78
Referee: Mr. A. Ellis