Tamworth
V
Newcastle Utd PL2
Hitchin Town
0-1
Tamworth
The Lambs made the trip to Hertfordshire to take on the Canaries of Hitchin who had drawn their last three games, including points against top four sides Nuneaton Borough and Leiston.
Andy Peaks made three changes to the side that defeated Bromsgrove at home seven days previously with Alex Collard not featuring and Gift Mussa and Alex Jones on the bench, Ben Milnes came into the eleven alongside Liam Dolman and Lindon Meikle.
Tamworth got the game underway attacking the clubhouse end of the ground and inside the first minute Jellis picked up a booking for a high elbow lead challenge on Coldicott-Stevens.
And Jellis was brought down on 4, earning Wilkinson a booking for his own. Milnes took the deadball, from the left channel and Cockerill-Mollett got his head to it but the offside flag quickly halted any further forward play.
A long Curley throw from the left on 7 was quickly repeated but the home defence were strong and cleared the danger quickly until Fairlamb burst down the left and cut in a forced a corner which Milnes took. It dropped into the centre of the box and was hooked away for a flagkick on the opposite site but Georgiou was able to head and then boot it away.
The home side made headway to Singh’s end and the ball fell for Hay but he was unable to keep his unmarked shot down and cleared the target.
Gouveia cannoned the ball off Cockerill-Mollett for a Canaries corner on 16 but Dolman was perfectly placed to clear the loose ball away, alleviate the pressure and extert some of their own via a Curley throw and Creaney knock on which went through to Horlock before McKeown could get to it.
A back pass through to Horlock on 23 nearly allowed McKeown through but the keeper cleared and then Creaney’s ball into the area was screwed over the bar by Eadie.
In the next move Jamie threaded a pass through down the right to Milnes and his low cross was just to close to Horlock.
At the other end, on 28, a misplaced pass by Willetts allowed the home side to mount an attacked and Gouveia took the ball to the by line and crossed into the left of the box from the right for Wilkinson to jump and head but he directed it over the target.
The Lambs worked hard to get the ball out from the possession of the Hitchin midfield on 34 and worked it upfield through Curley and McKeown but the final ball in was too long and then on 36 Creaney nipped it through to Jellis but his goalbound shot was deflected away for a corner by Horlock who took the flagkick at height with Willetts racing into the box for the header.
McKeown forced Georgiou to clear his lines for a Curley on the left on 38 and there were half hearted shouts for handball from Dolman’s flick on, but the referee was having none of it.
Fairlamb worked to get around his man on the left on 39 but had to settle for another corner, and Creaney’s far post header was just on target but easy for Horlock to smother.
The Lambs were handed a golden opportunity on 41 though when Jellis was upended by Codicott-Stevens and the referee had no hesitation in pointing to the spot, but Creaney put his penalty over the bar.
Creaney made up for the faux-pas though, when a corner on the left fell invitingly for him to power home his 35th of the season at the far post, under pressure from the covering defender (0-1, 44 mins)
Two minutes added time was shown at the end of the first half which ended with The Lambs holding the lead.
Hitchin got the game back underway and it quickly stopped when Jellis was upended by Tearle inside the 46th minute.
The Lambs kept hold of the ball for the majority of the opening 15 minutes of the second half, and despite the ball being in the final third more than not, didn’t really test Horlock.
A foul by Meikle gave Hitchin the ball on 62 and the long freekick was headed behind by Willetts and away by the same play.
Singh was brought to the floor by Barker on 64 and from the ensuing play, Tamworth pushed upfield ending with a long range strike from McKeown which Horlock pushed away for a corner.
The Lambs perhaps should have netted a second on 66, when a pass was cut out by Fairlamb and his shot took a deflection into the path of McKeown with just the keeper to beat from 18 yards, but he lifted his shot over the bar and The Canaries’ escaped.
The Lambs linked across both wings on 69 with Jellis getting his low ball into the area for Creaney and the striker got a good touch on it but Horlock’s goal was protected by two defenders to snuff out the chance.
Fairlamb forced a couple of corners as the game entered the final fifteen minutes but were unable to forge a clear chance.
Creaney made way for Deacon for the final ten minutes at Top Field but it was McKeown with the next chance on 84 when he took Jellis’ through ball down in his stride and advanced into the right of the area before angling his shot just past the far post.
Deacon took the ball out wide right on 86 and whipped it back into the box but Fairlamb was beaten to it at the far post by Tearle, as The Lambs kept possession and continued to press until a long ball forwards from Hitchin forced Singh to leave his area and clear it.
Tearle launched the throw into the box but Hay was unable to control it and so Singh slowed things down from the kick.
In the 90th minute Tamworth burst over the halfway line with McKeown taking the ball all the way to the touch line and he cut it back to Jellis but Horlock was well positioned to batt his goalbound strike away for a corner on the right which Jellis and Deacon tried to keep in the corner area for as long as possible before it went behind for a goalkick.
The small but vociferous band of travelling Lambs fans then had a few extra minutes of clock watching to wait until deep into the 5 minutes of added time the final whistle blew on a hard worked three points ahead of a couple of weeks rest.
Hitchin Town
​Horlock, Bell (Allen 72), Eadie, Goergiou, Tearle, Barker, Gouveia, Coldicott-Stevens (Devine 90+), Hay, Idiakhoa, Wilkinson (Cawley 60)
Subs (4 only): Snelus
YC: Wilkinson 4, Tearle 46
Tamworth
Singh, Curley, Cockerill-Mollett, Meikle, Willets, Dolman, McKeown, Milnes (c.), Jellis, Creaney (Deacon 80), Fairlamb
Subs: Jones, Finn, Mussa, Cater
YC: Jellis 1
Referee: Mr. J. Crofts
Assistants: Mr. Ratheram, Mr. Bright
Att: 555