Tamworth  v  AFC Telford United

Tue 25 Jul - 19:45 Friendly

Tamworth

5-0

AFC Telford United

Match Report

The Lambs penultimate friendly brought The Bucks to the Compare The Build community stadium.
Telford had effectively swapped places with Tamworth in the close season, with the home side going up to the National League North as the visitors dropped into the Southern League Central for 2023-24.
Both campaigns kick off proper on 05 August with Tamworth welcoming Scunthorpe United (tickets on sale now!), and Telford, who featured former Lamb Orrin Pendley in their starting XI, playing Royston Town.

With a handful of previously seen trialists making up the Tamworth start eleven as they had at Coalville the visitors got the game underway and for the opening 10 minutes Andy Peaks side kept the Bucks back in their own half for the most part and on 11 Milnes stroked home a freekick from the edge of the area into the far right corner past the visiting keeper to make it 1-0.
Tr10 cut in and forced the keeper to push his curling low shot around the post for a corner on 15 while Gibson tried his luck with a long range strike which forced Singh to bat it down on 16, and he crossed from the right on 21 but Tr7 was unable to control it in the area.
A clash of heads between Fox and Curley resulted in a stoppage while the Telford player received treatment and he was unable to continue, meaning and early change.
Tamworth broke quickly in the next move and Tr10 struck over the bar form the edge of the box after good work to set himself in a shooting position.
Jones was released by Milnes on 32 but couldn’t get ball out to get a shot before he was closed down by the covering defenders, and then Tr11 lifted a teasing cross towards the far left post but it came to nothing.
Dinanga found the ball at his feet 12 yards out on 37 and screwed a shot on target but Singh was able to deal with it, but then there was a moment of greatness from The Lambs Tr10 who spotted the United TrGK out of position and lobbed him from the halfway line to the delight of the home faithful (2-0, 39 mins)
A foul on Tr11 on the right set up a Lambs freekick in added time at the end of the first half and it whipped through to Cockerill-Mollett but his shot struck the bar and was put behind for a corner, from which Dolman back headed into the goal from a yard out to round of a good first half (3-0, 45+ mins).

HT 3-0

The Lambs made one change at the break with Willetts replacing Curley before kicking off the second period and play switched both ways until Dolman needed treatment in the middle of the park and then a deft flick through to Jones from Meikle saw the former go through one on one with the keeper, take a touch around the floored goalie and place it home to increase the scoreline further (4-0, 58 mins)
Andy Peaks made four changes on the hour and Finn nearly made it 5 on 64 but rolled his shot from the left of the box past the far post.
Cullinane-Liburd was penalised for a shirt tug on Dinanga on 68 setting up Bood with the freekick from 30 yards out, but it came to nothing, although the Bucks did retain possession and TrGK had to be quick to deny the intentions of Myles who was bearing down on a low loose ball in the box on 69.
Another freekick was awarded, this time against Milnes who clipped the Telford player en-route to the box on 70 and so Gibson slammed his freekick goalward but the wall did it’s job to deny him as United continued to look for a goal and an in-swinging left sided corner on 72 was headed away by Willetts.
An intelligent ball into the box from Finn nearly found Creaney closing in on it, but it was just too long and at the other end the Telford number 9, Gibson, was denied by the timely intervention of Willetts.
Creaney then robbed the ball off Jones on the Telford left on 78, turned and casually fired home from distance, but play was called back for a foul in the tackle and denied him his strike.
Tr17 was denied a clinical finish from the left of the area by a one handed save to his left on 82 and Milnes left fly from 35 yards forcing the keeper to tip it over the bar with his fingertips as The Lambs pushed on.
At the other end Tr15 forced TrGK to catch his on target right footed angled effort but the Telford keeper was unable to prevent Creaney from following up a cross from the left from close range to make it 5-0 on 87.

Tamworth:
Singh (TrGK 61), Curley (Willetts HT), Cockerill-Mollett, Meikle (Griffin 81), Cullinane-Liburd, Dolman, Tr17 (Finn 61), Milnes (c.), Jones (Creaney 61), Tr10 (Deacon 61), Tr11

AFC Telford United:
TrGK, Myles, Fox (Bood 27), Piggott, Jones, Pendley (c.), Tr7 (Yusuf 60), Forsyth, Gibson, Dinanga, Moore (Tr15 HT)
Subs: Hill

Att: 462

Referee: Tom Durno
Assistant Referees: Ben Cooke, Kevin Carroll