Tamworth  v  South Shields

Sat 13 Apr - 15:00 National League North

Tamworth

3-2

South Shields

Match Report

A week after clinching their second successive league championship with a point at home to Warrington Town in front of a record home league crowd at both Step 1 and 2, The Lambs welcomed South Shields to the Compare The Build Community Stadium for the final home game of the season.

Elliot Dickman’s side were looking to cement their play off ambitions in their final two games, so despite the absence of promotion pressure for Andy Peaks’ side the game would require them to be on their mettle to keep The Mariners at bay and hopefully give the fans more to celebrate (again!) at the final whistle.

Prior to kick off Andy Peaks confirmed, with a handshake with Chairman Bob Andrews on the recently FIFA re-approved 3G surface, that he had agreed a new deal to remain at The Lamb for 2024-25 with an increased playing budget. The Lambs boss made three changes to the side that had spent the last 7 days in a state of ‘recovery’ after the post-match blast they had enjoyed with supporters, as Beck-Rae Enoru made his first start since joining from Barwell, and Jamie Willets came back into the side after injury.

KICK OFF!

After giving the Lambs squad a guard of honour out of the tunnel, the visitors got the game underway and The Lambs quickly won possession and went on the attack with Acquaye firing an early strike from 18 yards wide of the mark and into the Meadow Street terracing.
Acquaye threaded it through a crowded box from the left but Enoru was beaten to it on 6 and a corner by the Cross Street entrance resulted which was planted perfectly for Wreh a yard from goal and he made no mistake with his close range powerful header past Boney to open the scoring (1-0, 6 mins)
Fairlamb was booked for comments made to the referee when a freekick was given against Wreh further up the field on 11 and the Shed was unhappy with a further couple of decisions against their heroes as the referee’s stopwatch ticked on.
Tshikuna and Enoru tried a neat, quick, one-two on 20 but it was covered by Smith at the back and Tonks curled an inviting ball in from the right on 21, but no one could have predicted the second goal, which was Tshikuna race in and rob the ball off the nonchalant visiting keeper as he tried to kick it clear, finishing from a very tight angle on the left of the area. (2-0, 21 mins)
A card was shown towards The Lambs dugout after Blackett went down with injury on the opposite side of the pitch on 28 and both sets of players took a drinks break, and from the restart Acquaye forced another corner, on the left, which Tonks put in at the near post and it was cleared away. But only as far as Enoru who took it past his man and found Sundire with a looped cross but he was unable to get his head around it to test Boney.
Enoru, Tshikuna and Acquaye combined again in the next move but the latter flashed his left footed strike from the left of the box into the side netting.
Blackett tumbled around and over Knight-Percival on the edge of the Lambs area on 32 and a freekick was awarded which Heaney stepped up to it and curled it perfectly into the top right bin. (2-1, 33 mins)
From the restart Tamworth nearly restored the advantage but Wreh’s angled low shot from the right went past Acquaye and out past the far post.
A Tonks throw on the right on 42 resulted in a Tonks corner on the left which The Mariner’s dealt with and when the same player launched another shortly after Willets got his head to it and forced the visitors to clear their lines.
Three minutes added time was shown at the end of the game, and Acquaye’s tenacity almost bore fruit but his effort was blocked before the whistle brought half time.

HT 2-1

The Lambs got the game back underway kicking ‘downhill’ towards the Castle End and Enoru nearly forced an own goal off Broadbent with his low ball into the danger area which ricocheted off the defender back to his keeper with less than 20 seconds on the clock.
Sundire’s ball in was headed behind by Heaney for a right sided corner on 47 which went too long for Wreh to do anything with, while Willets and Knight-Percival were made to defend their lines when shots came in from Heaney and crosses caused problems.
And the visitors pressure bore them fruit when Woods kept the ball at his feet and found a gap from the edge of the box to beat Singh at his right hand post for the equaliser. (2-2, 58 mins)
Mariner’s captain Adams was booked for a late challenge on Enoru on the hour and Curley’s floated freekick was dropped by Boney but he recovered before anyone could take advantage of it.
Tshikuna picked up a card for a clumsy tackle in front of the away dugout on 65 and Tamworth pushed up looking to regain the lead. Wreh turned a shot but it was straight at Boney on 66, and Acquaye blazed off target when well positioned on 68.
Enoru forced a corner on the right which Wreh met with a swinging volley which was blocked, and put behind for another which went shot to Tshikuna flicked over his head and when it came down Knight-Percival connected perfectly to blast it through the crowded box and into the back of the net (3-2, 71 mins)
Finn and Williams came on for the final ten or so minutes, as South Shields forced a corner which Woods just failed to connect with near the far post on 82, an a run by substitute Clarke gave them another but not before Creaney had come on for Wreh.
Sundire flicked the curling flagkick out for another which Creaney dealt with but a push by Sundire on Smith set the Shields with a freekick from Woods which, this time, wasn’t on target.
Jenkins flashed a right footed shot from 18 yards on the right high and wide of the target as the clock ticked into six minutes added time.
A shirt pull on Williams gave Tshikuna the freekick which Finn was able to get his head onto, but it looped over the target, and then Creaney beat the offside trap to sprint through but Broadbent was quick to close him down and deny him a shooting opportunity.

TEAMS

Tamworth
Singh (c.), Curley, Fairlamb, Acquaye (Finn 78), Willets, Tshikuna, Tonks, Wreh (Creaney 84), Sundire, Enoru (Williams 78), Knight-Percival
Subs: Reilly, Deacon
YC: Fairlamb 11, Tshikuna 65

South Shields
Boney, Adams (c.), Smith, Heaney, Briggs, Blackett, Woods, Hunter (Clarke 80), Jenkins, Broadbent, Stephenson (Martin 71)
Subs:Gomes, Abbey
YC: Adams 60, Jenkins 78

Referee: Mr. Michael Robertson-Tant
Assistant: Mr. Brooks, Mr. Howell

Att: 1569

MOM: Chosen by match sponsors CR MOT: Chris Wreh