Tamworth  v  Hednesford Town

Tue 7 Nov - 19:45 B'ham Senior Cup R2

Tamworth

2-2*

Hednesford Town

Match Report

While the rest of the Vanarama National North were in action, The Lambs took a break from the League as the Birmingham Senior Cup 2^nd Round took precedence and the Compare The Build Community Stadium welcomed The Pitman on a cold post Bonfire-night Tuesday evening.

There were a number of changes to the ‘usual’ Lambs line up as four players from Kev Killingworth’s Academy Development side took shirts in the playing squad for the fixture, signing first team forms to be part of the match as Jake O’Reilly started alongside new loanee Max Brogan who joined the squad for a month and goalkeeper Leon Phillips made his competitive home debut. Meanwhile former Lamb Lucas Yeomans featured for the opposition.

The Pitmen got the game, which would go straight to penalties if the scores were level at full time, underway with The Lambs, wearing last seasons home kit to avoid difficult conversations regarding names on the shirts, attacking the Meadow Street End in the first half.
The visitors took the lead on 7 when O’Reilly was unable to prevent Sang from getting around him in the right back area of the field and the Hednesford Town player angles his shot inside the far post (0-1, 7 mins)
Tamworth responded with Williams forcing a corner from his cross off Yeomans, and it eventually fell to Brogan who powered a strike off a defender for another corner which Gascoigne glanced well wide of the mark.
The Lambs defender was booked on 12 for a challenge on the half way line, and from the restart battled to get the ball back and forge a way up the field.
Williams rifled a shot over the target from the angle on 15, Brogan then saw a shot cannon back off a covering defender and O’Reilly brought a good stop from keeper Brown before Jones could get to it, with an angled attempt from the right.
Jones shouted for handball against his marker on 17 from Williams ball into the box which bounced up at the Hednesford man but the referee waved the call away.
As the half continued neither side were able to test the opposition keeper despite some positive play out of into and through midfield from both halves of the pitch.
The best and perhaps only effort since the goal came on 37 when Jones picked his spot from 25 yards and drive a shot at the top right corner which went over Brown’s dive but also the woodwork and onto the terracing.
Williams worked the ball into the box on 40 and his cross was headed over and out for a corner on the right which Jones was unable to head on target at the back of the box.
Another Williams ball into the area, this time from the left, was put out for another flagkick on 42 and it was glanced behind for another on the opposite side but Hednesford broke from the set piece and Phillips pulled of a good stop from Abbey’s low goalbound shot in the final action of the half.

HT 0-1

Hednesford made a change before The Lambs restarted proceedings and Jones turned and shot from 20 yards from the right channel on 49, but his shot went wide of the left hand post with Brown at full stretch.
Griffin lofted a shot high over the target a couple of minutes later and Wiliams burst over the half way line in the next move, playing the ball into the box for Jones but it was too far in front of him to get a touch onto.
Then in the 55^th minute the ball was played out by the Pitmen and fell to Brogan just inside the visitors half and he spotted Brown off his line and duly lobbed him with a slowly arcing shot to the delight of the Lambs faithful (1-1, 55 mins)
The visitors regained the lead six minutes later though, when Abbey pounced on a shot from the right that Phillips parried well enough but he and his defence were unable to prevent his close range finish at the far post (1-2, 61 mins)
A freekick was awarded for a foul just outside Phillips’ D on 63 and Thompson struck it over the wall but also wide of the left hand post then both sides made a change, and Scott Hardy came on for his first team debut.
From the debutant’s cross, Gascoigne rose highest to power a header just past the right hand upright on 70 and after John McHugh made his first appearance, coming on for O’Reilly, Jones’ shot from 25 yards forced Brown to pluck his on target effort out of the air on 73.
Gascoigne was able to comfortably clear Gwilt’s low 18 yard shot off the line on 76 and another corner from another Williams blocked cross gave Tamworth a chance on 77 but Abbey volley it away from danger.
Reilly direct a header from a deep freekick at Brown on 78 and at the other end Phillips did well to smother the loose ball before Abbey could bear down on it in the box.
Jones threaded the ball into the box for Brogan to get onto on 82, but his prod didn’t go under Brown as planned as the keeper denied him a second goal of the game.
Hednesford made their fourth change of the night on 84 and Callum Pinto completed the trio of Development Academy players to make their debut, with five remaining.
Williams sent a deep cross from the left into the near post as the clock stuck 90 and Jones got his foot on it but couldn’t force an equaliser but Williams could, with an angled drive from the left of the box into the bottom right corner. (2-2, 94 mins)
And so the final whistle blew and took the game to penalties, taken at the Meadow Street end of the ground and The Lambs started..
PENALTIES
1 – Brogan – into the bottom left 1-0 / Thorley – driven the same way 1-1
2 – Jones – casually to the right 2-1 / McQuilkin – powerful into the bottom left 2-2
3 – Gascoigne – saved well by Brown 2-2 / Thompson – struck over the dive of Phillips 2-3
4 – Curley – planted to the right but pushed away 2-3 / May – dinked in to take the Pitmen though 2-4

Tamworth:.
Phillips, Curley, Fairlamb, Reilly (Pinto 85), Gascoigne, Dolman (c.), O’Reilly (McHugh 72), Griffin (Hardy 67), Jones, Brogan, Williams
Subs: Singh, Willets
YC : Gascoigne 12, Curley 22

Hednesford Town:
Brown, Yeomans, Armitage, Thompson, Griffiths (c.), Williams, Nelson (May 84), Gwilt, Brown (Thorley HT), Abbey (Martin 80), Sang (McQuilkin 66)
Subs: Morley
YC: Thompson 35

Att: 456

Referee: Mr. Ashely Clarke
Assistant Referees: Mr. Tom Bowkett, Mr. Cameron Danks