Tamworth  v  Chorley

Tue 5 Sep - 19:45 National League North

Tamworth

2-1

Chorley

Match Report

Andy Peaks’ fourth placed Lambs returned to the Compare the Build Community Stadium following their 100% committed performance and deserved 1-0 victory away at Curzon Ashton at the weekend, to take on 7^th placed Chorley who came to Staffordshire on the back of three wins on the bounce, so it would be another tough test as both sides looked to maintain their momentum at the right end of the table.

Peaks was without Dan Creaney, suspended following 5 bookings in 7 games, as he made one enforced change to the side with Ty Deacon coming in for Creaney in attack.

And with temperatures still in the low 20s Chorley got the game underway with the midweek cameras of National League TV broadcasting to the ‘world’.

The Lambs looked like they got out of the blocks the quickest and Deacon was a little too quick on 4 when he sprinted onto a through ball into the left channel, but was found to be offside, and the Arlott-John drilled the ball low into the box, but Deacon was unable to get away from his close marker, Ellis and The Magpies survived.
A flowing move from the right t the left on 10 ended with Arlott-John curling his shot from a tight angle just past the far post.
Chorley’s Whitehouse forced a corner when his cross deflected off Cockerill-Mollett on 14 but Tshikuna was able to clear it, and Blakeman needed treatment after taking a blow to the head as Chorley continued to press around the 18 minute mark.
But Tamworth took the initiative back and when Chorley failed to deal with the ball coming in from the right wing, and Finn was unable to get a clean shot away, so Arlott-John rifled home from close range to give his side the lead with his first goal for the club (1-0, 21 mins) and if Scunthorpe, winning at home to South Shields, had been losing at the time, it would have put The Lambs in top spot!
Cockerill-Mollett’s cross forced a block and corner on the right on 26 which Milnes took, but so did visiting captain and keeper Urwin, at height under his crossbar.
Blakeman was unable to continue so manager Preece had to make a change, and was replaced on 28 by Henley as The Lambs continued the pressure, and a deep cross from Cockerill-Mollett was put behind for Milnes to try again from the same flag on 32 and this time it created a chance with Finn duly took, powering home the loose ball from 12 yards out through a crowded box and through the legs of Urwin to double the advantage (2-0, 33 mins)
Cockerill-Mollett dived full length to deny a shot from Johnson going anywhere near the goal, and from the corner Willet’s defensive header went out off Whitehouse at the far post, so Singh was able to slow play down a little and get things back under way again.
Two minutes added time were shown at the end of the first half which ended without further incident.

HT 2-0

The Lambs restarted proceedings, and the visitors went on the offensive, keeping The Lambs inside their own half for the opening few minutes, and Arlott-John picked up a booking on 49 for a challenge on the halfway line.
Finn and Curley combined to set the latter free in the right of the box and he drilled the ball into the near post, but Cullinane-Liburd was unable to keep his feet as the defenders surrounded him and Chorley cleared their lines.
A hearty rendition of the Beatles classic ‘Twist and Shout’ from The Shed seemed to give Tamworth a little more impetus and Deacon nearly made it 3-0 but he was beaten to the cross from Cockeill-Mollett and Finn took the resulting corner and he received it back and curled a cross into the box, but neither Deaon nor Willets could get their head onto it.
Willets went down in the centre of midfield on 64 and needed a visit from the Tamworth physio, allowing the players to have a drinks break before the defender came back into the play.
And from a long throw from Cullinane-Liburd on 68 a corner resulted, but the same player’s header glanced wide of the mark.
A similar launch from the number 18 resulted in Arlott-John taking it around his man and forcing another flag kick, this time on the left, but Urwin was equal to it.
And at the other end, a double block from Singh, who had had very little to do until that point, denied Hazlehurst’s powerful goalbound shots, twice at the right hand post, the second of which may well have seen the referee requesting VAR or goal-line technology if it been available.
Arlott-John made way for Williams for the final 20 and the visitors tried to exploit the perceived reshuffle, with Johnson bursting through on 75, but unable to get his shot on target.
In the next move, Deacon nearly went one better but rattled the left hand upright square on with a left footed volley from 20 yards.
Tshikuna’s foul on Moore on 78 earned him a yellow card, and the Chorley man’s freekick came to nothing, although it did eventually get back to Moore how struck from distance high over the target.
A foul on Williams on the left wing by substitute Hockenhull allowed Milnes to line up the deadball with four Tamworth players in the area, but Hockenhull himself got back and in the way of the freekick but the same Magpie was then booked for a challenge on Williams and Reilly replaced Tshikuna.
Six minutes added time was shown at the end of the second half, and from a right wing low cross which evaded The Lambs defence and left Singh exposed, Hazlehurst bundled the ball home from close range to set up a tense last few minutes (2-1, 92 mins)
The referee spoke to the Chorley bench for the second time and brandished a card in their general direction after consultation with his assistant, and the Shed responded with more vociferous songs to urge The Lambs over the finish line, and the line came into view, but in the wrong way when Ellis smashed a shot goalward from the left and it struck the underside bar before bouncing away to safety, and the whistle blew on another hard worked and fully deserved three points.

Tamworth:
Singh, Curley, Cockerill-Mollett, Finn, Milnes (c.), Deacon, Willets, Cullinane-Liburd, Tshikuna (Reilly 86), Jellis, Creaney, Arlott-John (Williams 71)
Subs: Phillips, Meikle, Gascoigne
YC: Arlott-John 49, Tshikuna 78

Chorley:
Urwin (c.), Ellis, Smith, Nolan (Hockenhull 81), Whitehouse, Calveley, Britton (Ubaezuonu 61), Moore, Blakeman (Henley 28), Hazlehurst, Johnson
Subs: Shenton, Drench
YC: Elis 30

Att: 921

Referee: Darren Rogers
Assistant Referees: Joseph Larkin, Mitchell Cartwright

MOM: Chosen by Crown SDS: Arlott-John