Reds look to silence The Lambs (Tamworth Preview)
After last weekend’s emphatic 7-1 victory over Ossett Town in the FA Cup it’s back to league action for Karl Marginson’s men as they travel to Tamworth looking to bring their cup form into the league. Craig Phillips provides this preview...
After 10 league games the Reds currently sit 18th in the league with just nine points coming from two victories and three draws. Despite some eye-catching performances, FC United’s inability to turn those performances into points is something which will need addressing sooner rather than later.
The defence has been done well so far but currently we have only scored 14 times in the league (the fifth lowest in the league) and with two games in four days the Reds know they need to get something from Saturday’s visit to Tamworth and Tuesday’s home game against Curzon Ashton.
The Reds and The Lambs have met only twice in competitive fixtures with both of those games coming in the league last season and both games ending in 1-1 draws. Luke Ashworth cancelled out an early Tamworth goal in the home game at Broadhurst Park in August last year before it looked like the Reds would take all three points from the Lamb Ground thanks to George Thomson before being denied by a goal deep into stoppage time.
The Lambs come into the game on the back of a heavy 4-0 defeat to Kidderminster in the FA Cup and that loss means their current run of form is just two victories in their last five games. Their last league game was also against Kidderminster just four days before the FA Cup tie with Kidderminster winning that one by an even bigger margin - 6-0.
Currently Tamworth are 9th in the league with 19 points from 11 games which is nine places and 10 points better than where FC United are currently. The Staffordshire club have scored 21 goals in those games which is the seventh best in the league, but they have conceded 20 which is the sixth worst record in the league.
Dan Newton may be considered as Tamworth’s main goal threat, their current top scorer has five for the season in the league which is joint 10th highest currently in the league.
The Lambs were formed in 1933 after previous Tamworth based team Tamworth Castle ceased to exist and despite the club originally playing at the Jolly Sailor Ground they have actually been playing at their current home; The Lamb Ground, since 1934.
The club has a proud tradition in national cup competitions winning the FA Vase in 1989 and they were runners up in the FA Trophy in 2003. They have also reached the third round of the FA Cup three times in their history in the 2005/06, 2006/07 and 2011/12 seasons. Their last appearance in the third round saw them travel to Goodison Park where they were cheered on by some 5,000 Tamworth Supporters but lost to the Premier League team 2-0.
The Lambs played in the Conference between 2009 and 2014 but were relegated at the end of the 2013/14 season. Despite progressing to the second round of the FA Cup that season they finished 23rd and were relegated after five seasons in the division.
Their two seasons back in the National League North have seen them narrowly miss out on the play-offs, by goal difference in the 2014/15 season and last year they finished 7th in the league just two places off a play-off position.
Current manager Andy Morrell joined the club in 2014. The former Bury and Blackpool man was formerly in charge at Wrexham, leaving the club in February 2014 before taking the Tamworth job in the September of that year.
Saturday’s game promises to be another exciting encounter and the Reds know they must bring the form that saw them run out winners in the FA Cup tie with Ossett back to the league and start picking up some points.
The game is the usual fan friendly three o’clock kick off on Saturday, with full match details listed below. So get yourself to that football ground.
PAST MEETINGS (Vs. Tamworth)
P W D L F A GD
2 0 2 0 2 2 0
Previous meetings
09/01/16 NLN (Away) 1-1 Thomson
15/08/15 NLN (Home) 1-1 Ashworth
Tamworth Form (Last 5 games) LLWWL
17/9 Kidderminster (away) 0-4 FAC
14/9 Kidderminster (away) 0-6 NLN
10/9 Curzon Ashton (away) 5-1 NLN
6/9 Gloucester City (home) 3-1 NLN
3/9 Chorley (home) 0-1 NLN
League Position – 9th
Top Scorer – Dan Newton (5 goals)
Match details
Saturday 24th September 2016, kick-off 3pm
Tamworth FC (away)
The Lamb Ground, Kettlebrook Road, Tamworth, Staffordshire, B77 1AA
After 10 league games the Reds currently sit 18th in the league with just nine points coming from two victories and three draws. Despite some eye-catching performances, FC United’s inability to turn those performances into points is something which will need addressing sooner rather than later.
The defence has been done well so far but currently we have only scored 14 times in the league (the fifth lowest in the league) and with two games in four days the Reds know they need to get something from Saturday’s visit to Tamworth and Tuesday’s home game against Curzon Ashton.
The Reds and The Lambs have met only twice in competitive fixtures with both of those games coming in the league last season and both games ending in 1-1 draws. Luke Ashworth cancelled out an early Tamworth goal in the home game at Broadhurst Park in August last year before it looked like the Reds would take all three points from the Lamb Ground thanks to George Thomson before being denied by a goal deep into stoppage time.
The Lambs come into the game on the back of a heavy 4-0 defeat to Kidderminster in the FA Cup and that loss means their current run of form is just two victories in their last five games. Their last league game was also against Kidderminster just four days before the FA Cup tie with Kidderminster winning that one by an even bigger margin - 6-0.
Currently Tamworth are 9th in the league with 19 points from 11 games which is nine places and 10 points better than where FC United are currently. The Staffordshire club have scored 21 goals in those games which is the seventh best in the league, but they have conceded 20 which is the sixth worst record in the league.
Dan Newton may be considered as Tamworth’s main goal threat, their current top scorer has five for the season in the league which is joint 10th highest currently in the league.
The Lambs were formed in 1933 after previous Tamworth based team Tamworth Castle ceased to exist and despite the club originally playing at the Jolly Sailor Ground they have actually been playing at their current home; The Lamb Ground, since 1934.
The club has a proud tradition in national cup competitions winning the FA Vase in 1989 and they were runners up in the FA Trophy in 2003. They have also reached the third round of the FA Cup three times in their history in the 2005/06, 2006/07 and 2011/12 seasons. Their last appearance in the third round saw them travel to Goodison Park where they were cheered on by some 5,000 Tamworth Supporters but lost to the Premier League team 2-0.
The Lambs played in the Conference between 2009 and 2014 but were relegated at the end of the 2013/14 season. Despite progressing to the second round of the FA Cup that season they finished 23rd and were relegated after five seasons in the division.
Their two seasons back in the National League North have seen them narrowly miss out on the play-offs, by goal difference in the 2014/15 season and last year they finished 7th in the league just two places off a play-off position.
Current manager Andy Morrell joined the club in 2014. The former Bury and Blackpool man was formerly in charge at Wrexham, leaving the club in February 2014 before taking the Tamworth job in the September of that year.
Saturday’s game promises to be another exciting encounter and the Reds know they must bring the form that saw them run out winners in the FA Cup tie with Ossett back to the league and start picking up some points.
The game is the usual fan friendly three o’clock kick off on Saturday, with full match details listed below. So get yourself to that football ground.
PAST MEETINGS (Vs. Tamworth)
P W D L F A GD
2 0 2 0 2 2 0
Previous meetings
09/01/16 NLN (Away) 1-1 Thomson
15/08/15 NLN (Home) 1-1 Ashworth
Tamworth Form (Last 5 games) LLWWL
17/9 Kidderminster (away) 0-4 FAC
14/9 Kidderminster (away) 0-6 NLN
10/9 Curzon Ashton (away) 5-1 NLN
6/9 Gloucester City (home) 3-1 NLN
3/9 Chorley (home) 0-1 NLN
League Position – 9th
Top Scorer – Dan Newton (5 goals)
Match details
Saturday 24th September 2016, kick-off 3pm
Tamworth FC (away)
The Lamb Ground, Kettlebrook Road, Tamworth, Staffordshire, B77 1AA
First Posted ~ 01:09 Fri 23 Sep 2016
News ID ~ 7042
Last Updated ~ 00:47 Tue 16 Feb 2021