This is the definition of a proper cup tie.
12:34
By Harry Bamforth
Tamworth captain Ben Milnes leaves on James Maddison as they go up for a header.
Maddison cuts inside and you just think the net is about to bulge but he bends a shot straight into the gloves of Jas Singh.
He was never intending to win that ball, he just wanted to ruffle a few feathers.
It’s not often I write that…
The players are just standing there like melons at the moment, waiting for it to be sorted.
Spurs stand-in captain provides the first real bit of quality this afternoon as he cheekily nutmegs a Tamworth defender before bending a sumptuous strike toward the corner.
This is what the FA Cup is all about, isn’t it?
11:18
By Harry Bamforth
If he Postecoglou brings a trophy then it is fantastic. They have the capabilities to beat anyone in the country. To go to Manchester City and win 4-0 away from home you have to have attacking flair to do that. They have that.
They are not consistent to win the league but they have the capability to beat any opposition on the day and that is what you need to win a cup.
I have been to Tottenham more in the last six months than I have for six years. It is exciting to go. Under other managers, they might carve out one or maybe two opportunities throughout the game.
With Postecoglou, you are getting 12 chances, they might be in the first ten minutes as well. They throw everything forward, attack, bums are getting off seats, fans are getting excited. I do understand the pessimism in it for the Tottenham fans, but I think you have to roll with it.
12:00
By Harry Bamforth
13:00, 24′
By Harry Bamforth
Ange Postecoglou, Tottenham manager, speaking on Friday:
Maddison is trying to run the show and comes close to opening the scoring with a cracker.
There are huge cheers as the net is taped up and we are ready to go.
They have played Stoke City, Norwich City, and Everton before this, but this fixture eclipses all of those occasions.
I am absolutely loving this, it’s the FA Cup to a tee.
Those Tottenham players are certainly not going to feel comfortable in such a small space.
Which is the best of the lot, though?
Timo Werner, Tottenham forward, speaking to ITV:
This is by far one of the most interesting ties of the afternoon, but it’s not the only game we will be covering.
It’s pretty damn cold over in Tamworth, it won’t go above four degrees during the match.
If history has taught us anything, don’t write Tamworth off before the game has even started.
13:04, 27′
By Harry Bamforth
The teams walk out of what looks like a school corridor before being greeted by a boisterous 5,000-strong crowd.
12:51, 14′
By Harry Bamforth
Better late than never!
Hull City vs Doncaster Rovers, 12:00 GMT
Tamworth vs Tottenham, 12:30 GMT
Arsenal vs Manchester United, 15:00 GMT
Crystal Palace vs Stockport, 15:00 GMT
Ipswich vs Bristol Rovers, 15:00 GMT
Newcastle vs Bromley, 15:00 GMT
Southampton vs Swansea, 16:30 GMT
There is a press row in the 518 seat main stand at the Lamb Ground but I’m not on it. At a game like this, I don’t particularly want to be. Brilliant atmosphere on the terraces here already.
Lovely to see Ange Postecoglou and the Spurs players walking through the crowd on their way to the changing rooms, chatting with home fans and drinking it all in.
The idea of a lower-league side taking out a giant of the game is something that neutrals crave every season. It’s a staple of English football.
The winger then slides the ball across to Tom McGlinchey to let fly and his shot is blocked behind for a corner.
He takes a tumble after a slight shove from Pedro Porro and then acts like he has been shot.
Tonks just lumps them into the mixer like a missile, I have never seen anything like it.
We are underway in Yorkshire!
James Maddison is loving this all-weather surface, his passes are skidding off the 4G pitch.
13:09, 32′
By Harry Bamforth
Football, more than any other sport, is a real leveller. And that’s because it’s still a very difficult game to score goals in and really show the difference in levels.
That is what I love about the game. It allows people at all levels to dream and it’s why the FA Cup is such a great competition. I’m on the other side of the fence this time. I want to make sure that we show our capabilities.
12:42, 4′
By Harry Bamforth
They all look fairly relaxed considering…
12:10
By Harry Bamforth
Tamworth nearly score inside 30 seconds!
11:47
By Harry Bamforth
Whether that was his intention, we’ll never know.
That’s probably why I am sat behind this computer rather than taking to the pitch.
This is what the FA Cup third round is meant to be, a bunch of lower league fans showcasing their tin foil trophies.
Anyway, I have been excited to start this blog all morning, so I think it’s about time to get cracking, don’t you?
12:54, 17′
By Harry Bamforth
12:48, 12′
By Harry Bamforth
This is the club’s greatest day in its history, there is no doubt about that.
Join the conversationKey UpdatesKICK-OFF: Tamworth 0-0 TottenhamView post
Net delaying kick-offView post
KICK-OFF: Hull City 0-0 DoncasterView post
Tamworth Team News – Tonks STARTSView post
Tottenham Team News – Maddison STARTSView post
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Up for the cupView post
TOP STORIES
The hosts are soaking up the Tottenham pressure with relative ease while looking to break when they can.
So when Tottenham were pulled out of the hat to face Tamworth in the third round, the Midlands club couldn’t believe their eyes.
James Maddison is getting closer and closer.
11:39
By Harry Bamforth
WOW!
Let’s all get up for the cup.
They may just surprise you.
I mean, I love it.
Congratulations!
Rory Delap would be proud.
It’s a monumental occasion for them.
Tottenham get the ball clear but that will certainly cause problems for them today.
12:53, 8′
By Harry Bamforth
They will be desperate not to become part of history for the wrong reasons today.
11:55
By Harry Bamforth
No matter how much I watch them, I can’t get over these throw-ins.
This is when it really starts to get real for these Tamworth players.
If they can somehow, my word, it would be one of the biggest shocks this competition has ever seen.
11:44
By Harry Bamforth
Wow, Tamworth goalkeeper Jas Singh has had an amazing weekend.
This is mental, and I am loving it.
Not often do non-league clubs get the opportunity to take on football’s elite, it is a precious commodity for these clubs.
There is no fancy pre-match show, no flames, just an old-school atmosphere.
He has a pop but his effort is blocked on its way to goal.
Maybe it will put them off their game, but we shall see later.
They race forward yet again through none other than Beck-Ray Enoru, I mean, who else?
11:58
By Harry Bamforth
I actually think Tamworth will score. When they beat Huddersfield they were well organised, and they beat them well.
The other thing Tottenham will have to deal with is a terrible pitch, so this tie is far from straightforward, but I also believe that, unlike Huddersfield, Spurs will create enough opportunities to win it.
12:18
By Harry Bamforth
But this is the FA Cup and it’s also Spurs – anything can happen, especially on a cold afternoon in Staffordshire.
The hosts are straight on the front foot, they are really not messing about.
12:24
By Harry Bamforth
That’s a lot of places… jeez.
12:02
By Harry Bamforth
You don’t get this in the Premier League, that’s for sure.
And guess who has been better so far?
None of that matters in the FA Cup though, there will be times when Tamworth feel like they are 10 feet tall too.
James Maddison has not been ruffled by that challenge to the head, that’s for sure.
Those last few minutes was some of the funniest I have watched in my career, simply brilliant.
Mikey Moore comes back into the set-up after some time away.
Here is today’s billing:
The resulting set-piece is somehow less threatening than their throw-ins, though.
The only survivors from the side that beat Liverpool in midweek are Antonin Kinsky, Pedro Porro, Radu Dragusin, Archie Gray, and Yves Bissouma.
I mean, this is what the cup is all about.
The Australian has selected a fairly strong side this afternoon but has still made six changes to the side.
This time he launches it over everybody in the box and it hits the post – I’m not sure I have ever seen anything like that before.
There are ironic cheers from all four stands and Gray gives a wry smile.
I mean, they really are.
I wonder how those Tamworth players are feeling…
This is comfortably the biggest game of their lives, and it’s not even close.
13:15, 39′
By Harry Bamforth
Plus updates from the other Sunday afternoon fixture, Hull City vs Doncaster.
The visitors, well, they haven’t got going yet.
That’s a lot of hyphens, I know.
Hull City and Doncaster are also in action this lunchtime, so I will keep you updated if anything major happens in that game.
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