Birmingham Senior Cup | Round 3 | Tuesday 14 January 2025
Report taken from the Tamworth Website

 After the heroics of the FA Cup tie against Spurs, Andy Peaks’ Lambs made the short journey to the outskirts of Sutton Coldfield for their Birmingham Senior cup 3rd Round tie to face Neil Kitching’s Northern Premier League Midlands Division 1 side, who kicked off the game off with The Lambs attacking the clubhouse end in the first half.

As well as switching the game away from The Lamb (as the draw had originally dictated) and with Boldmere in their orange away kit and Tamworth in their home colours, there was an no surprise regarding the changes in personnel on the team sheet as Zach McKenzie and some Academy teammates featured on the bench , including two new names on a Lambs first team sheet for Isaac Nharo and Liam McCullagh, as the side went searching for an early breakthrough.

On the 3G surface, installed since The Lambs last competitive visit in the FA Cup in September 1989 (there have been a couple of pre-season games at the ground between then and now, all when on grass) a Tonks’ long throw form the right forced Brown to punch the ball away but the midfielder received it back and blasted his 2nd minute strike on target but didn’t really trouble the keeper.

Curley floated a cross in for Ponticelli on 5 which he got his head to and flicked onto the roof of the net and the game continued at a quick pace on the artificial surface with The Lambs having the majority of possession as Okafor got his head to a powerful left wing cross on 18 but his effort looped over the cross bar.

McKenzie’s right wing ball looking for Okafor was headed away from his awaiting free header shortly after and a dangerous ball in from Ponticelli was booted away by defender Phillips on 22 before Willets got his head to a deep freekick from the right on 28 but could only glance it off target under pressure in front of him as the Lambs hit the 330 minute mark without a goal (although it should be noted that the last 120 of those minutes were against Spurs!).

There was almost a goal at the other end on 32 though when Phillips didn’t take a cross cleanly and had to be quick to recover and smother the loose ball and a hefty challenge by home captain Cleet on Okafor on 32 earned him a booking, and saw the Lambs striker need treatment on the field.

The Mikes then forced a corner from a long ball into the box which Digie got his head to and Phillips was unable to prevent going well wide, and from the flag kick taken under the giant scoreboard Palmer headed it high and wide.
And with The Lambs trying to push up, a tackle on Curley just over the half way line was not given as a foul and the home side capitalised on a the chance to attack, with Ngombi picking up the ball on the right of midfield and moving forward before finishing well past Phillips (0-1, 43 mins)

One minute added time was shown at the end of the first half which ended with the ‘away’ side taking the lead into their own dressing rooms

The Lambs got things back underway again but Boldmere exerted early pressure which Tamworth had to deal with at the back as crosses from the left and a corner caused problems.

A Tonks throw from the right was booted away as the second ball dropped to the ‘home’ defence on 54 and Brown plucked a launch from Tonks on the other side out of the air a minute later.

Chiha then tried a speculative long range shot from 25 yards on 57 but it curled far off target and so in the next move, on the hour, he threaded the ball to Rowe with the latter forcing Phillips to block with his feet.

Boldmere got the ball back though and kept up the pressure up and after a scramble to get the ball away from the box, Palmer drove a low shot from 20 yards inside the left hand upright to double his side’s lead (0-2, 61 mins)

Hesitancy on the halfway line saw Tonks advance on goal on 63 and although he managed to get wide of the advancing keeper and it seemed like he would quickly reduce the arrears, his shot was well defended and put behind for a corner from which Okafor’s header dropped over the bar.

Another Lambs corner was forthcoming on 65 via a defensive header, and Williams made a nuisance of himself to force two more in quick succession, the latter of which was headed home from close range by Digie (1-2, 66 mins)
As Boldmere advanced from the restart Phillips was shown a yellow card for leaving his area and clattering Wilkes with a genuine but pacey attempt to block a possible cross / shot from the left on 67.

At the other end Finn struck low but not hard enough to test Brown too much on 70 and play switched with Ngombi leaping high but he directed his header wide of the far post.

Allison then stole in to try and steal the ball off McKenzie on 74 and The Lambs defender needed to work quickly to clear it off the line as it dropped goalward and from the clearance Palmer struck from distance on the right of the box. Phillips was able to catch the ball but he also clattered into the far post, moving the goals from their position in the process.
Next, the Lambs were on level terms on 76 following a great run from Curley out of midfield. He fed Finn on the right whose inch perfect cross was met with a bullet header from Okafor which powered past Brown to the delight of the travelling faithful (2-2, 76 mins)

Before play could restart Phillips needed treatment, showing visible signs of his encounter with the frame of the goal a few minutes earlier, but was OK to continue as Boldmere made their second change.

Williams received the ball on the edge of the area on 81 and tried a quick turn but was unable to forge a clear opening and Tonks’s throw from the left on 85 earned a corner. From the ensuing play, when Tonks received it back and crossed to the near post, Okafor’s close range header cannoned away off the crossbar.

The Lambs were hunting for a third now and Curley’s driven cross looking for Okafor in the box was booted away off the strikers toes on 88 before Tonks’ throw was headed towards the target by Okafor but cleared.

It wasn’t all Tamworth though, as Ngombi’s attempt was also dealt with when he got the better of Curley and McKenzie down the left, but when he took it towards Phillips the defender recovered and took it away from danger with confidence.
Brown replaced Williams as six minutes added time started and Curley’s cross from the right was cleared for a Tonks throw on the left and penalties came into view.

However, The Lambs late show provided it’s rewards as the clock ran down as Okafor forced another corner, on the left, on 93 and it was eventually forced home by Fletcher after Willets initial attempt had been blocked. (3-2, 90+4 mins)
​And there was a fourth on 95 when a defensive mix up saw the Boldmere defence, under pressure from sub Brown, play the ball past their own keeper on the edge of the area, and Finn took great delight in sprinting in to roll it home from 12 yards. (4-2, 90+5 mins)

Curley, playing his first 90 minutes in a long time was unable to complete the match as he dropped with cramp and had to be helped from the pitch shortly before the final whistle blew on a Lambs comeback and progression through to Round 4.

Tamworth: Leon Phillips, Matt Curley, Zach McKenzie, Tom Tonks, Kennedy Digie, Jamie Willetts, Kyle Finn, Miracle Okafor, Jordan Ponticelli, Kai Williams (Lucas Brown 90), Alex Fletcher. Subs not used:  Jack Hitchman, Isaac Nharo, Zach Knight, Liam McCullagh.

Boldmere St Michaels: Jonathan Brown, Pierre Phillips, Demico Brown, Stephen Palmer (Red Simmons 78), George Cleet, Nathan Oyemade (Danny Wood 71), Lewis Allison, Hisham Chiha, Kevin Ngombi, Theo Rowe (Joseph Blowers 85), Jake Wilkes (Corey Cooper 82). Sub not Used Mason Rees