KICK OFF

After a minutes applause to celebrate the contribution of George Baldock to football and his time at The Lamb, after his recently untimely passing, Tamworth got the game underway in glorious sunshine.
They went on the offensive immediately and forced a corner but it came to nothing.
Dawson was booked for a reckless challenge on Morrison 7 in front of a packed Shed and there was a similar show of a card for Tonks on 11 when he tackled Duffy but the home crowd were not as impressed with the decision the second time.
A slip by Curley on 15 handed the visitors a massive opportunity on 16 when Kengni wriggled past the desperate tackle of the right back and played a gilt edged ball into the box but with just Singh to beat he only glanced the ball with his laces and diverted it wide of the far post.
Elliot then got a shot on target on 20, with a cheeky backheel after a flick on by Johnson but it was straight at the Lambs custodian.
The first Tonks throw of the afternoon came on 21 but it was straight into the hand of Dearnley and from the Castle End, the visitors mounted an attack with ended with a shot on the turn from Elliot in the left of the area which rose over the corner of bar and post.
A deflection off Curley then handed Macclesfield a left sided flagkick on 25 and Dawson got his head to it but it was too long for him to do anything with it other than put it into the ground past the far post.
At the other end, Tshikuna drilled the ball in and a similar deflection gave Finn a corner on the right which Creaney rose highest to but also directed it over the crossbar.
Elliot got the better of Cullinane-Liburd to force another corner on 27, and from the ensuing play Macclesfield took the lead but there was controversy in the passage of play that lead up to it as tackles were flying in and play appeared to stop after a hefty challenge leaving Elliot free to pick his spot from 12 yards and fire home the opening goal in front of the massed ranks of travelling fans. (0-1, 29 mins)
The clearly rattled The Lambs though, and within 90 seconds the scores were level as Tamworth went immediately on the attack and forced Macclesfield to defend but there was nothing they could do about the close range tenacious and skilful finish from Tshikuna, his second in two games (1-1, 31 mins)
And within 60 seconds Peaks’ side had lifted The Lamb roof off, playing any which way but mainly on the floor directly into the Macclesfield box and Savage’s side could do nothing to prevent the forward movement other than a half clearance which fell to Morrison who knocked it for Tshikuna 25 yards out and he struck sweetly past Dearnly with the aid of a slight deflection (2-1, 32 mins).
From a corner on 38 Acquaye fell awkwardly and had to be helped from the field some three minutes later clearly in some pain brining McGlinchey in and within a couple of minutes The Lambs had extended their lead.
There were shouts for a handball against the Macclesfield defence in the build up to Creaney’s fifth in five games, but the referee waved play on and Creaney struck low into the bottom left from 20 yards. (3-1, 44 mins)
In added time at the end of the first half, Cullinane-Liburd was booked for a shoulder barge which put Elliot in the hoardings and Rooney was booked for a foul in Morrison as the first half continued.
A chance presented itself for Hollis even deeper into added time as he fashioned an overhead kick which went just over the crossbar in the final action of the first half.

HT 3-1

Macclesfield restarted the game, with The Lambs attacking the Meadow Street End with their two goal cushion, but showed no initial signs of resting on it, with a curling shot from McGlinchey going over the corner of bar and post on 48.
But as you would expect, the visitors rallied and searched for a quick way back and Singh did very well to protect the advantage coming out to deny Elliot with a close range shot / finish on the turn bursting onto Johnson’s through ball on 49 and then a double save to deny a freekick from Dawson and far post follow up by Elliot a minute later.
A corner on the right by Rooney did bear fruit though, with Dawson powering home a near post header to reduce the arrears and set up a tense remainder of the game for both sets of fans (3-2, 55 mins)
Johnson rifled a right footed shot into the side netting from the right of the box on 57 under close scrutiny from Fairlamb.
Curley went down with cramp just short of the hour but was unable to continue so Digie replace him for the final 30 minutes and a clearance on 62 was nodded out of play by Kengni to give Tonks a throw on the right, in line with the box, which Dawson headed away for a corner, also taken by Tonks. And it went away and long back to the other side for another throw, but it was cleared.
Singh dropped to smother a low strike by Duffy on 65 and Fairlamb was booked for a challenge from behind as Macclesfield pressed, and from the freekick Dawson headed the freekick over at the far post.
A well worked Lambs move on 68 brought McGlinchey in sight of goal on the edge of the box a minute later but he dragged his shot wide of the mark, while a corner at the opposite end on 69 put pressure on Singh’s goal as the pendulum of the game refused to stop swinging both ways.
Cullinane-Liburd headed a long Tonks throw wide of the mark much to his dismay on 74, before Finn was replaced by Enoru for the last 15 and Savage made his first change too.
As the light rain started to fall, the substitute did well to take the ball away from Pemberton on the edge of the box on 82 and rolled it to Tonks to try a shot from distance but his strike curled away from the target and into the packed away end, and Digie nearly finished a freekick at the far post.
But The Lambs did made things a little less tense in the next move as Enoru worked to the get the ball into the area and it was played out to McGlinchey who took great delight in striking home into the roof of the net from the right of the six yard box (4-2, 85 mins)
For the remainder of the game The Lambs did their best to maintain possession or take it away from Macclesfield and into the corners until the final whistle on a FA Cup First Round Proper place for the first time in just over a decade.

TEAMS

Tamworth
Singh, Curley (Digie 59), Tonks, Finn (Enoru 75), Creaney (Okafor 86), Fairlamb, Morrison, Acquaye (McGlinchey 41), Cullinane-Liburd, Tshikuna (Wallace 81), Hollis
Subs: Fletcher, Phillips
YC: Tonks 11, Cullinane-Liburd 11, Fairlamb 66

Macclesfield
Dearnley, Pemberton, Kengni, Dawson, Mendy, Heathcote (Clare 76), Johnson (Maieco 86), Rooney, Mellor, Elliot, Duffy
Subs: Savage, Fensome, Whitehead, Duffus, Curran
YC: Dawson 7, Rooney 49, Pemberton 90+2

Referee: Mr. Aaron Bannister
Assistant: Mr. Jordan Brooks, Mr. Ashley Allen
4th Official: Mr. Tom Bowkett

Att: 2168 (521 from Macclesfield)

Man of the match: Chosen by TFC guest Marc Albrighton: Jas Singh