In their final National League Cup group game Andy Peaks’ Lambs welcomed The Toffees’ Premier League 2 side to the HD Ricketts Community Stadium in the knowledge that nothing less than a victory margin of eight or more goals would see them leapfrog Middlesbrough U21s into second and progress through to the knockout stages but the unlikely became impossible as the visitors took the lead three times, and held on for victory.

Andy Peaks rotated his squad considerably for the tie to give players minutes, and Everton started the game, and within a couple of minutes Tom McGlinchey, celebrating his birthday, made way for Ricky Calder.
Tamworth nearly took an early lead when a strong run from Carter from the right wing to the edge of the box less than 60 seconds later resulted in a rasping strike which Fraser Barnsley fumbled and had to scamper back to prevent from crossing the line at the near post.
Braiden Graham rifled a low shot from 18 yards for the visitors just past the left hand upright on 6 minutes and Tom Handley was forced to head a cross from George Finney behind for the first corner with seven minutes gone.
Another mazy run from Carter nearly opened the scoring on 10 minutes but his low finish from 12 yards went the wrong side of the side netting.
And on 13 minutes Jack Hutchinson and Carter both scrambled for the loose ball in the penalty area but were unable to get a clean shot away with Luis Gardener taking the brunt of the final strike, inside the six yard box.
But it was Everton who broke the deadlock after 18 minutes when George Finney was given time to pick his spot from 20 yards out and angled a very powerful right footed shot into the top left corner from the right of the D (0-1, 20 mins)
In response, Hutchinson’s shot from the right channel on 22 minutes skipped out past the left hand post but Carter did make it count on 24 minutes with a similar strike to his earlier wide efforts, this time finding the gap between Barnsley and the post perfectly. (1-1, 24 mins)
Dan Creaney placed a header from a Handley corner just wide of the near post on the half hour, but The Toffees restored their advantage when the ball fell for Francis Gomez 8 yards out and he stabbed it past the covering Lambs defenders and under the dive of Rhys Lovett (1-2, 33 mins)
Oli Dyson forced Barnsley into a block from his fiercely struck drive on target after the restart and it took another ten minutes for another chance to present itself when a deep cross found Hutchinson at the far post but Barnsley was well positioned to push his on target half volley was pushed away.
From the corner, in added time, Creaney got three bites of the cherry but saw the first two blocked and fired the third over the target from 8 yards out and Lovett had to drop to his left to push a goalbound effort from Callum Bates away from danger in the final action of the half.

HT: 0-0

The Lambs got the second half back underway with a light rain shower covering proceedings but it did little to dampen the intention of either side with Everton forcing The Lambs back into the final third in the early exchanges.
Lovett dropped to stop a Braiden Graham low strike on 50 minutes but Barnsley was unable to prevent Carter’s equaliser two minutes later, cutting in from the right before striking home with venom from 18 yards (2-2, 52 mins)
Creaney got a shot away inside the box on 56 minutes but a block and tackle sent it high over the target for a corner, while Lovett was called upon again to deny Omari Benjamin’s angled shot from the right at the Meadow Street end, from the quick break upfield from the Lambs flagkick at the clubhouse end.
Graham’s strike took a fortuitous deflection to take it high up and over Lovett and into the back of the net to give his side the lead once again. (2-3, 60 mins)
Benjamin squeezed his way through The Lambs back line a couple of minutes later and snapshot past the left hand post before both sides made double changes.
Fairlamb’s left wing cross forced Barnsley into a low stop at his far post which Hutchinson was unable to get to first, and Bramble sprinted through onto a half chance and forced the keeper to push it around the post for a corner with 15 minutes to play but The Lambs couldn’t forge a chance from the resulting corner.
Hutchinson’s shot a minute later forced Barnsley into a one handed push over the crossbar for another corner but with almost everyone in the final third Everton cleared their lines from the keeper’s punch.
Peaks completed his five substitutions with a little under ten minutes of normal time remaining, before Graham angled a shot from the left of the area out past both Lovett and the far post.
Jordan Cullinane-Liburd needed treatment on and off the field after going down off the ball as the minutes ticked down so Tamworth played on with ten men until he was suitably recovered enough to continue for the five added minutes.
From a Lambs corner Everton broke quickly but Harvey Foster was unable to keep his angled shot down and a fine ball into the area from Carter found Creaney just off side but his header wouldn’t have counted, had it found the back of the net.
There was even time for Lovett to come up and try and get onto a corner to force the game to penalties but the final whistle blew on The Lambs participation in the National League Cup for 2026-27.

STOP PRESS: The Lambs start their defence of the Birmingham Senior Cup on Tuesday 10 November with a home tie against Atherstone Town.

Tamworth (4-4-2)
Lovett, Handley (Howley 65), Bramble (Kelly 81), Creaney, Fairlamb, Dyson, Cullinane-Liburd (c.), McGlinchey (Calder 02, Silva 65), Hutchinson (Wyse 81), Hollis, Carter
Subs: Macaulay, Rye
YC: Creaney 69
RC: (none)

Everton PL2
Barnsley, Finney, Van Schoor, Gardner, Tamen (c.) (Evans 60), Foster, Benjamin (Hutchinson 81), Bates (Samuels-Smith 64), Loney, Gomez (Moses 64), Graham
Subs: Patrick, Carrington
YC: (none)
RC: (none)

Referee: Mr Niall Smith

Attendance: 270