For their final Vanarama National League game of the 2024-25 season Andy Peaks took his Lambs to Moss Lane to face Altrincham in a last day battle of 9th v 10th as both sides held identical WDL records ahead of kick off.
Neither side could reach the play offs, but a win for Tamworth would see them leapfrog their hosts to round off a fantastic season, and go into the Birmingham Senior Cup Final against Burton Albion at The Lamb on Thursday night with added confidence.
Peaks was unable to select Jas Singh goal following his sending off in the 4-3 comeback win over AFC Fylde, and subsequent one match ban, so Leon Phillips came for his eighth appearance of the season, his first, and last, in the current league campaign. Kyle Finn came in for Beck-Ray Enoru who had gone off injured against Fylde, and Ben Crompton made his final league appearance on loan from Sunderland, while Danny Waldron, on loan from Southend United, made his final league team sheet appearance for The Lambs.
Phil Parkinon’s home side had lost 6-1 at Dagenham & Redbridge in their final game, which ensured the Essex club still had a chance of staying up with one game to go, and Alty had their awards night planned for after the full time whistle, so there was quite a bit riding on the performance of both sides with the result more meaningful than a simple end of season runout.
The home side kicked off the game, attacking the travelling faithful on the open sun drenched terrace and after a game of head tennis in the Altrincham half, Tonks sent a long throw into the box and it fell to Ponticelli but his shot from 12 yards was blocked.
Tonks had another go from a similar position on the right on 5 and it was also cleared, and a move including a superb roulette drag back by Dolan ended with a pull back from the left to Nuttall who sent his first time angled shot high over the target.
A wayward defensive clearance on the Alty left set up Tonks with another throw on 11 which was booted away to Phillips, and when Golden went down under close attention from Creaney on the edge of the box there was confusion (from the back of the main stand) when the freekick was awarded to The Lambs, so Sundire lined it up and slammed it into the defensive wall, flooring Nuttall in the process before Finn rattled the rebound well wide of the mark.
The Lambs did hit the back of the net though, when Creaney fed it through to Fairlamb on the left and he pulled it back for Tonks, but he missed his shot so Crompton took it on down the right of the box and chipped it over the top of everyone into the top left corner for his first Lambs goal to the bemused delight / shock of those watching (0-1, 14 mins)
A home attack forged an opening on 22 when Newby chipped into the area for Nuttall but he glanced his header wide of the mark.
Phillip was then called into action when Banks got a sight on goal from 18 yards and struck on target but found the Lambs keeper in fine form to launch himself and push it away from danger.
Phillips then pulled off another fine stop after Amaluzor got the better of McGlinchey, and he looked destined to notch the equaliser but the custodian deflected his angled finish around the post with his outstretched boot and took the resulting corner at height amid applause from the Lambs fans behind him.
Sundire struck the bar face on with a powerfully rifled right footed shot from 18 yards on 30 when a cross from Finn aimed for Creaney was punched away by keeper Ansen, and it rebounded away for the Lambs midfielder to go for goal.
Sustained Lambs pressure on 33 nearly added the second of the afternoon but on three quick occasions it was too high for Digie and then Finn and then cleared and Alty responded with Amaluzor shooting from the right of the box into the side netting after a telling stop from Hollis seemed to have broken down the home attack.
At the other end Tonks forced Ansen to punch his throw way on 35 and he launched another on 43 but a foul prevented any action when it dropped into the area.
One minute added time was shown and a foul by Finn allowed Alty a freekick on the left of the box and Phillips dropped to his left to smother it as the whistle blew for the break.

HT: 0-1

The Lambs restarted the second half attacking the away end with a superb 343 away following and a foul on Ponticelli gave Tonks an early free kick and it popped up invitingly for the Ponticelli who tried an audacious overhead finish from 12 yards which Ansen managed to get a hand to, to deny a quick doubling of the lead, but Alty raced to the other end and Newby finished fairly simply after the home side split the defence and left Phillips exposed to allow Banks to pull it into open space for a side footed finish into the open goal. (1-1, 48 mins)
Dolan then forced Phillips into a one handed push over the bar after he had taken the ball into the box from the left and curled an shot on target, and from the corner home captain Jones glanced his header wide of the far post.
Finn was booked for kicking the ball away on 53 and from Alty pressure, Amaluzor rocketed a right footed shot from the right into the side netting on 55.
A corner, forced by Finn on the right, was taken by the same player and cleared to McGlinchey but he found the home defence in the way so Tonks threw from the right and Digie’s back header fell to Ansen.
A Crompton cross was knocked behind by Jones for another Finn flagkick on 60 but Alty broke upfield and Amaluzor miscued his strike from outside the area.
McGlinchey then found himself going to toe to toe with the home defence but was unable to dance around the last man before being replaced by Williams on 63.
A bizarrely directed back pass from Jones nearly beat Ansen from distance on 64 but skipped just wide of the near post and the corner eventually fell to Creaney but he had to shoot quickly on a tight angle and his effort dropped wide.
On 66, Ponticelli bravely went for the loose ball in the right of the box and managed to get a boot to it to lift it over the keeper, but as it dropped towards goal Olson did equally well to hook it away off the goalline as everyone in the ground held their collective breaths.
Phillips was the saviour once again when Alty raced forwards, as Weaver took the ball at pace down the right and he found Newby, but Phillips managed to smother his on target low effort.
After a well timed Crompton challenge saw Newby go over and down in the area on 73, Tonks was pushed to the floor by Nuttall and a short lived melee ensued, resulting in conversations between the officials and two yellow cards, one for Tonks and one for Nuttall.
Dolan turned on the ball in the right of the box on 77, forcing Phillips to bat the ball away for a corner and it found Nuttall 12 yards out. He managed to strike on target but once again Phillips was more than equal to the effort, as he was when Banks shot from a similar position in the next Alty move.
Tonks was replaced by Fletcher on 82 and on 86 Golden was booked for pulling back Finn as he tried to cut in from the right wing and into the danger area. Finn and Sundire lined it up with a four man wall in front of them but Finns effort went high into the away end, and he was replaced by Waldron for the final few minutes.
Four added minutes were shown to close the league season and without Tonks on the field, Sundire sent a throw into the area helped to force a corner on the right for Fletcher and he received it back then found Ponticelli but with a fully loaded box his cross was high and didn’t trouble Ansen.
And so the final whistle blew on a point each, a final league position of 10th with 64 points and the best ever Lambs league campaign.

Altrincham
Ansen, Banks, Osborne, Newby (Linney 78), Amaluzor (Weaver 68), Jones (c.), Crawford, Golden, Nuttall, Olson, Dolan
Subs: Wilson, Reddin, Bickerstaff, Randle (GK), Penney
YC: Nuttall 74, Golden 86
RC: (none)

Tamworth:
Phillips, Tonks (Fletcher 82), Digie, Finn (Waldron 87), Creaney, Fairlamb, McGlinchey (Williams 63), Hollis (c.), Sundire, Crompton, Ponticelli
Subs: Curley, Cockerill-Mollett, Milnes, Cullinane-Liburd
YC: Finn 43, Sundire 69, Tonks 74
RC: (none)

Referee: Mr. Garreth Rhodes
Assistants: Mr. Z. Mustafa, Mr. A Burgess
4th Official: Mr. S. Taylor

Attendance: 2371 (343 from TFC)