Tamworth returned to the Altair Group Community Stadium at The Lamb for the first time since late April for league action to face a buoyed Scunthorpe United team who had just achieved promotion from National League North and were looking to carry on their momentum.

Regarding team news Andy Peaks handed league debuts to on loan striker Oliver Lynch, winger Tyler Roberts and holding midfielder Stefan Mols whilst keeping a steady backline which performed so well last season.

Before kick-off a minutes applause was held to remember all those who were no longer able to follow The Lambs including the sad, recent, passing of former club Director Tony Reeves and former manager Terry Hennessey.

Kick-off

The Lambs kicked off for the first time in 2025/26 kicking towards the Meadow Street end and wearing the new red and black home strip whilst Scunthorpe were kitted out in their white away kit.

As the referee’s whistle sounded a wave of noise greeted the players creating a vibrant atmosphere at The Lamb and it was Scunthorpe who started the brighter side after dealing with a couple of trademark Tom Tonks’ throw ins.

With just 4 minutes on the clock, a quick break through the Tamworth midfield saw Callum Roberts drive towards the edge of the box where he was cynically felled by Milnes resulting in the first yellow card of the game and a dangerous set piece opportunity to deal with. Up stepped Scunthorpe number 9 Danny Whitehall who brilliantly whipped it into the far left hand corner out of the reach of Singh to give Iron the lead within five minutes. (0-1, 4 mins)
The Lambs progressively grew into the game despite the early Scunthorpe dominance with debutant Tyler Roberts causing the United defence some problems down the left hand side.
It was Roberts who had the first clear lambs chance of the afternoon with just over 10 minutes on the clock as the ball found its way to him on the left hand side of the box but he was hit with a last ditch challenge from Will Evans just before pulling the trigger.
Tamworth were getting stronger and stronger and they thought they had taken the lead on 35 minutes from a free kick as the ball ended up in Campbell’s net but the referee blew the whistle for a foul he’d seen in the box as the score remained 1-0.
The Lambs’ luck changed three minutes later as the ball fell to Hayden Hollis who smashed his strike against the bar and in as the referee adjudged it to have crossed the line - the lambs were back on level terms. (1-1, 36 mins)
However, the joy from the equaliser didn’t last for long as a nicely worked Scunthorpe move resulted in Oli Ewing lashing in a left footed effort as the ball fell to him after a dummy putting the Iron 2-1 up minutes before half time. (1-2, 43 mins)

HT 1-2

Scunthorpe started the second half looking to halt a Tamworth fight back and it provided a scrappy start to the half with both teams trying to take control.
The first substitutions of the afternoon were made by Andy Peaks on 56 minutes as already booked Ben Milnes was replaced by fellow midfielder Joe Riley for his league debut for the club. This was followed by Enoru coming on for McGlinchey attempting to add fresh legs on the left hand side.
Enoru proved to be a bright spark in the final third as he added a different dimension in attack causing the Scunthorpe defence a few problems but it was the Iron who nearly doubled their lead through Declan Howe who received the ball on the right hand side of the box and fixed a left footed shot just past Singh’s far post, a let off for the lambs.
An off the ball scuffle between Tonks and Whitehall occurred on 66 minutes and play was halted before Butler replaced goalscorer Whitehall with Carlton Ubaezunou.
From 70 minutes onwards it was the Lambs who had control of the game as Enoru tricked his way down the left and saw his cross rebound off a mixture of post and Campbell to go behind for a corner, this was followed my Tyler Roberts cutting inside and producing a teasing delivery only to see Stefan Mols thunder his header off the bar.
The Lambs made 3 more changes on the 80 minute mark with Duku, Ponticelli and Sayer replacing Lynch, Mols and Roberts.
This was followed by more Tamworth efforts as the fourth official indicated a minimum of 11 minutes added time with the chance of the second half falling to Enoru in the final minute who saw ball fall to Ponticelli but his effort was well saved by a combination of Campbell and his defence before the referee blew his whistle and the Lambs started the season with a defeat, despite a spirited second half performance.

FT 1-2

Tamworth:
Singh, Curley, Digie, Hollis, Fairlamb, McGlinchey (Enoru 59), Mols (Ponticelli 81), Tonks, Milnes (Riley 56), Roberts (Sayer 81), Lynch (Duku 81)
Unused: Bates, Donkor

Scunthorpe United:
Campbell, Horton, Evans, Boyce, Starbuck, Beestin (Scales 60), Rouley, Ewing (Rose 82), Roberts (Chadwick 82), Whitehall (Ubaezuonu 66), Howe (Beck 82)
Unused: Belehojan, Eze

Referee: Elliot Swallow
Assistants: Thomas Harland, Mark Ryder
Fourth Official: Charles King

Attendance: 2017 (806 United fans)

Man of the Match: Chosen by Altair Group: Kennedy Digie

Match report by Oscar Powter