After the narrow home defeat to Rochdale, top of the Enterprise National League table after the weekend’s fixtures, Andy Peaks celebrated his birthday and his 200th game in charge of The Lambs by welcoming Blackburn Rovers in the National League Cup.

Tamworth could guarantee a top of the group finish and a place in the next round if they secured victory, and other results went their way on the evening, against Gregory Vignal’s U21 side, who, conversely, were unable to progress no matter what the result having lost all three of their games in Group A.

Rovers, in their distinctive blue and white halves, kicked off towards the Castle End but The Lambs quickly won possession and went on the front foot towards the Meadow Street goal.
And in a similar way the game against Burnley started, The Lambs took an early lead when Bates glanced a header home at the near post off a cross from Curley (1-0, 2 mins)
Stritch tried a shot from 18 yards out on 7 but cleared Rachel’s goal by some distance, and Bates nearly doubled his tally on 9 with a low shot from the opposite side to his goal but it took a deflection off the woodwork.
Bates was in action again on 11 connecting his head to a Tonks cross but he was uable to get it on target from the edge of the box.
Mols, a product of Rover’s youth system, hit a slow volley over the visiting defence on 20 and it dropped just over the crossbar onto the roof of the net.
A Lambs attack, starting from a Tonks throw on the right, ended on 25 with another Mols header, from Cockerill-Mollett’s cross from the left but Honor was equal to it.
And Rachel rose high to take the ball from a cross from Pates in the counter attack, but Lynch forced a corner off his covering defender when The Lambs pushed back up field and Maher’s flagkick from the right bent into the far top corner and came down invitingly off the cross bar for Curley to rifle home from a foot out (2-0, 26 mins)
Maher was tripped as he tried to turn past Rovers left back Houghton on 31 and the freekick dropped for Roberts in the box but he smashed his volley over the Meadow Street goal cross bar from 18 yards.
Powell forced Rachel into his first real save of the game with a low drive from the edge of the box on 39 and the Lambs keeper pushed it away from danger without too much trouble, and from the ensuing play Roberts stole the ball off the Blackburn defence but couldn’t find a teammate with his ball past the advancing keeper from the right of the box.
A searching cross form the right found the head of Joesph with Hollis protecting the far post and he conceded a corner which The Lambs dealt with as one minute added time was shown.

HT: 2-0

Both sides made two changes before the second half got underway and The Lambs looked hungry to add to their tally keeping the visitors penned back in the early exchanges with Tonks hitting a right footed shot on 52 over the target from distance.
Rachel made two good stops from the Blackburn attack around 55 the second from Farkas forcing a corner which came to nothing.
Lynch put the ball into the net from a threaded pass through the Rovers back line on 57 but it was ruled out for offside in the build up and Mols nearly added to the tally on 58 but his cross box shot rolled out past the far post after taking a defensive touch, with Lynch following in.
And Lynch nipped in behind the last defender to slot home through Honor’s legs to add another National League Cup goal to his tally for the season (3-0, 64 mins)
Atcheson got himself into a good position to try a shot on 67 but but his shot over the fence above the Meadow Street terrace and into the street itself, then from Roberts cross Honor missed his punch but neither Lynch nor Mols could find the back of the net as the keeper recovered.
Despite the scoreline and to their credit Rovers maintained their to try and get back into the game forcing Rachel into a good stop on 83, protecting his goal from an angled drive and there was a stop in play on 84 when Curley took the full force of a low strike in his midriff and needed an extended moment to recover.
Academy youngster Adam Jasper made his debut shortly after and Tamworth forced a corner on the right as the game ticked into added time which Honor was well positioned to deal with.
Six minutes added time were shown and lynch scuffed a right footed shot from 8 yards back to the keeper on 92 and Rachel smothered a goalbound freekick at his near post on 94 shortly before the final whistle blew with the rearranged game at home to Manchester United U21s left to play in mid December with The Lambs in second place in the Group.

Tamworth
Rachel, Curley, Cockerill-Mollett (Donkor HT), Tonks (Jasper 85), Bates (Lissimore HT), Mols, Cullinane-Liburd, Roberts (Brown 73), Hollis (c.), Lynch, Maher (Ponticelli 62)
Subs: Rye, Raper
YC: (none)
RC: (none)

Blackburn Rovers
Honor, Houghton, Pates, Olson, Davies (Atcheson HT), Vare, Doherty (Ball 68), Stritch (Farkas HT), Joseph (McCoy 71), Powell (c.), Diamini
Subs (5 only): Wolsoncroft
YC: Doherty 60
RC: (none)

Referee: Mr. Gareth Thomas
Assistants: Mr. Wayne Gray, Mr. Adewunmi Soneye
Fourth Official: Mr. Scott Chalkley

Attendance: 251