After Saturday’s 3-1 reversal at Harrogate Town, Andy Peaks’ squad made the long midweek trip to Roots Hall to face Kieron Dyer’s joint third placed Shrimpers who had reached the play final in 2024-25 and the playoffs in 2025-26 while also lifting the FA Trophy last season.
Peaks made five changes to the side that ran out at Wetherby Road as the side lined up under the floodlights in front of the massed hoards of United fans.

The home side kicked off, with Tamworth attacking the end which house the Lambs fans but the first real chance fell for Sahid Kamara after 8 minutes, whose shot was put behind for a corner and headed clear by the Tamworth defence.
And Kamara tried from the opposite side on 10 minutes but Jas Singh was happy to watch it skip out past his left hand post.
The ball found it’s way into the back of the Tamworth net on 11 when Leon Chambers-Parillon made space for himself and drilled a low shot against the right hand upright, and the rebounded out for Harry Cardwell to finish from 6 yards, but he didn’t celebrate as the offside flag had already been raised.
A defensive mistake then allowed Cardwell to nip into the box and knock the ball past Singh’s advance with 16 minutes on the clock, but Hadyn Hollis shepherded the ball out of play, just past the far post.
Sustained home pressure forced a corner from Cardwell’s edge of the box shot on 24 minutes, and captain Ben Goodliffe headed goalward but was denied by Haydn Hollis clearance off the line.
Nathan Tshikuna struck goalward and it took a save from Joe Duncan to prevent the small group of travelling faithful celebrating and play halted when Goodliffe received attention to a head injury. He was suitably bandaged before returning to the field, but not before The Lambs flag kick had been halted as quickly as it started when the referee spotted another infringement.
Cullinane-Liburd threw himself in the way of a dangerous ball into the box on 37 minutes to prevent Chambers-Parillon’s connection heading towards the target, and a minute later Kyle McAdam’s left wing cross was headed well by Cardwell, but he missed the target by a foot or so.
At the other end Tshkiuna’s shot from the edge of the area deflected past the left hand post for a corner, but The Lambs were unable to use the flagkick to their advantage.
A chance did present itself on 41 minutes though when Dan Creaney laid the ball off for Tom McGlinchey and Thsikuna stepped over his ball to TJ Bramble, but his first time right footed strike curled up and over the frame of Duncan’s goal.
Bramble put a telling tackle in to deny a shot on the turn by Darren Oldaker in the 44th minute as Tamworth continued to show their unwillingness to give up the clean sheet without a fight.
And they almost took the lead in the second of three added minutes when Ryan Howley took the ball into the box and picked his spot from 18 yards but was unable to squeeze his shot past the dive of Duncan and inside the left hand post.

HT: 0-0

The Lambs got the second half underway but not before Dyer had made four changes in personnel and Cullinane-Liburd got his head in the way of a powerful drive on target from Oldaker three minutes in.
And Singh was called upon to deny a first time close range shot by substitute Promise Omochere with a low parry to his left on 51 minutes after Vontae Daley-Campbell had sent a searching cross into the box from the right.
Lewys Twamley shot straight at the Lambs keeper from 20 yards on 53 minutes, and Hollis slid in to deny the run of Omochere in the next attacking move by United.
He was then called upon to deny Messiah-Edwards burst into the box with a telling challenge and when Twamley threaded a pass through to Chambers-Parillon, Singh was grateful to see his first touch let him down and prevent a shooting chance.
Another forward push by the home side ended with an overhead kick from Omochere which bounced once before going out past the far post on 58 minutes, but Southend did find the net on the hour.
Oldaker found Chambers-Parillon on the edge of the area and he prodded the ball along the ground and into the far corner with Singh unable to get close to his angled finish (1-0, 60 mins)
A cross from Omochere was headed wide of the far post by Massiah-Ewards in the next attack on Singhs goal and from the ensuing play, Creaney needed treatment when he was caught in the face and had to leave the field for treatment to a bloody nose and returned to the field in a new shirt.
Hollis then got in the way of Charmbers-Parillon but no one was able to stop the close range header under Singh from Omochere connecting with Kyle McAdam’s left wing cross after it had bounced in the area. (2-0, 68 mins)
The Lambs pulled a goal back within two minutes when Tshikuna took the ball into the right of the area and beat his man before rifling home past Duncan from a tight angle (2-1, 70 mins)
Peaks made three changes for the final 15 minutes, and another soon after but despite the intention to try and get back into the game quickly, when two defensive headers fell short of expectations following a home attack on 82 Sam Austin struck powerfully from 18 yards to further increase the Shrimpers lead (3-1, 82 mins)
A late Tshikuna freekick hit the wall but ran free to Hutchinson who curled a shot but saw it blocked and eventually cleared by the home defence and at the other end Omochere’s strike as taken away from goal by McGlinchey in the final act of the game as the hosts moved up to joint top spot at the final whistle.

Tamworth welcome Wealdstone to HD Ricketts Community Stadium at The Lamb on Saturday for a 12.30pm kick off in their next Enterprise National League fixture.

Southend United
Duncan, Daley-Campbell, McAdam, Hartigan (Austin HT), Goodliffe (c.), Kamara (Massiah-Edwards HT), Oldaker, Cardwell (Omochere HT), Chambers-Parillon (Coker 78), Cox, Popoola (Twamley HT)
Subs: Sims, Taylor
YC: (none)
RC: (none)

Tamworth (4-4-2)
Singh (c.); Calder, Hollis (Rye 75), Cullinane-Liburd, Lyttle; Bramble (Kurtaran 78), Howley (Dyson 74), Tshikuna, McGlinchey; Creaney (Hutchinson 74), Donnelly (Acquaye 85)
Subs: Lovett, Roberts
YC: (none)
RC: (none)

Referee: Ritchie Watkins

Attendance: 7328 (27 from TFC)