Following Wednesday night’s morale boosting 2-0 home victory over Sutton United, The Lambs travelled North and were welcomed to Victoria Park and Andy Peaks was hoping for more of the same following the clean sheet and impressive performance.

Conversely United had won just once in the previous nine league games but new boss Pete Wild, who had been appointed less than 48 hours prior to kick off, was looking for an immediate response from his inherited squad. Although it had happened to late to tell the programme printers, as the Gaffer’s notes were from the previous incumbent, Adam Clayton.

Peaks made no changes to the starting XI from the midweek win and included two new signings on the bench defender Sidney Agina (on loan from Stoke City) and keeper Jonathan Macaulay (on loan from Watford) who had been on loan to and on the bench for Aldershot seven days prior to kick off.

The Lambs started the game, kicking away from the away end and Rhys Lovett got his first touch inside 30 seconds from a directionless pass into the final third.
Teo Kurtaran’s high left sided freekick dropped for Tom McGlinchey after 4 minutes, but his half volley came off and defender and Pool were able to clear their lines and advance forcing Hayden Carson into action to cut out a cross, quickly followed by a Tom Parkes clearance.
Tamworth soaked up another attack from the home side then pressed and forced a corner from a throw in on the left on 10 minutes but were unable to create an opening despite Kieren Donnelly and McGlinchey’s attempts.
A strong midfield presence allowed another move downfield for The Lambs after a quarter of an hour, and it ended only when Oliver Dyson struck low from 18 yards just past the right hand post.
After a Hartlepool move down the left on 20, Will Harris sent the ball into the area and Hayden Carson pulled down Chris Popov as he tried to go around him. There were no complaints about the penalty and Jack Nolan stepped up but Lovett dived low to his left and pushed it away to keep the scores level. Joe Rye got to the rebound first, put it behind for a corner and although Charlie Penman got his head to the flagkick it went well wide of the mark.
Play swung like a pendulum between ends, and after a Tamworth spell, Pool were awarded a freekick on the right which Tom Handley had to head over his own bar to prevent Popov sneaking in at the far post. Lovett, though, reach high to puck the ball out of the air and slow things down.
However, Hartlepool attacked again on 35 minutes, with Cole Deeming ending a scrappy passage of play with a conversely clean strike from 30 yards that whipped just wide of Lovetts right hand post.
Tamworth countered and the move ended with a snap shot from Morgan Roberts from a similar position and he took was off target with keeper Max Thompson happy to watch it skip out of play to his left.
After nearly finding themselves a goal down earlier in the half, Tamworth made their next chance count when a quick ball out of midfield into the path of Donnelly on the edge of the D set up the striker to give The Lambs the lead on 42. He held off his marker, Penman, before slotting it past Thompson and inside the left had post to the delight of the travelling faithful, and he celebrated in truly acrobatic style (again!) (0-1, 42 mins) to give The Lambs the lead at the break.

HT: 0-1

Pool restarted the match and pressed The Lambs back in the opening exchanges.
Claims for another penalty when McGlinchey tackled Popov in the area after 48 minutes were not entertained by referee Jackson, and The Lambs used it to their advantage with Dyson threading it through to Donnelly, who forged a yard to strike from the edge of the area but Thompson dropped and pushed it away for his defence to ultimately deal with.
A long low clearance out of his hands by Lovett on 52 minutes required Cameron John to time his sliding challenge to perfection to deny Donnelly a chance of cutting into the box, while at the other end on 56 minutes Deeming picked his spot for a right footed strike but hadn’t set his aim accurately enough to test Lovett.
Carson then had to deal with the presence of substitute Jordan Hugill as the ball dropped between them in the area and a Pool freekick from the left wing on the hour found the head of Reiss McNally who directed it a gnat’s breadth wide of the post.
And less than a minute later Lovett performed heroics to tip a goalbound header from Hugill over the bar and the Lambs keeper clashed unintentionally with Carson's when they both went for the same ball as Hugill bore down on them both, halting play while they took a moment to recover.
As the game wore on the home fans became increasingly more focal in their frustration and Tamworth worked even harder to disrupt any play their opponents tried to muster, but there was no time for complacency and Peaks made a second chance, in midfield, with 15 remaining.
A neat move into the area set Roberts up with a strike on 77 minutes which had to be blocked for a corner rather than allow it to test Thompson and that spurred the home side on to try and lay siege to the Lambs, however the final ball / pass was found lacking and drew consternation from the home fans.
When a ball into the box did find Ilunga on 85 minutes Handley was alert and got in the way of what could have been a chance of the equaliser.
Tamworth made two more changes as the minutes ticked down and it continued to be nail biting stuff as the home side continued to press into the four added minutes.
A chance fell to Jake Hutchinson on 90 minutes but his angled shot was tame for Thompson, and Tamworth were forced to defend once again, tackling, blocking or heading clearances as required to ensure a second clean sheet and three point haul on the bounce.

Tamworth take a break from Enterprise National League action when they entertain Leeds United in the National League Cup on Tuesday evening (7.45 pm)

Hartlepool United
Thompson, John, Hunter (c.) (Darcy 75), McNally, Miley, Harris, Sheron, Penman, Nolan (Ilunga 62), Popov (Hugill 55), Deeming (Charman 62)
Subs: Fisher, Bondo, Thornton
YC: (none)
RC: (none)

Tamworth
Lovett; Carson, Parkes (c.), Rye, Handley; Calder (Acquaye 62), Kurtaran, Dyson (Kelly 74), McGlinchey (Agina 87); Roberts; Donnelly (Hutchinson 87)
Subs: Macaulay, Lyttle, Cullinane-Liburd
YC: (none)
RC: (none)

Referee: Aaron Jackson

Attendance: 4219 (68 from Tamworth)