Andy Peaks ‘immensely proud’ as Tamworth take Tottenham to extra-time in defeat | OneFootball

Andy Peaks ‘immensely proud’ as Tamworth take Tottenham to extra-time in defeat | OneFootball

In partnership with

Yahoo sports
Icon: The Independent

The Independent

·12 January 2025

Andy Peaks ‘immensely proud’ as Tamworth take Tottenham to extra-time in defeat

Article image:Andy Peaks ‘immensely proud’ as Tamworth take Tottenham to extra-time in defeat

Andy Peaks was “immensely proud” of his Tamworth players after they produced a heroic FA Cup display to take Tottenham to extra-time before they suffered a 3-0 loss.

There were 96 places between the clubs at the start of the third-round weekend, but the part-time outfit pushed their Premier League opponents all the way on an occasion for the whole town to be proud of.


OneFootball Videos


A tinge of disappointment surrounded the final result after Thomas McGlinchey and Jordan Cullinane-Liburd went close to a dramatic stoppage-time winner for Tamworth at the Lambs Ground.

Meanwhile, the decision to scrap replays from this year’s competition meant the non-league club missed out on a lucrative return meeting at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

It allowed Spurs to eventually progress with Dejan Kulusevski and Brennan Johnson on target in extra-time after Nathan Tshikuna’s 101st-minute own-goal broke the deadlock on a memorable occasion for the National League side.

Asked about the lack of replays, Peaks admitted: “That’s all changed, we knew that and it is what it is. Nothing has changed on today. To take a team to extra-time, it is unbelievable.

“I am immensely proud and I just said ‘don’t be disappointed because we almost created history there’.

When you look at the team they had, for us to compete with them for such a long time, I’m like 'wow'

Andy Peaks

“They were disappointed at the end because I think they were that close to nicking a goal at the end and it would have made it 1-0 to us, but I said ‘be proud’.

“Even this week it didn’t really sink in what we were actually going to do. It will probably take a few days, but I will think we had an opportunity.

“Equally, when you look at the team they had, for us to compete with them for such a long time, I’m like ‘wow’.

“It is unbelievable. The players they had out there at the end, you look at the bench and who they are bringing on, it just speaks volumes for what we are all about and we made it so hard for them to play through us.”

Peaks, a Leeds fan, revealed he had asked Tottenham defender Archie Gray for his shirt as memorabilia to remember the occasion before he paid tribute to Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou.

“I actually said to Ange before when he said ‘how are you’? I said, ‘I was all right until I saw your team sheet’! But, no he was respectful before and said what a great job we had done here,” Peaks said.

“And at the end he was brilliant and said, ‘you gave us a right good run for our money, be proud of your boys, they were fantastic’.

“He has done me a programme saying exactly that, so I’ll take that.

“I’m getting Archie Gray’s top. He has promised me one. He won’t let me down. He knows I’m a Leeds fan and promised me.”

Postecoglou was made to sweat before Spurs progressed into the fourth round and while he picked a strong team, he was forced to introduced Kulusevski, captain Son Heung-min and Dominic Solanke.

He added: “Firstly credit to Tamworth, I thought they gave everything and gave a really good account of themselves.

“I’m sure all Tamworth will remember the day as they should because their team played really well.

“And we will remember it too because it’s a unique experience for us in terms of the kind of challenge we had today. I enjoyed it. It was a good day.”

The Spurs boss also acknowledged he understood the debate about whether FA Cup replays should still remain, but pointed out they would struggle to fit the game in with midweek fixtures throughout January.

“I get the sentiment but at the same time, I’ve been banging on about less games so it is a balancing act,” Postecoglou reflected.

“The way the calendar is at the moment, it would be almost impossible for us to fit another game in. We are already struggling to fit it all in.

“I understand the sentiment around it.”

View publisher imprint