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Tamworth upset former winners Huddersfield, who are bidding for a place in the second round of the Emirates FA Cup

Posted on by Bobb
Tamworth upset former winners Huddersfield, who are bidding for a place in the second round of the Emirates FA Cup

National League Tamworth delivered their first Emirates FA Cup first round upset with a 1-0 win over League One Huddersfield.

Tom Tonks’ throw-ins caused problems for the Terriers from the first minute and it was his throw-in late in the break that proved the difference between the sides.

Tonks crossed twice in the opening minutes at the Lamb Ground as the hosts made an impressive start but it was Town’s Tom Jorpenda who came closest to opening the scoring early on with a shot that whistled wide of the post.

Michael Duff’s side then came close to scoring through Ollie Turton and Bojan Radulovic, but Tamworth gradually settled into the game and felt they could have won a penalty after another threatening Tonks throw.

Dan Creaney then struck from a difficult angle as Tamworth continued to question Town’s rearguard but as half-time approached Jasbir Singh had to be alert to keep out Jorpenda from close range.

The visitors were left to rue the missed chance moments later when another Tonks effort finally resulted in a goal as goalkeeper Chris Maxwell could only squeeze his hand into the goal amid a crowd of bodies.

Town went ahead after the break but struggled to convert too many clear chances.

Half-time substitute Callum Marshall fired wide and Ben Wiles fired wide at the last moment, but Tamworth held on to secure a memorable victory.

In Friday night’s other game, Notts County scored to claim a convincing 5-1 win over Alfreton Town at Meadow Lane.

After a spirited start between League Two and National League leaders, it was the underdogs who struck first.

Liam Waldock reacted fastest to Jake Day’s blocked shot, firing home from 12 yards to send the departing fans into raptures.

Their joy was short-lived, however, as the hosts hit back just two minutes after Matty Platt’s speculative long-range effort deflected the ball past helpless Reds goalkeeper George Willis.

Josh Martin had a couple of long-range strikes but Alfreton enjoyed his promising chances before the break, with Adam Lund causing problems in open play and long throws.

It didn’t take long for County to take the lead after the break, showing their class with some neat movement on the edge of the box.

Following a low cross from Jevani Brown, County’s top scorer Alassana Jatta scored his first goal of the match.

It proved to be a turning point as County asserted their dominance and, once denied by Willis, Gambian Jatta converted a one-on-one opportunity to put a light between the sides.

It was late in the evening on Brown’s show when he scored his first two goals for his new club. The first strike came from the penalty spot after Riley Reynolds was fouled before the Bristol Rovers loanee saved the ball after Kellan Gordon’s parried effort added further gloss to the scoreline.