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Reds aim to put Lambs to the slaughter

FC United make the trip to Tamworth FC’s Lamb Ground on Saturday looking to register their first victory of the pre-season campaign whilst the host will be looking to notch their fourth victory. Craig Phillips provides this preview"¦

Although the Reds have gone down to both Kettering and Altrincham over the past week, manager Karl Marginson won’t be too dismayed after the side showed glimpses of what they can do in both fixtures and held their own for large amounts of both matches against teams two tiers above themselves.

So next up in Blue Square North side Tamworth, in what should be an entertaining game at the Lamb Ground.

Originally formed in 1933, the team are celebrating their 75th anniversary this season and will be looking to improve on their finish of 15th last term to mark the occasion.

The Lambs were formed after the local team; Tamworth Castle FC, folded, leaving a void for a football team in the town of Tamworth. A local businessman set the wheels in motion by sending a letter into the local newspaper and with that Tamworth FC were born.

The club originally played in the Birmingham Combination, then the Birmingham League in the 1950s before being eventually promoted to the Southern League in the early 1970s. The highest the club have reached on the football league pyramid was when they were promoted to the Conference in 2003.

The Lambs have had more success in cup competitions; winning the FA Vase in 1989 by beating Sudbruy Town 3-0 in a replay at Peterborough’s London Road. The club also reached the FA Trophy in 2003, finding themselves on the wrong end of a 2-1 scoreline against Burscough.

The club reached the third round of the FA Cup in 2006 for the first time in their history and managed to follow that achievement the next season by reaching the third round once more.

Past players for the club include former Manchester City players Tony Coton, Gerry Taggart and Nicky Summerbee. In 2006, The Lambs managed to sign former Arsenal and England midfielder Paul Merson. However, Merson only played one game for the club before being dropped to the bench and then subsequently announcing his retirement from the game less than two weeks after joining.

The club were relegated to the Conference North in 2007 after finishing 22nd in the Conference. In his first full season in charge current boss Gary Mills led The Lambs to a respectable 15th position but will be looking to make strides to taking The Lambs back to the Conference this term.

The club are currently undefeated in their pre-season campaign with three wins against Grestley Rovers (5-2), Institute FC (1-0) and FC Halifax Town (2-0) and last time out they were held to a 0-0 draw away to Eastwood Town.

Saturday’s game is the usual 3pm kick off, so why not get yourself down to that football ground and cheer on the boys? Directions on how to get to the Lamb Ground can be found by clicking here.



First Posted ~ 17:47 Wed 23 Jul 2008
News ID ~ 1727
Last Updated ~ 01:52 Tue 16 Feb 2021