Cod Almighty | Article

by Andy Holt

27 August 2010

Well, hello there, Tamworth. Let's talk about you.
Lamb. A word that always springs to mind when I think of Tamworth. Not some strange Sunday roast with mint sauce kind of association, but rather because of both Tamworth's ground and also their nickname.

The Lambs play at the Lamb, you see. My extensive research leads me to believe that the ground name came first: it was named after the Lamb Inn, which stood for many years at the entrance to what is now the stadium car park. I presume the team was so dubbed as a result of their playing location. Perhaps this was because the players had to change in the pub and run down to the pitch or perhaps because they would frequent the aforementioned hostelry for post-match libations in days gone by. Not in these days of more scientific sportology though, of course.

Non-League football is full of stories. The sort of thing that doesn't seem to happen any more in 'professional' football. It is something that makes non-League football endearing. Here's a nice little nugget for you then: none of the four sides of the Lamb have ever been officially named. A number of common names have been used over time and most parts of the ground can be referred to by several names, but none of them are official. In these days of lucrative corporate sponsorship, can you imagine a Football League club not having a name for one of its stands, never mind all of them?

In terms of achievements, Tamworth won the FA Vase in 1988-89, were FA Trophy finalists in 2002-03, made the FA Cup third round in 2005-06 and 2006-07, and won their regional sixth divisions to gain promotion to the Conference in both 2002-03 and 2008-09.

Someone asked about rivalries. There are a few but the key one for most Lambs fans is with Nuneaton Borough. Given that Borough are currently one division down, the Lambs have local bragging rights at present.

Intimidatingly named mascot Tammy the Lamb strikes fear into the hearts of visiting fans as Tamworth host Kidderminster early last season. Photo: Peter Bonnett (cc by-nd 2.0)

Do you come here often?
The Conference Premier is as high as Tamworth Football Club have been. They steadily progressed up the non-League football pyramid since their formation until in 2002-03 they won the Southern League and were accordingly promoted to the Conference. Since then they've never done anything in the way of exciting their fans about further promotion and, in fact, most seasons they've languished around the division's lower reaches, never finishing in the top half of the table. In 2007 they dropped back down a level, having escaped relegation the year before only due to Canvey Island's resignation from the league. The exile only lasted two seasons and in 2009 the Lambs were re-promoted after winning the Conference North.

As such, last season was their first back in the fifth division, and to finish in 16th place with rather a small squad, by all accounts, was all that could be hoped for. Especially when you realise that it was only one place below their highest finish in the league pyramid ever.

Haven't I seen you somewhere before?
Tamworth is another team that we get to play for the first time ever as a result of our relegation.

I know it isn't quite the same but I know for a fact that someone wearing a Tamworth shirt has once seen the Mariners play. It was back in 1998, at Wembley, against Bournemouth. I was living in London at the time and somehow managed to persuade my Tamworth-supporting housemate to fork out for a ticket to come along with us. He wore his Lambs shirt.

What can we do when the sun goes down?
Did you know that the UK's first indoor ski slope is in Tamworth? No, me neither. But I do now. If you're pining for the alpine then the Snowdome's the place to be, it seems.

If law and order is more your thing, make sure you visit the statue of Robert Peel in the town centre. He invented the modern police service, you know.

Tamworth celebrate their Conference North title in 2009, which took them back to the Premier for last season

Vital statistics
Last season
League placing: 16th, Conference Premier, P44 W11 D16 L17 F42 A52 Pts49
Home and away rankings: 19th and 12th in the division
Average attendance: 1,091 (rank: 14th in the division, 114th in English leagues)
Mileage travelled: 2,635

This season
Squad size: 11 when I checked various places as of mid-July. Last week about 14 players were trialled and the manager is on record as wanting to operate with a squad of 16. A virulent flu bug spreading through the camp could cause problems, to say the least.
Odds on winning the league: 100/1 (Blue Square)

Do say
"Drayton Manor is better than Alton Towers!"

Don't say
"What's so wrong with Tamworth that Reliant moved their factory away?"

Do you know Tamworth? We want your recommendations for local pubs, cafés or B&Bs, to feature in our pre-match factfiles during next season. Use the Cod Almighty feedback form to send them in – or to share any other thoughts you might have about our Rough Guide to the Conference.