Cod Almighty | Match Report

by Alistair Mills

18 November 2013

Tamworth 0 Grimsby Town 2

A slightly curious atmosphere was detectable in the Meadow Street End of Tamworth's Lamb Ground before the match on Saturday. Maybe, just like me, everyone else was as baffled at Tamworth's decision to separate their league fixtures into different price bands (this was a category A match, in case you were wondering). Or maybe, just like me, everyone else was still feeling guilty at having to inform an old lady that she'd overcharged them for a programme.

Upon reflection, it was probably more likely that the unusual atmosphere was caused by the timing of the fixture. Being plonked in between the Scunthorpe Double-Header meant that the game existed in an otherworldly landscape both after, yet also before, the Lord Mayor's Show, an unknown world where nothing seemed to matter.

This gave the match a somewhat ethereal and carefree feel, despite being just as important as both of the cup games it found itself sandwiched between. It was sort of like a dress-down day at work, where everyone is noticeably more relaxed, even though there's exactly the same amount of work to be done as on any other day.

First half

For other teams, this sort of atmosphere may have transferred across to the players to inspire a performance of fluidity and freedom. For Town, it seemed to instil casualness and apathy into their early play. On more than one occasion in the first ten minutes, Pearson and McKeown appeared worryingly content to let each other attack a bouncing ball in the box as Tamworth immediately asserted their forthright game plan. Long-balls, throw-ins, corners and free kicks were all slung straight into Town's six-yard box, causing varying levels of panic. Town struggled to get out of their own half.

But then they did. Venturing forward down the right, Hatton combined efficiently with Hannah and fed Colbeck, whose drilled cross was just slightly too far ahead of Disley at the far post. Think Gazza v Germany at Euro '96, just without the drama or sense of mild peril. Still, it was heartening to see a chance arising from some nice sharp attacking play in the final third.

A lot of Tamworth players informed the referee in quite a candid manner that they thought the ball might have hit Disley's arm

A shame, then, that the players didn't seem to recognise the effectiveness of this tactic, proceeding instead to pump long balls up to our strikers' heads for the rest of the half.

Despite John-Lewis's best efforts, this resulted in a spell of sustained Tamworth pressure as Town failed to keep hold of the ball. The designer-stubbled Peniket started to become more involved on the left, heading just wide when well placed and generally making McDonald and Hatton look a bit silly from time to time.

The long throws had started to become a bit more of an issue too. From one, a spell of ping-ball led to Disley blocking a Tamworth shot with an unspecified part of his anatomy. A lot of Tamworth players informed the referee in quite a candid manner that they thought the ball might have hit Disley's arm. Captain Disley, a man of great honour and integrity, skulked off as inconspicuously as possible and hid behind Clayton McDonald (six foot six). The ref gave a corner, and after about another 15 minutes of Tamworth having the ball but not doing much with it, he blew for half time.

Second half

Following an interval consisting of indoor ski slope chat with the affable burger bar staff, the teams re-emerged. It soon transpired that the Tamworth goalkeeper – now stationed directly in front of the Town fans – was the son of the Tamworth manager, leading to a string of ill-informed and increasingly unfunny comments regarding the politics of inter-family relationships within the workplace.

Thankfully, only five minutes into the half, a more interesting talking point arose. After a good old tussle between John-Lewis and their equally solid centre-half, the ball bounced off a leg and trickled past Tamworth's bye-line. The referee, completely unsighted as to who got the final touch, looked desperately over to his linesman for a bit of help.

With none forthcoming, he simply guesses that it hit the Tamworth man and gives a corner. Which is nice of him. Town decide to make the most of the good fortune by experimenting with a clever corner routine. From the left, Kerr fizzes it in along the floor to Pearson, who subtly lets it go for the onrushing Hannah to sweep goalwards. It was maybe heading in anyway but Captain Disley is on hand to make sure everything goes to plan and helps it over the line.

At one point Wayne Thomas literally kicks Aswad Thomas off the pitch with an especially meaty bit of negative feedback on Town's new passing regime

Town, now settled and confident, start to do a bit of that old passing thing. Thomas, Disley and Neilson play it around for ages down the left, toying with Tamworth without actually really getting anywhere.

Nevertheless, it's fun to watch and starts to wind up their tiring back-line, with poor old Wayne Thomas in particular not appearing too keen. At one point he literally kicks Aswad Thomas off the pitch with an especially meaty bit of negative feedback on Town's new passing regime.

Undeterred, these three continued to link up well and after an interchange of one-touch passes, Disley rolls back the year(s) by nutmegging Thomas and bursting to the bye-line. His pull-back is poor and smothered easily by Belford, but his sudden vitality and eagerness are warmly received by the Town fans. With the ever-niggly Kerr patrolling alongside him, plus Neilson and Colbeck looking bright on the wings, Town seemed to acquire a level of control which should've led to a comfortable seeing out of the match.

But with 10 minutes to go, Town naturally start to drop deeper and kick longer. After Hannah loses an aerial battle with a player twice his size, Elford Alliyu casually wanders past three Town players into the box and shoots wide. From the goal kick Tamworth wrestle it straight back and launch a diagonal ball from right to left. Hatton seems to have the situation under control, until he completely misses the ball and presents their winger Wright with a free run at goal. Thankfully, he fires wide.

Sniffing a point, Tamworth begin to pile forward but, save for a couple of hairy moments owing to long throws and tall players, they fail to create another real chance. Instead, their sense of abandon leaves them looking wonky and vulnerable to the quick counter.

After some satisfyingly dogged work from Kerr, Colbeck switches to Cook on the left. All of a sudden Town shirts are darting past him in all sorts of directions, like scraps of paper stuck in the wind. He ignores them all and boots it back to Colbeck on the right, who takes it inside and slides a delicious ball through a great big space where the Tamworth defence once was and into the path of a now onrushing Cook. With the world primed for the most elongated one-two in football history, the pesky scamp that is Alex Rodman skips in ahead of Cook and scuffs the ball over Belford's legs to make it 2-0.

And that was about that. There was still time for Rodman to waste a good opportunity on the left after another fine crossfield ball from Colbeck, but it didn't matter; the game was won. In fact, there was a sense that none of it really mattered. Come Tuesday, it will all be forgotten, lost somewhere in the sea of coverage ahead of the Scunthorpe game, a side-note in the Telegraph's 124-page preview. In that sense, Town's forgettable performance was fitting; they were as impressive as they needed to be against spirited but inferior opposition. Same again on Tuesday will do just nicely.