Spurs avoid FA Cup shock after non-League Tamworth take them to the brink

LONDON: Tottenham narrowly avoided FA Cup embarrassment against non-league Tamworth as they needed extra-time before securing a 3-0 win in the third round tie on Sunday.

Ange Postecoglou´s side, currently 12th in the Premier League, are 96 places above Tamworth, who sit 16th in the fifth tier National League. But the supposed gap in quality was rarely apparent as Tottenham´s dismal display took them to the brink of a historic humiliation.

Tamworth should have caused one of the FA Cup´s greatest upsets in normal time but their missed chances proved crucial. Nathan Tshikuna´s extra-time own goal and late strikes from Dejan Kulusevski and Brennan Johnson sent Tottenham into the fourth round.

Tottenham last won a major trophy in 2008, but the under-fire Postecoglou boasts he always wins silverware in his second season at a club. Having beaten Liverpool 1-0 in the League Cup semi-final first leg on Wednesday, Tottenham remain in contention for a domestic cup double.

But they will have to improve significantly on the latest underwhelming performance in their troubled campaign. “It was a challenging game as we expected it to be,” Postecoglou said.

“They made it hard for us, with the surface it was about us staying calm and being persistent. In the end, we got the job done.” Tamworth boss Andy Peaks added: “Disappointed because we were that close to causing a massive upset. “Everyone put a shift in and when you look at the team we were up against, it was unbelievable from our boys.”

Tamworth are a part-time team whose players work day jobs alongside their football careers and only train twice as week. Yet they matched their highly-paid and supposedly superior opponents for long periods of a classic FA Cup tie at the Lamb Ground.

It was something of a culture shock for Tottenham to swap the plush arenas of the Premier League for Tamworth´s modest 4,000-capacity stadium with a sloping artificial pitch. Fans waved tinfoil replicas of the FA Cup, while locals who didn´t buy a ticket were able to peer over the garden walls of houses that backed onto the stadium.

The ramshackle vibe was summed up when kick-off was delayed by a hole in one of the goal nets, with Tamworth´s Beck-Ray Enoru fixing the problem by climbing on the shoulders of his team-mate.

Tamworth´s Snowdome -- a notable local attraction featuring ski slopes -- loomed in the distance behind the stadium, but on a freezing, frosty afternoon, it was Tottenham who had trouble keeping their feet.

The non-league outfit should have been ahead in the opening seconds as Enoru raced through the static Tottenham defence and unloaded a powerful effort that forced a good save from Antonin Kinsky.

Tom Tonks´ massive long throws caused problems for lethargic Tottenham´s defence and Tamworth went close three times in the final minutes. Jordan Cullinane-Liburd headed just wide before Tom McGlinchey´s shot was blocked and Cullinane-Liburd was denied by Kinsky.

Tottenham were only the fourth Premier League side since 1992-93 to be taken to extra-time in an FA Cup game against a non-league club. Tottenham´s 101st minute breakthrough was in keeping with their scrappy performance as Johnson´s cross deflected in off Tshikuna as he tried to stop Dominic Solanke making contact.

Kulusevski killed off plucky Tamworth six minutes later, taking Son Heung-min´s pass and firing past Singh. There was still time for Johnson to put a flattering gloss on the score for Tottenham with a clinical finish in the 118th minute.

League Two side Doncaster beat Championship strugglers Hull 5-4 on penalties after a 1-1 draw. Later on Sunday, Arsenal host holders Manchester United in a clash between the FA Cup´s two most successful sides.

Newcastle face fourth tier Bromley, while Crystal Palace meet third tier Stockport, Ipswich welcome third tier Bristol Rovers and Premier League tailenders Southampton take on Championship side Swansea.