Spurs land non league away game in FA Cup third round | OneFootball

This evening, Tottenham Hotspur have drawn non league side Tamworth in the FA Cup third round, as they look to finally end their well documented trophy drought, 17 years later. The ties for the third round will be played from the 9th-13th January.

Tamworth currently play in the National League – the fifth tier of English football. Whilst these days, most of the league is now full-time, Tamworth are one of the few sides in the league that are still part-time.

Tottenham Hotspur to play non league side in third round

In the first round, they overcame League One side Huddersfield Town in a shock 1-0 victory at home. In the second round, they managed to defeat another League One side, as they overcame Burton after a 1-1 draw and penalty shootout.

This could come in the same month as two Carabao Cup semi-final games, should Spurs beat Manchester United in their quarter-final later this month. If they do, Ange’s side will have games in four competitions in January – the Premier League, FA Cup, Carabao Cup, and Europa League. They could play as many as nine games – after a December with the same amount of games.

Owing to this schedule, a tie against a lower league opposition was ideal, so Spurs cannot complain. This game will be a great opportunity for the likes of Mikey Moore (assuming he is fine by then), Will Lankshear, Lucas Bergvall and co to get a start.

That said, genuinely there is one thing for Spurs to be wary of with Tamworth. Their 1-0 aforementioned 1-0 win over Huddersfield came from a giant throw that the Terriers could not clear, with their goalkeeper scoring an own goal. We know how bad Ange’s side can be from defending crosses, so they will have to be switched on.

Elsewhere, Josh Keeley, Jamie Donley, and Leyton Orient will be playing against Championship side Derby County in the third round. As you have no doubt seen by now, Keeley scored a last minute goal for Orient to force extra-time in an eventual win over Oldham Athletic in the second round, with the header going viral on multiple social media platforms.

There will be no third round ties for Matthew Craig and his Barnsley side, having been knocked out on penalties at home to Bristol Rovers. Likewise with George Abbott and his Notts County side, after they lost 4-3 to Peterborough United, though Abbott did score his first ever senior goal in that game, with an audacious finish in stoppage time.