Surprise! The third round of the FA Cup was drawn today, and Tottenham Hotspur were drawn away at non-league side Tamworth FC, with the match taking place the weekend of January 11, 2025.
Tamworth, located in the English midlands, is one of the lowest teams left in the competition, as they currently play in the Vanarama National League, after winning and promoting from the National League North Division last season. Tamworth is currently 16th in the league and got here by defeating Huddersfield Town in round 1, and Burton Albion (in extra time) in round 2.
Tamworth play at The Lamb Ground, which seats 4,963 (with just over 500 seated). Here’s a picture of their ground.
Photo by Harriet Massey/Newcastle United via Getty Images
OK, this is awesome, and for several reasons. First, it’s (at least in theory) one of the easiest draws in the competition — Spurs are four divisions above the Lambs, and it means even with an away fixture Ange Postecoglou has the flexibility to play some children or deep, deep reserves and feel decently confident about progressing to the fourth round of the competition.
But it’s awesome for another reason — matchups against lower league clubs are super fun. Remember the away trip to Marine FC during COVID? That was one of the most fun matches I’ve ever covered, and not just because we managed to get Cartilage Free Captain’s logo on the back of Marine’s shorts. This isn’t quite that big of a mismatch (level 5 on the pyramid vs. level 7) but it’s still a minnow hosting a white whale in the minnow’s puddle, and that rules. Everyone loves a good David vs. Goliath match in the Cup, and even though Spurs are in the Goliath role it’s definitely one of those potential Magic of the Cup, Innit™ matches.
The FA Cup gate receipts are traditionally split between the clubs, and when big mismatches like this happen in the FA Cup it’s pretty standard for the big visiting club to let the smaller club keep the whole of the receipts. When minnows are drawn away at Premier League clubs, the split gate from that one match can sometimes be transformational, equal to or more than an entire year’s revenue. And also this is a match that due to the interest will likely be picked up for television coverage, so although they won’t get a ton of matchday revenue, they’ll still get a fat TV check.
So away at Tamworth in January? Yes. YES. This unreservedly rules. BRB, I’m going to go see about sponsorship options and maybe start a GoFundMe. (Not really. But maybe?)
