'Delighted' Tamworth boss eyeing another FA Cup upset ahead of renewing old rivalry

Tamworth manager Andy Peaks is excited about the prospect of renewing an old rivalry and trying to create more memorable FA Cup memories when he takes his side to Burton Albion on Sunday.

The Lambs face the Brewers at the Pirelli Stadium in the second round following their shock 1-0 win over Huddersfield in round one. An own-goal from Chris Maxwell - caused by a Tom Tonks long-throw - proved to the difference as Peaks' side beat their League One opponents earlier this month.

Like Huddersfield, Burton are also in the third tier but have endured a dismal start to the season, winning just three of their first 21 matches across all competitions. And Peaks, who has worked wonders at The Lamb Ground since taking over in 2022, is hoping his side can cause yet another upset this weekend.

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"I think there's always fear ahead of every game," Peaks said. "Certainly the level we are at this year because we are going to some big clubs and big teams, and this will be no different.

"It's a local derby, we should have a good support and it's one we can go and express ourselves, give it a go and look forward to it because these are the sort of games you spent your football career looking forward to.

"People say it's a free hit because it's another team two leagues higher than us, but equally we want to at least come away with some pride."

Tamworth have enjoyed a fine season so far on their return to the National League. The Lambs, who were relegated from the Conference Premier in the 2013/14 season, have made their way back to this level following back-to-back promotions under Peaks, winning the Southern Premier League Central and the National League North.

Tipped to struggle and go straight back down, Tamworth sit comfortably in mid-table in the fifth tier on seven wins, five draws and eight losses from their opening 19 matches. They sit 15th, six points above the relegation zone and have enjoyed some big scalps, with their 2-1 win at home to Gateshead arguably their biggest.

Alongside wins over Macclesfield and Huddersfield, it has been a decent season so far for the Lambs and Peaks has been ecstatic with what he has seen. "As a season so far I am absolutely delighted with how it’s gone from the start to now," Peaks added.

"The FA Cup is a bonus, we’ve had some tough games with Macclesfield and Huddersfield, two big clubs we’ve managed to get past, so that speaks for itself. And for the league to be sitting where we are at the minute is absolutely beyond our best dreams because our remit was and still is to stay out of that bottom four and maintain our status.

"But like you say we’ve had some decent form, some tough trips away but some very good results at home. Overall I am pleased. When you step back and look at how we have come I am really pleased. For me it’s about maintaining it, and I hope that Saturday’s win against Dagenham, coming from behind against them should give the boys some confidence this week ready for an exciting game at the weekend."

Sunday's trip to Burton is renewing some old rivalry with just 17 miles separating the two teams. And 'the A38 Staffordshire derby' - which has not been seen in a competitive sense for a over a decade - is something that Peaks is looking forward to.

"The remit when the draw came out is that I wanted a home draw against someone obviously, but we’ve already had a couple so I accepted that," Peaks finished. "I was quite pleased with the draw because I knew how much it meant to the fans because in the three years I’ve been here they have talked a lot about the rivalry with Burton Albion so I knew it was a game that would please the fans.

"So, we’re looking forward to that, I’ve been to watch them a couple of times, it's a nice ground and hopefully the fact we’ve been to a few big grounds such as Southend, York and Oldham recently shouldn’t mean we should go into it with any sort of fear. It’s not like we're going somewhere that we’re not used to and I’ve been saying to the boys it’s about time we did ourselves some justice away from home and hopefully we can do that Sunday."