Andy Peaks, manager

At Old Trafford for the draw it was like: “Wow.” There was the massive excitement of a home tie against a club of Tottenham’s magnitude. I went to watch them at home to Liverpool last month and when you go to a stadium like that, it opens your eyes to what you’re going to be facing. I took my youngest son, Jacob, who is 21 and has come with me to watch a few opposition teams. It was a fantastic occasion and a bit of a reward for him because I’ve taken him to some cold, wet, horrible places over the years.

So it was a bit of a payback: a nice, corporate day at Tottenham. They gave me great tickets – they put us in the directors’ box, only a few rows behind Daniel Levy, so fair play, because they didn’t have to do that. I didn’t speak to him; he probably had no idea who I was. I was very tempted to wear a Tamworth hat but I thought they might not let me in. They are an unbelievable club and this game is what the FA Cup is about.

We are one of three part-time teams in the National League. In my squad I’ve got accountants, a zip salesman, bricklayers, teachers, retail workers, a personal trainer. I’m a support worker Tuesday-Friday at Tresham College in Kettering and mainly work with children who have got high needs, so it’s quite a demanding but also very rewarding job. It is difficult to combine it with football, especially with the stack of midweek games, but it’s a good mix and a nice getaway. We recently went to Hartlepool in the FA Trophy, I got in at 2.30am and was back in college for 8am.

Everyone knows me at college now. All the students know what’s going on: “Hello, sir, how’s Tamworth? You’ve got a game tonight, haven’t you?” Even some of the tutors who never knew what I did outside college are going: “I saw you on the TV at the draw.” Years ago, I’d be able to sneak out of a lesson to get to a game but now I have to go through all the right channels to get the time off, rather than just going awol for a bit.

I’m good mates with Sean Dyche because we’re from the same area and we grew up playing county football. After we beat Burton in the previous round, he sent me a message saying: “Unbelievable. Well done, fantastic result.” I will speak to him about Spurs. When he was in charge of Burnley, I remember him telling me how good Son [Heung-min] was.

Tom Tonks, midfielder

We’ve got some big lads that can get on the end of my long throw and it’s a weapon we use as much as we can. I’m not sure of the dimensions of our pitch but I seem to be able to throw it into the box from most places inside the attacking half. If I get the chance, hopefully I can stick a few under the bar and our lads can head it in, knock it in, get it in somehow. It worked against Huddersfield in the first round and against Forest Green on Boxing Day.

It is something I’ve always had since school. I’ve never been one to get the metre stick out but against Huddersfield one throw got measured at 44 yards. The reaction since has been a bit crazy. After that game I was getting sent TikToks, Facebook, Instagram and X posts. My phone didn’t stop. Someone made Christmas cards saying that I was going to help Santa deliver his presents by just throwing them from Tamworth. I’m here to help Tamworth win games and if I become an internet sensation, then so be it.

I work for a catering company. I drive a food van so I’ll go around to different companies and factories, play my Batman noise, open up the side of my van and everyone comes flooding out of the offices. I’m in the gym six days a week at 5.15am. I go home for a little bit of breakfast and then straight into the yard to start work at 7am. I sell everything: pasties, sausage rolls, burgers, sandwiches, crisps, cakes, fizzy drinks – it’s like a mini tuck shop.

Tottenham’s players are probably having recovery massages while I’m delivering food. There are other lads who have got full-time jobs who bring their laptops to work on the coach or turn up after a hard day’s graft on a building site. It’s going to be a really chalk-and-cheese clash, especially given the different styles of play.

Jas Singh, goalkeeper and captain

We had our Christmas party in Birmingham the night of our penalty shootout victory over Burton – we couldn’t have timed it better. As a goalkeeper you are almost buzzing about penalties because it’s a free hit to become a hero. To save two, in a derby, in the second round of the Cup, made it sweeter. The biggest thing to come out of this Cup run has been the realisation that I’m almost living all the childhood dreams of friends and family.

I do take pride in representing the South Asian community. I think we [South Asian players] are taken more seriously now. There are more opportunities and I think there are more people looking at players from our community and clubs are broadening their horizons. Now maybe someone would have taken a gamble on me earlier in my career. Someone wouldn’t have said: “Maybe he doesn’t live the best life because of the way he lives.” Now there is more education and room to understand communities and religious backgrounds. The only way people learn is by asking and understanding. People probably didn’t ask and didn’t want to know back then, whereas now those conversations are happening.

Being a goalkeeper, you do get remarks because you’re often the closest to the fans, so goalkeepers seem to get the majority of the stick, especially in non-league, where they’re really on top of you. That is slowly, slowly going out of the game. In my career I’ve probably only had one or two seasons where I haven’t been racially abused. I think it’s getting better, with people understanding more about people’s cultures and things like that.

Recently I saw an advert for the Spurs game on the way back from our game. Myself and Tonksy were like: “Bloody hell, that’s us on the TV.” Tottenham are going to hate it. When Huddersfield came they had 25 staff behind the scenes and we had our kitman doing everything on his own. Spurs will have everything brought for them, but they’re not going to have anywhere to put it. The changing rooms are tight. In the middle of January, the electric heater will be doing overtime. I think all of the boys will have watched them with a wry smile thinking: “If we put a performance in, we can make it difficult for them.” If we can get a result, I’m sure everyone will be buying us drinks in the Tamworth Arms.

I’m a building surveyor, so a couple of days a week I’m on the road, around Stoke, towards Worcester. If you had an insurance claim from a leak, fire or frozen pipe and your property was damaged, we go out and survey your building and get the property back to how it was before. I don’t get my tools out, I’m in shoes and shirt … Our No 9, Dan Creaney, is a labourer – he’ll do anything he can get his hands on.

Buster Belford, club legend

My first day was in 1984. The manager at the time, Dave Seedhouse, who made 800-odd appearances for the club, asked if I’d be the sponge man. He said: “There’s nothing to it, just a bucket of water.” I worked on the gate, as the general manager, ran the clubhouse, as groundsman and then as kitman. When we played Bristol City in the second round in 2013, my son, Dale, was the manager, and my grandson, Cameron, the goalkeeper. We played at Everton in the third round the year before and lost 2-0. The second goal was a penalty, which should never have been given. Afterwards I said to the ref [Bobby Madley]: “You’ve made a balls-up there, ref.” He said: “The assessor said that as well.”

When we played Aldershot away in the FA Trophy in 2004, I started putting the kit out and our forward Marc McGregor went: “These play in red.” The manager at the time, Darron Gee, said: “I’m not playing in their kit.” I went to Bob Andrews, who is still the chairman now, and he went: “Bloody hell, Buster.” We ended up going to JJB Sports and the only shirts they had enough of, because we needed 15, were England shirts. We had to get them to quickly put the numbers on. Everybody wanted Beckham’s No 7 but Marcus Ebdon, who is Welsh, came to me and said: “I don’t want to wear any of them!” Afterwards we auctioned the shirts off and got more money than what we paid for them.

I retired in the summer because I’m 81 now. I thought: “Do I want to be travelling to Gateshead in midweek?” But I’m still very close to the gaffer, I’ll often ring or message him and I still go along to training to catch up with the lads once a month. Some people didn’t know I retired so recently I found out I’ve got about another 50 friends: “Buster, any chance of any tickets?” I still go to most home games; Tamworth allow me two tickets. I’m a shareholder anyway – I bought a hundred quid’s worth to help the club. I booked myself and my wife to go to Blackpool this weekend so I’m driving back on Sunday morning to get to the game. I’ll have to leave at about 7.30am to make it. I’ve got to be there.