Tamworth Manager Andy Peaks Chooses FA Cup Match Over Holiday

Andy Peaks, manager of Tamworth, has had to forgo a planned short holiday with his wife, Sarah, at their cottage in Bridgnorth, Shropshire. This decision was made to prioritize the upcoming FA Cup first-round match. The fixture, a BBC-televised encounter against Huddersfield Town, is scheduled for Friday at The Lamb. Peaks has achieved two promotions with Tamworth since assuming the managerial role in February 2022. The 53-year-old, who also works part-time as a support worker at Tresham College in Kettering, had intended to take a half-term holiday. However, the ongoing success of his team, which he has guided from the Southern Premier League to the National League in under two seasons, has necessitated a change of plans. Peaks, notably the sole manager in the fifth tier not holding a full-time position, commented on the situation, stating: “We were supposed to be going away Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday,” He added, “But, much to my wife’s disappointment, I’ve had to cancel because football has taken over “We were going to go to Bridgnorth to the cottage. I was going to do a bit of fishing, a bit of walking and chilling. That’s now on the back burner. It can wait until another day.” Peaks expressed confidence in his wife’s support: “My wife will be here. She’ll be 100 per cent behind me. I’ll make it up to her at some point. Hopefully we can do it on Saturday after victory on Friday night.” Peaks expressed pride in his commitment to his part-time role at Tresham College, which is located on the former site of Kettering Grammar School. Describing his responsibilities, he elaborated: “I’m a support worker at a college for children with high needs, aged 16 to 18,” He continued, “It’s not great money. It’s a learning support role. I go into classes and support and guide. A lot of the kids have had a bad upbringing or have a condition so they’re high needs.” Peaks also highlighted the personal satisfaction derived from the work: “But it’s very rewarding because a lot of those kids don’t trust you as an adult when you go in, especially as a male support worker.” He concluded, “You start to win them over and they start to walk around the college looking for you and asking you for advice. It’s a rewarding job and sometimes a good get-out from football.” The Lamb, Tamworth’s home ground since 1934 with a capacity of 4,000, will host the match. Their opponents, Huddersfield, were a Premier League side as recently as 2019 and are making their first FA Cup first-round appearance since a 4-1 defeat to Paolo Di Canio’s Swindon Town in 2011. Huddersfield currently occupies seventh place in League One, following a season characterized by inconsistent results. Their recent form includes a sequence of four consecutive wins across all competitions, followed by seven losses in eight matches, and now a current run of five games without defeat. Notably, a significant losing streak from late August to early October, interrupted only by a 4-0 victory against Bolton, both commenced and concluded in the Midlands region. Huddersfield’s exit from the League Cup was at the hands of Walsall, and they also suffered a defeat against League One leaders Birmingham City. This presents Tamworth with an opportunity to achieve a “Midlands treble” against them. The Lambs, currently positioned 16th in the National League, are 57 places below Huddersfield within the English football pyramid. Despite this disparity, Peaks, whose team secured a 4-2 victory over Robbie Savage’s Macclesfield Town in the fourth qualifying round, expressed cautious optimism about causing an upset. He stated: “There is always a shock in the first round,” adding, “And we’re going to try and make it happen. “It has worked in a good way because I’ve been able to give it a bit more attention than I normally would. And it would be the biggest achievement of my managerial career.”