FC Halifax Town were forced to settle for a 2–2 draw against Tamworth in a thrilling and hard-fought contest. Despite conceding within the opening minute, the Shaymen showed great character to fight back and take the lead, only for Tamworth to respond, leaving both sides to share the points after an intense encounter.
Tamworth got the game underway and immediately went on the attack, making an early breakthrough. Inside the opening minute, the Lambs won a corner and made it count, taking the lead just 53 seconds in through a powerful header from Stefan Mols.
The Lambs continued to apply intense pressure during the opening five minutes, giving Town little time to settle. Despite the early setback, the Shaymen showed resilience and pushed forward in search of an equaliser, though they initially struggled to find the decisive final pass.
After 10 minutes, Town earned a free kick in a promising position, but Turner-Cooke’s effort was comfortably saved by the Tamworth goalkeeper. Gradually, Halifax began to grow into the game and started to take control of possession. A promising move saw AJ Warburton win the ball and release Kieron Morris, who delivered into the box, but Will Harris was unable to make proper contact with his header.
By the 20-minute mark, Town looked the stronger side, creating several chances without reward. Tamworth nearly doubled their lead in the 24th minute, but Sam Johnson produced a vital block to keep the deficit at one goal.
Halifax continued to play attractive, one-touch football, keeping Tamworth on edge. Crowe tested the goalkeeper with a long-range effort, while in the 31st minute, a well-worked move ended with Morris attempting a finesse finish, only for Jasbir Singh to produce an excellent save. Singh was later shown a yellow card in the 36th minute for time-wasting.
Town came close again in the 38th minute from a free kick, but neither Harris nor Mills could get a clean strike on the ball. Just before half-time, another golden opportunity fell to Josh Hmami after a precise pass from Cody Johnson, but Singh once again denied Town with a superb save. The referee brought the first half to a close with Tamworth still leading, despite Halifax’s dominance.
Halifax began the second half on the front foot, continuing to pile pressure on Tamworth’s defence. In the 50th minute, both Harris and Turner-Cooke struck the post in quick succession, with the resulting corner failing to produce a goal. Moments later, Harris was denied again by another outstanding save from Singh.
Hmami was booked in the 55th minute following a disagreement with the referee, but just a minute later, Halifax finally found their breakthrough. A slick move involving Mills, Harris, and Turner-Cooke ended with Harris flicking the ball into Turner-Cooke’s path, who calmly slotted home the equaliser.
The momentum quickly swung in Halifax’s favour, and in the 58th minute, they took the lead. Turner-Cooke delivered a cross intended for Harris, but after the forward missed the ball, it fell to Will Smith, who fired home to make it 2–1.
However, the lead was short-lived. Tamworth responded in the 62nd minute when Oli Lynch capitalised on a loose ball in the box to bring the scores level at 2–2.
Both sides made several substitutions as the game entered its final stages. Halifax continued to press, with Bray and Harris both denied by further strong goalkeeping from Singh in the 75th minute. Tamworth thought they had regained the lead shortly after, but the effort was ruled out for offside.
As the match moved into added time, seven minutes were signalled by the fourth official. Town were handed a golden opportunity to win the game when they were awarded a penalty after Luke Fairlamb decided to parry the ball off the goal line with his hands Harris stepped up, but his effort was saved comfortably by Singh, ensuring the match ended all square.
Despite a dominant performance from Halifax, they were ultimately forced to settle for a 2–2 draw, with Tamworth’s goalkeeper proving the difference with a series of outstanding saves.
FC Halifax Town
1 Johnson ©, 24 Palmer, 16 Mills (22 Kawa 81), 15 Smith, 19 Warburton, 23 Crowe (17 Bray 68), 30 Johnson, 27 Turner-Cooke, 8 Hmami (18 Hoti 81), 28 Morris (4 Hugill 68), 9 Harris
Subs: 12 Ford, 3 Adetoro, 33 Lavery
1 Singh, 2 Curley, 11 Fairlamb, 12 Rye, 14 Mols (19 McGlinchey 88), 16 Riley (4 Tonks 88) 18 Cullinane-Liburd, 27 Lynch (6 Bates 68) 39 Creaney (44 Reindoff 88), 42 Kurtaran, 46 Isichei (24 Acquaye 64)
Subs: 13 Rachel, 26 Hollis
Referee: Aaron Bannister
Goals: Mols 1, Turner-Cooke 56, Smith 59, Lynch 63
Yellow Cards Singh 36, Hmami 54, Smith 65, Kurtaran 86
Red Cards: Fairlamb 90
Attendance: 1304 (101 away)
FC Halifax Town 2 Tamworth 2
Read more posts by Charlie Wood
