Postecoglou: Tamworth to face 'biggest game of their lives' against Spurs

Ange Postecoglou knows Tottenham will face highly motivated opponents in Sunday's FA Cup tie at Tamworth, who are out to cause one of the biggest upsets in the competition's 144-year history.

Spurs take on Tamworth, who are currently 16th in the National League, in one of the standout ties of third-round weekend.

In the Premier League era (since 1992), there have been 50 FA Cup ties between top-flight teams and non-league clubs, with only two of those seeing an upset.

Luton Town won 1-0 at Norwich City in the fourth round in 2012-13, having also beaten Championship opposition in Wolves at the previous stage, while Lincoln City triumphed 1-0 at Burnley in 2016-17.

Eight-time FA Cup winners Tottenham won the first leg of their EFL Cup semi-final tie against Liverpool on Wednesday and are looking to end a 17-year wait to lift a major trophy,

Postecoglou, who is not planning on heavy rotation for the trip to the West Midlands, does not expect his players to take the game lightly.

"I have no doubt about the attitude of the players. All the boys have a great understanding that every game is important," he said on Friday.

"We go into Sunday's game with the same sort of mindset of making sure that we do things that we can control and a big emphasis on things we do really well.

"There's always challenges out there. I'm sure Tamworth will think it's a great opportunity for them and we have to be ready for that."

Asked if the visit to The Lamb Ground – which holds 4,963 people with just over 500 seated – would come as a shock to his players, Postecoglou said: "They are not multi-million dollar players.

Our @emiratesfacup journey so far. Let us know your favourite Lambs match in this season’s Emirates FA Cup #bristolstreetmotornationtamworth | #COYL pic.twitter.com/BEVUuaEgfM

— Tamworth Football Club (@tamworthfc) January 8, 2025

"They are human beings who are very understanding. They are good people. Most of them have come from places like that, some worse than that.

"They will go there and respect the fact that Tamworth are going to build it up for the biggest game of their lives probably. I'm sure they will do their best to create an atmosphere where they will be proud of their ground and their facility.

"I don't really think that's an issue for us. What is important for us is to prepare ourselves for an important cup game."

Tottenham have progressed from each of their last nine FA Cup ties against non-league teams, with their last defeat coming when only two Football League divisions existed, against Norwich in 1914-15.

Despite the FA Cup having its detractors, Postecoglou still believes in the fabled 'magic' of the world's oldest cup competition.

"I still think it's a really important competition," he said. "It includes pretty much every tier of football and there's always great storylines within it.

"There have been already such stories in the early rounds of the cup and we are meeting a side that has come through the early rounds.

"I still think the cup final day is a marquee day on the global football calendar. I feel like it's a really important tournament that maintains the right kind of traditions."