Tamworth will attempt to put a bruising weekend behind them when Sutton United visit The Lamb Ground in the Enterprise National League on Wednesday evening.

Andy Peaks’s side were beaten 5-1 at Aldershot Town on Saturday, leaving the Lambs inside the relegation places with eight points from their opening 10 league matches. Sutton arrive in Staffordshire in a healthier position, having taken seven points from their last three games and produced a spirited comeback to draw 3-3 with Forest Green Rovers at the weekend.

There is already a degree of pressure on Tamworth to turn their season around, but seven of their eight points have been collected at The Lamb Ground. Sutton’s recent improvement therefore faces a useful examination under the lights.

Tamworth need The Lamb Ground to provide another response

The manner of Saturday’s defeat will have concerned Peaks as much as the result itself. Tamworth were four goals behind before half-time at Aldershot, with defensive mistakes contributing to an afternoon that had effectively been decided long before Ben Acquaye scored a stoppage-time consolation.

A 5-1 defeat represented a significant setback after the Lambs had finally returned to winning ways a week earlier. That 2-1 home victory over Wealdstone had ended a run of five league games without success and appeared to offer Tamworth something to build upon. Instead, Saturday exposed many of the problems responsible for their difficult opening two months.

They have conceded 28 goals in 10 league matches – the worst defensive record in the National League heading into the midweek programme.

The problem has not simply been occasional heavy defeats. Tamworth have conceded at least twice in seven of their 10 league fixtures and have kept only one clean sheet.

There has at least been considerably more encouragement at the other end. Seventeen goals is a respectable return for a team sitting 22nd, and only two sides in the bottom half have scored more. The contrast between their attacking output and defensive record helps explain why Tamworth’s matches have regularly become open affairs.

Peaks will want far greater control on Wednesday. The Lamb Ground gives his side reason for confidence. Seven of Tamworth’s eight points have come at home, where they have already demonstrated that they can be a very different proposition.

There is also enough attacking quality in the squad to trouble Sutton. Dan Creaney remains an important focal point, while Nathan Tshikuna offers creativity and Jake Hutchinson arrived during the summer following a prolific campaign with Folkestone Invicta. Teo Kurtaran has developed into an influential figure in midfield since joining Tamworth last season.

Peaks has nevertheless had to rebuild elements of a team that finished comfortably in mid-table in each of its first two seasons following promotion.

Stefan Mols, Kennedy Digie, Alfie Bates and Tom Tonks were among the significant departures during the summer, while Oliver Lynch returned to Luton Town following his loan spell. Five of Tamworth’s 10 leading appearance-makers from last season are no longer at the club.

The transition has not been seamless. After finishing 10th and then 11th in their first two National League campaigns, Tamworth suddenly find themselves fighting near the opposite end of the table.

There is no need for panic after 10 games, particularly given their ability to score, but conceding at the present rate is unsustainable. Wednesday therefore represents an opportunity to produce a reaction rather than merely repair the goal difference.

Sutton beginning to find some momentum

Sutton’s season has followed almost the opposite trajectory. Chris Agutter’s team endured a difficult spell around the end of August and beginning of September, losing three successive league matches without scoring against Wealdstone, Barrow and Scunthorpe.

Their response has been encouraging. A 2-1 victory over Eastleigh stopped the run before a 1-1 draw at Halifax Town. Saturday’s 3-3 draw with Forest Green then extended Sutton’s unbeaten league sequence to three matches and demonstrated a resilience that should serve them well at The Lamb Ground.

The circumstances of that draw were particularly notable. Sutton twice found themselves two goals behind but continued to chase the game, eventually recovering from 3-1 down to earn a point through Temi Babalola’s late equaliser.

Agutter felt afterwards that his side deserved to win. Regardless of whether that assessment was justified, the character required to repeatedly recover against Forest Green was difficult to question.

It leaves Sutton 10th with 17 points from 10 matches – already nine points better off than Wednesday’s opponents. The table remains extremely congested, too. Sutton are only one point outside the playoff positions, meaning victory at Tamworth could push them firmly into the early promotion conversation.

Agutter does have one significant piece of bad news to contend with. Ronny Ruiz suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury against Birmingham City in the National League Cup and is expected to be sidelined for between nine and 12 months. It is a severe blow for both the player and Sutton.

Jermaine Francis is also unavailable while away on international duty. There are more positive developments elsewhere, with Sam Folarin and Omar Mussa back in contention after returning to the squad. Agutter otherwise has essentially the same group available as he did against Forest Green.

Babalola will naturally be pushing for a prominent role after his weekend contribution, while Sutton also possess a player with particularly intimate knowledge of Wednesday’s opponents.

Kwaku Donkor joined Sutton permanently from Tamworth in January after impressing at The Lamb Ground. His pace and directness could be particularly useful against a defence whose confidence will inevitably have been affected by conceding five at Aldershot.

Sutton’s own defensive numbers are far healthier than Tamworth’s, although Saturday demonstrated that they are hardly impenetrable.

They have conceded 13 times in 10 league games, exactly the same number as they have scored. That goal difference of zero neatly reflects a team that has generally been competitive without consistently dominating opponents.

Recent performances suggest the balance may be beginning to shift in the right direction. The challenge on Wednesday is to convert that improvement into an away victory. Tamworth’s league position makes them appear vulnerable, but their home record is significantly better than their overall results suggest. Sutton cannot expect the same side that unravelled at Aldershot simply to reappear four days later.

Verdict

There is a temptation to judge Tamworth entirely on Saturday’s 5-1 defeat, but their season has been more complicated than that scoreline suggests.

They have scored 17 times in 10 matches and collected seven of their eight points at The Lamb Ground. Peaks’s side therefore possess enough attacking threat to make this uncomfortable for Sutton, particularly if they produce the sort of response often seen after a heavy defeat.

The defensive record is much harder to overlook. Twenty-eight goals conceded in 10 matches is an enormous number, and Sutton arrive having scored three against Forest Green and taken seven points from their last three league fixtures.

Agutter’s side appear to be moving in the opposite direction to their hosts. Tamworth should create opportunities and home advantage gives them a realistic chance of taking something, but Sutton’s greater defensive stability and improving form may prove decisive in what could be an entertaining contest.

Tip: Sutton United to win