Cooper hoping for seaside special

By Pete Oliver

FA Cup first round draw

When it comes to FA Cup pedigree, Conference part-timers Tamworth can not hold a candle to Saturday's first-round opponents Blackpool.

While the Seasiders famously won the Cup at Wembley in 1953 in the 'Stanley Matthews final', Tamworth have only once made it as far as round two.

Yet when the two teams meet at Bloomfield Road this weekend, Lambs player-boss Mark Cooper is hoping his side is the one with the know-how to pull off a shock.

"We have got six or seven experienced players and four or five kids, and I am banking on the experienced ones for Saturday," Cooper told BBC Sport.

Cooper, 35, is amongst the wise old heads, with close to 300 Football League games behind him with the likes of Birmingham, Exeter and Hartlepool.

Midfielder Marcus Ebdon was at Chesterfield when they reached the semi-finals in 1997, although he missed the controversial defeat by Middlesbrough after playing for Peterborough in an earlier round.

Goalkeeper Ryan Price and defenders Adie Smith, Lee Colkin and Scott Stamps all have league careers behind them.

And both Matt Redmile and Tristram Whitman were part of the Scarborough squad that reached the fourth round last season before losing to Chelsea.

But the highest profile member of the Tamworth side is veteran striker Bob Taylor, who can boast almost 250 league and cup goals in a prolific six-club career.

The former West Bromwich Albion legend joined Tamworth in the summer from Cheltenham Town.

Six goals in 11 appearances this season prove the 37-year-old still knows where the net is, and he warmed up with a 10-minute hat-trick against Leigh RMI last Saturday.

"He's done well for us," said Cooper, whose side has won five of their last six games. "He's playing on his experience, but he is also still very fit for his age.

"He's a good influence on the younger players and they could do a lot worse than see how he has looked after himself. He is an example to them."

If we keep it tight and the natives get restless, we may have a chance Mark Cooper

Blackpool may be two divisions above Tamworth but had not won at home in the league under Colin Hendry's management until Tuesday night.

"The first 20 minutes will be vital. If we can keep it tight and the natives start to get restless, we may have a chance," Cooper added.

"If Blackpool play to their potential they will win. But if they are not completely right and we are on our game we have a chance."

Tamworth banked £10,000 for beating Burscough in the last round and would get another £16,000 if they can upset the odds by the seaside.

"I don't know if it would make any difference to my budget, but it would certainly help the club. And I want to progress. I would love to get to the third round where the big money is," Cooper said.

And Tamworth do have one lucky omen on their side - the manager's boots.

Cooper scored 15 times in them last season before the boots went missing, only to turn up on the eve of the last round when he slipped them on again and scored his first two goals of the current campaign.

"I'll certainly be wearing them on Saturday, and keeping them under lock and key until then," he said.