Additions Tamworth should make ahead of the National League

On Saturday, Tamworth sealed the National League North title.

It sees Andy Peaks’ side ensure back-to-back promotions, and they will now prepare for life in non-league’s top tier.

As they go into the summer, they will turn their attention to where they need to strengthen their squad to ensure that they finish outside of the relegation zone next year.

With that in mind, I suggest some signings that I think Andy Peaks’ side should make during the close season.

Festus Arthur

Despite how good they have been at the back this season, one area that The Lambs need to strengthen is in defence. Liam Dolman and Jamie Willets have been strong this term, albeit there needs to better quality and depth as they look to adjust to the National League.

One player who I think has caught the eye in the back end of this season and could be well worth a look during the summer is FC Halifax Town defender Festus Arthur. After a spell out through injury, Arthur has returned to action with a loan at National League North side Southport and has certainly been an impressive customer.

Arthur is out of contract at the end of the season, and given the defensive strength of The Shaymen, I found unlikely that he will be kept on with chances in the first-team limited. And, I think that he is capable of playing in the fifth tier and would represent a good option for Andy Peaks’ men.

The German defender is only 23 years of age, and is in-keeping with the strong defensive foundations that The Lambs have put in place over the course of the last year. He is superb at the basics in terms of defending his own box, vocal, aggressive and plays on the front foot, and provides a younger, quicker and more mobile option to Dolman and Willets.

Tyrone Williams

I feel that The Lambs could do with adding two central defenders during the summer, and so if Tamworth are to make a marquee addition at the back then I’d look at Tyrone Williams.

Williams has not been a first-choice for The Spireites this season on their way to promotion, and with the former Solihull Moors man out of contract upon the conclusion of the season, I could easily see Williams moved on with Paul Cook in need of strengthening the backline.

Williams would provide Andy Peaks with a ready-made option for the fifth tier, and that experience of the division is key. They could well get that in re-signing Nathaniel Knight-Percival, but I feel The Lambs need to push the boat out if they are to retain their National League status next term and so landing a player of Williams’ ability would certainly do the trick.

The Chesterfield man provides the adage that he can also play as a right-back as well as playing centrally, and so provides good competition for places across that side of the pitch. A diligent and mobile defender, Williams is quick, forward-thinking and capable of progressing the ball out from the back perhaps better than The Lambs do so at present.

Joe Rowley

Speaking to some of the Tamworth fans on where they need to strengthen in the summer, the consensus was that The Lambs needed to add experience in the middle of the park. Thus, I would have a look at Joe Rowley.

Rowley is likely to be released by AFC Fylde having been out of favour with The Coasters, finding minutes few and far between ever since the departure of James Rowe in truth. However, at National League level, I think that for a side who are as low-risk and low-adventure in midfield as The Lambs are, Rowley’s experience of the fifth tier could be a real benefit.

The midfielder is only 24 years of age, and yet has made a total of 100 league appearances for Chesterfield across League One, League Two and recently in the National League.

He has good pedigree, having featured in the Football League and being called up to the England C side in the past. He is perhaps a little unlucky not to have featured more due to injury, but he is a hard-working and committed player that is fairly strong technically and has an eye for a goal. He needs a fresh new start after struggling at AFC Fylde to feature, and under a manager in Andy Peaks who has a proven track record of getting the best out of players, I think he would be a useful capture.

David Davis

The second player that I think The Lambs should go for is a player who I feel will bring an end to his time in the EFL this summer, and that is David Davis.

Davis has failed to make a breakthrough into the Forest Green Rovers starting eleven this term, and with minutes limited, it is very unlikely that he will see his deal extended at the end of the campaign. He has spent time out on loan at Solihull Moors last season, and so when he leaves Rovers then I feel that the National League is his most likely destination.

The midfielder is a tough-tackling and committed defender that is strong with the ball and offers vast experience that would be invaluable for The Lambs in the National League. A former Birmingham City man and a player who has spent much of his time in the Midlands, he is a Smethwick boy and so represents a local option for Tamworth.

At the age of 33, I would imagine that a deal with Tamworth would be appealing given it is closer to home. He breaks up play, keeps it ticking in the middle of the park and would certainly represent a coup. Many of the players in this Lambs squad are stepping up to this level for the first time in their careers, and so Davis’ experience of playing in bigger stages would be invaluable.

Chris Wreh

The first attacking player that I have added is Hartlepool United loanee – and indeed current Lamb – Chris Wreh.

Wreh has spent time on loan with The Lambs this season, having failed to make the breakthrough at Hartlepool United. With The Monkeyhangers already with Mani Dieseruvwe, Joe Grey and Josh Umerah up front – plus their desire to add in this part of the pitch – then I think it might be a possibility, indeed a rather high likelihood, that he is allowed to leave.

If that is the case, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if Andy Peaks comes in for the forward and brings him back to the club on a permanent deal. He has perhaps struggled to adjust to the National League in stints at Hartlepool United and Southend United, but the body of work that he showed during his time at Banbury United suggests to me that there is a player there still for a side able to give him time to adjust.

Andy Peaks has shown to be a good manager and can get the best out of players, and I expect in time Wreh will succeed as a Lamb. A decent size and suitably physical, he is a striker you’d be willing to take a punt on and in an environment of winning, I think that suits Wreh down to the ground.

Omari Sterling-James

The next attacking player that I think Tamworth should go all out for during the summer, and one that I feel makes a lot of sense for both parties, is Ebbsfleet United man Omari Sterling-James.

The wide player has only just into double figures for appearances this season, and with his club Ebbsfleet United having hit form under new boss Danny Searle and Sterling-James continuing to being restricted to minutes from the bench, I think it is highly likely – given he is out of contract in the summer, too – that he will move on to pastures new.

What is United’s loss is most certainly Tamworth’s gain, and I feel he ticks a lot of boxes for what they want to add. He brings an experience of the division, and so will take little time to adjust. He has around 200 appearances ranging from the National League North to League Two. He can play wide or through the middle, and is a good age at 30; suitably battle-hardened, with room still to give.

Sterling-James is a Birmingham boy, and so this move would be sure to be of interest to Sterling-James as Tamworth is merely half-an-hour round the corner. He has failed to feature regularly for Ebbsfleet United and so would see signing for a newly-promoted side as perhaps a chance to get more minutes under his belt and play a more prominent role.

Marcus Dinanga

By far the most ambitious name on this list, but I am going to stick to my guns and say that The Lambs push the boat out for this one.

Tamworth need to add a goal scorer to their side, given that they have been able to win the league without a recognised, prolific front man. The Lambs are a fairly low-risk, high-margin side and strong defensively and so adding a prolific forward could well be the answer to ensuring they can be successful – or at the very least steady in mid-table – next season.

At the start of the season, this would have been a suggestion I would not have even entertained. And yet, as the season has gone on, the Heed forward has been used less and less by boss Rob Elliot and as such he is now the second choice option for Gateshead. And, with his contract up at the end of the year, I wouldn’t be surprised if he was moved on from The Heed during the close season.

If that is the case, he would most certainly fit the mould of being a “coup” for The Lambs up front. He may well have fallen out of favour with Gateshead, but there is no denying that on his day he is a good finisher and more than capable at National League level. He lives in Birmingham – I am led to believe – and so while he won’t be short of offers, this is the “game-changing” signing for me.