ALL eyes will be on Tamworth as they look to pull off one of the biggest upsets in FA Cup history against Tottenham.
And striker Dan Creaney knows his late father will look down on him with great pride.
The Lambs legend, 30, suffered the tragic loss in September 2022 when his football-mad dad Jimmy suffered a cardiac arrest in the club's car park.
It happened shortly after watching Creaney open the scoring in a 2-1 win over Basford Town.
Despite the best efforts of Tamworth's physio and three passing fans, he later died in hospital with his son by his side.
Creaney promised to finish as Tamworth's top scorer that season and kept his word.
Incredibly, he equaled Erling Haaland's 40 goals in his debut season for Manchester City – and dedicated them to the memory of his father.
He donated his target bonus of £1,000 to the four people who came to Jimmy's aid.
Now, as he prepares for the biggest game of his career, Creaney said: 'Dad will definitely look down on me when I play Tottenham.
“We've been traveling since I was five. We became even closer when my father started coaching my teams when I was eight, through to the age of 16, for Stockingford AA.
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“Back then I won the local cup final at The Lamb when it was still a grass pitch.
“When I progressed to senior football, my dad would drive everywhere to watch, from Ipswich to Hartlepool, on his own.
“He certainly wouldn't miss Sunday, and he'll be up there looking over me.”
Creaney's thoughts will be with his beloved father when the team coach stops at The Lamb ahead of Tottenham's visit – and he bravely recalled that fateful September evening.
Creaney revealed: “We played Basford and won 2-1. I scored early, they equalized and then Ty Deacon scored a winner in the 95th minute.
“Some guys asked me if I thought it was the nature of the game [dad’s death] but I don't think it was. I had watched him struggle with his health for a year or two.
“He was only in his 50s but had an earlier episode and the doctor told him how long he had to live – six years – and that turned out to be a blow.
“I even had a drink with him after the match. We said our goodbyes and he then walked around to where his car was parked in the parking lot.
“Then he called me to say, 'I need your help in the parking lot.'
“I couldn't really hear him because he was slurring his words and I thought his car battery was dead or something.
DAD TRIBUTE
“So I walked around the side of the ground to see my dad being given CPR.
“With the help of some nice people we managed to get him to hospital, he was still alive, but it didn't help.
“To be honest, it was long expected. So even though it was shocking, I had imagined in my head what could happen.
“In a way I was prepared for it. I was just relieved that my sisters weren't there and that I was alone.
“It was the perfect way in some ways. Dad wanted to leave quickly, he just didn't want to have to deal with growing old and all that.
“He saw me play football that evening, something he loved to do.
“There's never a nice way, right? But it is the way he would have wanted it.”
Jimmy would be proud of what his son has achieved, from humble beginnings as a midfielder at Bedworth United, before blossoming into a feared National League striker.
Coalville signed the Nuneaton-born, late developer before Tamworth came to him in July 2019.
Creaney, who is a bricklayer by week, has scored 93 goals in 177 games for the Staffordshire minnows – including that amazing 40-goal run in honor of his father.
And he explained: “I made a vow to dedicate all the goals I scored that season to him.
“I just wanted to keep playing, even though it was difficult.
“Scoring made me feel like I was giving something back to all the people who were trying to help.
“And I was proud to give my target bonus of £1,000 that season to those four special people racing alongside my father, just to say thank you.
“Haaland also scored 40 goals that season, but Macaulay Langstaff beat us both with 42 goals for Notts County!”
Now Creaney is looking forward to testing himself against the mighty Tottenham – just 96 PLACES above Tamworth on the football ladder.
He will be cheered on by his mother Linda, footballing sister Zoe, who plays for Oxford United Women, and his other sister Kirsty.
Creaney added: “Look, it's Tottenham Hotspur and we could easily lose 7-0 – like we did at Barnet this season.
“But I really believe that if we can get half an hour without conceding a goal, we can keep the score low.
“These games don't come around often, so we should give it a try.”
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