Carter wants a homecoming

Chairman Lee Carter today looked ahead to AFC Telford United’s third play-off campaign in four years and declared: “We want to go home.”

The Bucks won promotion through the play-offs in 2005 and again last year, but it would be elevation to the Blue Square Premier that would mean most.

Carter was an ordinary fan on the terraces when the old Telford United went bust in 2004.

And he admits it would be an emotional day for the new club to get back to the level of their predecessor.

“We want to get home as quickly as possible and it’s what we set out to do four years ago,” said Carter, who was at Burscough this afternoon for the last fixture of the regular Blue Square North campaign.

“This is the magic one and it’s the one we all dreamed about in 2004 - though we never imagined there would be a chance we could get there this quickly.

“The progress we’ve made is astonishing. If you take just two minutes to think about what we have achieved then it really is quite incredible.

“We’re delighted to be in this position and even if it doesn’t happen we have still done so well.

“There’s some really big clubs in the shake-up and we’ve got to beat two of them to do it, so it’s still a big challenge.”

Telford’s play-off campaign begins in the semi-finals on Wednesday evening, with the second leg on Sunday (3pm).

And should they come through that, the final is at Burton Albion’s Pirelli Stadium on Friday, May 9.

“From now the club will do what it does best - and that is to get the people behind us for the semi-finals,” added Carter.

“We want to keep it tight in the first game and then the support on the Sunday will be rocking.

“Whoever it is that we are playing, they will have to take on a whole football club and a whole town.”

By Chris Hudson