It was a game Rob Smith said they could not afford to lose, so victory was akin to lobbing a lit match into the promotion tinderbox. 

Defeat simply could not be contemplated as, even with 17 games to go, a nine-point deficit would have looked near insurmountable for the Bucks. 

See our photo gallery here and read the full story in today’s Shropshire Star

Instead, Danny Carey-Bertram’s penalty just moments before half-time has set the stage for a dramatic four-way race that threatens to go right to the wire. 

Tamworth may hold pole position for now, but just three points separate them from AFC Telford in fourth, with Gateshead and Southport bunched in between. 

The worry for boss Smith will be finding enough players to compete as injuries continue to threaten to derail this dramatic campaign. 

Liam Blakeman and Lee Moore were the latest two to limp off at The Lamb, and both are already seen as a big doubt for tomorrow night’s Setanta Shield tie at Barrow. 

They join an injury list that already includes the likes of Simon Forsdick, Carl Rodgers, Steve Jagielka and Andy Brown. 

Blakeman and Moore both went off in the second half on Saturday, the former Southport man going first after doing himself damage in a rash challenge on Alex Rodman. 

Moore followed soon after, heralding the return of Emeka Nwadike after three months away on loan at Hinckley. 

Tamworth simply never looked like restoring parity though, despite seeing their visitors suffer the double-injury setback. 

Indeed, the two best efforts of the second period were both from the boot of Telford new boy Mark Danks. 

The diminutive striker has signed a contract to the end of the season after leaving Southern League side Halesowen almost a fortnight ago. 

The move was completed late in the week, though Smith successfully kept it under wraps right up to kick-off in order to catch the league leaders unawares. 

Danks clearly has pace, energy and the easy confidence to try his luck from any angle or distance. 

That almost paid dividends just seconds after the re-start when he pounced on a loose ball outside the box and unleashed a fierce drive that keeper Danny Alcock could only parry. 

He also outpaced the defence to run onto a Carey-Bertram flick-on midway through the half and crack in a drive that Alcock again had to be alert to save. 

Danks also showed up well in the first half with a couple of decent crosses from the right, but it was the home side who were on top for most of the first half-hour. 

Former West Brom youngster Stuart Nicholson had been a flop in a loan spell as a striker at Shrewsbury last season, but gave Lee Vaughan a torrid time operating as a left-winger for the Lambs. 

On the other flank, Rodman made life difficult for stand-in left-back Danny Edwards – James Meredith was suspended – and the duo carved out a series of chances. 

Nicholson actually went closest with a header that beat Telford No 1 Ryan Young but came back off the base of the post. 

Tom Shaw, Bradley Pritchard and Mark Rawle also had decent opportunities early on and will surely rue having failed to make Young work harder to keep them out. 

It took the Bucks 34 minutes to even register a shot, that an Edwards free-kick after Blakeman had been the victim of an awful challenge that earned Dominic Langdon a yellow card. 

Soon after a woefully under-hit backpass by Chris Smith let Carey-Bertram in. He did the hard part by rounding Alcock but then inexplicably fired against the bar. 

The prolific marksman at least made amends minutes later from 12 yards, converting from the penalty spot after Langdon had handled Blakeman’s cross. 

The Tamworth man might have been lucky to avoid a second yellow card for that infringement, though the handball did not look deliberate and the spot-kick was surely punishment enough. 

Telford’s joy on the final whistle, following six minutes of injury-time, was understandable.

They welcome Tamworth back to the New Bucks Head on the final day of the season. With everything potentially at stake, that promises to be truly explosive.

By Chris Hudson