In-demand defender Lee Vaughan today gave AFC Telford United a major boost by declaring: “I want to remain at this club for years to come.”

The 22-year-old is expected to feature for the Bucks at Barrow tonight as they look to book a place in the final of the Setanta Shield.

Right-back Vaughan has earned rave reviews this season, with manager Rob Smith admitting Nottingham Forest and Mansfield are among the clubs monitoring his star asset.

Smith is keen to tie the player down to a new two-year contract but Vaughan insists he is in no hurry to move on.

“We’ll talk about it in the summer but, first and foremost, let’s get promoted and let’s try and win a cup,” he said.

“I don’t worry about the contract stuff too much and I don’t think the manager does either. We just want to be successful and all that will sort itself out in the summer.

“I love it at this club. I love wearing the Telford shirt and hopefully I’ll be here for a few years to come yet.”

The Setanta Shield has been seen by many fans as the poor relation of Telford’s season, with the challenge for the Blue Square North title and the prospect of a Wembley final in the FA Trophy to the forefront.

But former Walsall ace Vaughan insists no-one in the side is thinking about anything other than maintaining their winning form.

“For me it’s another game and we want to win it just to keep the run going more than anything,” he said.

“It’s not about the Setanta Shield being a great cup, it’s just about keeping the ball rolling.

“We’ll certainly be giving it our all to go through. We’ve got a lot of games coming up but one more is not going to hurt us.”

Vaughan’s contribution to Telford’s Trophy dream will be restricted at the semi-final stage as he is suspended for the first leg at home to York City on March 14.

That came about as a result of his red card in the quarter-final win over Southport following a clash with Kevin Leadbetter, who was only booked for his part in the incident.

“It’s been hard to take and that sending off really affected me,” said Vaughan. “If the referee thinks we were both fighting then he should have sent us both off.

“It was obviously their gameplan to get at me and stupidly I reacted

“My record’s been so good this season so I felt like I let people down.

“It was so nerve-wracking having to watch the second half. I know what it’s like to be a Telford fan now and it’s not good for your health.”

By CHRIS HUDSON