Midfielder Phil Trainer has been hailed by AFC Telford United’s management after firing them to a first victory in five games.

The on-loan Oxford man scored twice last night to wrap up a 2-0 victory at a wind-swept Hinckley United.

That result, after four consecutive defeats, was a much-needed boost – and assistant manager Larry Chambers was quick to hail the return to form of Trainer.

“Phil’s not had the best of times since he joined us and he’s been in and out of the side because of being cup-tied, which doesn’t help,” he said.

“But I think he’s proved in the last couple of games that he’s a quality footballer, and his two strikes last night were quality finishes.

“The header was really strong in the first half and we pushed him up front for the last 10 minutes and he’s put one in with his right foot – his wrong foot.

“It’s great when you’ve got players like that in the side who can score goals.”

“It was a difficult game and the conditions weren’t great, but I thought we defended superbly in the second half,” said the Telford No 2.

“We didn’t make as much of the wind as we should have done in the first half, and if you can see that when you compare the number of corners they had in the second half to our tally in the first half.

The match also marked the debut of striker Ricky Sappleton, who has joined on loan for the rest of the season from Leicester City.

The 19-year-old had a quiet game but Chambers is backing him to come good over the next few weeks. It was the first time Ricky has met the players,” he added. “I think he found the conditions difficult, as everyone did, and there’s more to come.

“He’ll be better for the game and he’ll play again on Thursday against Barrow (in the Setanta Shield).