AFC Telford United defender Gavin Cowan is out to make Shrewsbury Town pay the penalty in Saturday’s Shropshire Senior Cup final at the Prostar Stadium.

Cowan was in a Shrewsbury shirt when the sides last met in 2006, scoring the vital spot-kick in a shoot-out at the New Bucks Head to ensure the cup remained with the men in blue-and-amber.

It is a moment that he has been reminded of frequently since joining the Bucks – though he went some way to earning redemption by repeating the trick for Telford in the final of the Setanta Shield against Forest Green last season.

Now he wants to help inflict defeat on his former paymasters by bringing the Senior Cup back to Telford for the first time since 1993.

“It’s a local derby and it’s a big one for the Telford fans, so we’ve got to go there on Saturday and try to put on a good show,” he declared.

“I’ve always said I’d try to make up for what happened last time and I like to think the Setanta penalty has done that to some extent.

“I know what I did, but it’s gone now. I’ve fond memories of my time at Shrewsbury but I’m a Telford player now and I want to go and win that game.”

Cowan places no special emphasis on playing against his former club, and insists he is only interested in doing a god job for everyone connected with the Bucks.

“It’s not a massive thing for me,” he added. “It will be nice to play at the new ground but I’ve got nothing to prove to Shrewsbury.

“The only people I have to prove anything to, are the Telford fans and the manager and the chairman here.”

The 28-year-old has featured in both of the Bucks’ two pre-season friendlies so far and has been pleased with the progress the side is making.

“At this stage last year we were still getting to know each other and still trying to work out each other’s games,” he said.

“But we’re obviously a year on and I think that’s paying dividends. We’re looking pretty sharp at the minute.”

By CHRIS HUDSON