AFC Telford chairman Lee Carter wants to push forward

AFC Telford United chairman Lee Carter is looking for the club to be more creative and insists that the Bucks have to become braver if they want to survive in the Blue Square Premier again next season.

But the Bucks supremo doesn't just mean on the field, he wants the club to become more forward-thinking away from the football pitch.

He said: "We need to get the focus back to doing what we do best, and that is being a positive, forward-thinking, brave football club.

"Even if we can't manage to beat every team in this league, we still need to bruise them and to that we need to raise our game and put a lot more effort in.

"I love my history and I point to the situation Lord Nelson was in at the Battle of Trafalgar.

"He had fewer ships than Napoleon but used his resources to great effect and won – that is what we have to do as a board, management team and as a group of players.

"We have made great strides off-the-field this season, with the way we have developed the five-a-side facilities and the changes we have made in terms of the organisation of the club.

"The board spend a huge amount of time being creative and coming up with ways to help the club grow and develop, while maintaining and enhancing the connection we have with the local community."

The Bucks operate as a supporter-owned club and that means, unlike the board of directors at most football clubs, Carter and his team can be held directly accountable by the supporters' trust. There is no doubt boss Andy Sinton and the playing squad felt the strain over the course of the season and Carter admits he did also.

The chairman added: "There is no doubt this has been a draining campaign for everyone involved with the football club and it has been quite stressful at times.

"The pressure doesn't really come so much from outside forces though, it comes more from a personal desire to do your best and the responsibility you feel being in charge of this great football club."