Shropshire Star

Young Town beat Bucks - Report and pictures

The Shropshire Senior Cup final was expected to be a confidence booster for AFC Telford United's beleaguered first-team.

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But it ended up being a great advert for Shrewsbury Town's youth squad as they comfortably defeated their older, more experienced foes 3-1 at the New Bucks Head.

Telford boss Steve Kittrick made seven changes from the side that started Saturday's 1-0 loss to Alfreton with fringe players Josh Hancock, Rod McDonald and Jordan Deacey all handed starts.

The Bucks, who lost Jack Rea to injury in the warm up, also had a new name on the bench in former Guiseley goalkeeper James Montgomery while Shrewsbury named first team midfielder James Caton in the starting XI.

Hancock had the game's first chance shooting wide from the edge of the box on three minutes.

But Caton struck the post for the visitors a minute later, albeit from a very tight angle, and McDonald almost put the ball into his own net on 12 minutes when he blocked Caton's cross to the near post. Jeff Watkins headed narrowly wide from the corner-kick on 13 minutes.

The Bucks were being overrun in the early going but Ross Dyer, on loan from Halifax, should have put them ahead on 18 minutes when he outpaced his marker before whipping his low drive just past the far post.

It proved a costly miss as Caton put Town ahead four minutes later, stabbing home Kaiman Anderson's cross from close range with the Buck'marking non-existent.

And Anderson should have made it 2-0 within a minute but he somehow swiped at air when Ginnelly's low cross found him with similarly luxurious space in the area.

But Dyer could have made it 1-1 at the other end with a close range effort which Shaun Rowley did well to turn away following a bout of penalty box pinball.

McDonald also had a powerful, goalbound header blocked following a a decent free-kick routine on the half hour mark.

But Caton had the ball in the net for the visitors again soon afterwards, with Telford spared by a linesman's flag.

It was a temporary reprieve as Ethan Jones doubled Town's lead in the 35th minute after Ginnelly had beaten the offside trap to put him one on one with Preston.

The game was slipping away from Telford but Mike Grogan halved the deficit with a powerful header from Danny Ventre's cross four minutes before half time.

But Ginnelly restored Shrewsbury's two goal buffer with a superb curling effort in stoppage time.

Preston was replaced by Montgomery at half time but his Town counterpart Rowley did well to parry a curling Dyer effort two minutes after the re-start.

He also had to be alert to deny Adam Farrell from close range a few minutes later but Montgomery did well to repel Ginnelly's low drive at the other end.

Deacey was not far away with a low drive 13 minutes from time as the Bucks tried to mount a late rally, and the home side saw two further efforts scrambled off the line. But there was to be no come back as the youngsters of Shrewsbury claimed the cup.

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