AFC Telford 1 Stalybridge Celtic 0 - match report

If you can keep your head when all about you, Are losing theirs...

The opening to Rudyard Kipling's timeless poem 'If' has long been used as a sporting metaphor and extracts hang over the entrance to the Centre Court at Wimbledon.

Those famous words also neatly sum up AFC Telford United's impressive pursuit of the Blue Square Bet North title.

This was a scrappy victory owing as much to the inability of visitors Stalybridge Celtic to break them down as it did to their own quality.­

But, as news came through of defeats for Nuneaton and Boston and - critically - a shock home draw for Alfreton, it felt like the most precious three points of the season.

Suddenly, the Bucks have a three-point lead and Alfreton, even with three games in hand, find themselves under serious pressure.

There was little to excite the home fans in the first half, though Stalybridge - for all their possession - created just one clear opening.

That came on 37 minutes when Phil Marsh latched on to a defence-splitting pass from Adam Kay.

His well-struck shot was heading for the bottom corner but Ryan Young threw himself right to pull off a spectacular diving save.

By contrast, the hosts could have gone in front after just 12 seconds, Phil Trainer pulling a shot just inches wide of the target.

Greg Mills, Andy Brown and Adam Proudlock also went close inside the first half hour as the Bucks continued to carry a more potent threat.

Proudlock has been in decent form of late and his game has just been missing the flurry of goals that marked his early days in a Telford shirt.

But his afternoon came to a premature end this time, a hamstring injury leading to the introduction of Alex Meechan from the substitutes' bench after just 36 minutes.

Meechan had been on the pitch a matter of seconds when Young pulled off that stunning save and over-lapping full-back Andy McWilliams also fired into the side netting just moments later as Stalybridge grew in confidence.

But, against the run of play, the Bucks scored what would prove to be the only goal of the game a minute before the break.

It came from a Will Salmon throw-in on the right that broke to the lively Jon Adams. His powerful strike from close range was parried by Celtic keeper Jan Budtz but looped to Brown, who artfully headed through the eye of a needle to find the gaping net.

Telford looked comfortable throughout most of the second period, with Stalybridge apparently incapable of creating clear opportunities.

The closest they came to levelling the scores came via the head of skipper Rhys Meynell - a defender who actually joined the Bucks a couple of years ago, only to leave for Chester City without playing a game.

Meynell's header off a Kay corner took a deflection off a Telford man but fortunately dropped straight to Young.

The Bucks had two good chances to double their lead and enjoy a more relaxed finish to the game.

The first came 20 minutes from time when Budtz narrowly beat Meechan to a long pass but the ball broke kindly for Brown, who side-footed wide from the edge of the box.

Meechan, a man who has not been blessed with luck in front of goal this season, then went even closer four minutes from time with a header that came back off the post.

In the end it mattered not, as the home side saw the game out to extend their unbeaten league run to 11 games.

The scramble for the finish line is on - and AFC Telford United are the team with forward momentum.

Match analysis by Chris Hudson