Duane Courtney sets sights on AFC Telford reunion

Former AFC Telford United defender Duane Courtney is relishing the chance to line up against his old club in Monday's derby at Tamworth, admitting: "I nearly came back."

Courtney is hoping to shrug off an ankle injury in order to be able to skipper the Lambs in the Bank Holiday clash.

It would be the first time the 26-year-old has lined up against Telford – who were this afternoon playing host to Newport County – since moving to Burnley in a club record £27,000 deal back in August 2005.

But he revealed today how he tried to engineer a move back to the Bucks after leaving The New Saints in 2009.

"I wanted to come back to Telford and I spoke to the manager at the time (Rob Smith) but I didn't get an opportunity to do so," he revealed.

"I finally ended up signing for Kidderminster Harriers so it didn't work out so badly for me."

Courtney left Harriers to join York but had a solitary season at Bootham Crescent before joining Tamworth this summer – where he was promptly named as club captain by boss Marcus Law.

But he is yet to feature in a Blue Square Bet Premier fixture due to a niggling ankle injury – though he hopes he may be fit in time for Monday's match.

"I just rolled my ankle and it's been constantly giving me gip," he said.

"But I'm on my way back and I'm hoping to be available for the Telford game, we'll just have to see how it goes.

"It's a fixture I was looking forward to playing in, and I hope I make it.

"Telford will always be a special club to me because it's where I got started and I got my move to Burnley from there.

"I loved the fans and the atmosphere – it was a stepping stone for me and I had some good times there.

"I've followed their results and they have done so well to get back in the Conference."