AFC Telford left waiting on quiet date at Kettering

Boss Andy Sinton believes AFC Telford United must prove they can hold their nerve in the Blue Square Bet Premier survival race – if tomorrow's behind closed doors clash at Kettering goes ahead.

The build-up to tomorrow's showdown between two members of the bottom seven of the top-flight of non-League football has been over-shadowed by the decision not to allow supporters into Nene Park.

Kettering's failure to pay Northamptonshire Police, who are refusing to police the game, has led to the decision.

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That could be incidental should the game fail to beat the cold snap at a pitch inspection this afternoon.

But, despite the uncertainty created by the big freeze and the off-field drama, Sinton has prepared his side as normal – and is keen to see them show their mental strength in a pressure tie against a fellow struggler.

"It will be a tough game but we've got plenty of those coming up thick and fast," he said.

"It's all about who can keep their nerve, the teams that stay up will be the teams that can relax and perform.

"I really hope it's on because we don't want to be stuck with a real backlog of games.

"It's a big game, and an important game – to get three points against a side that is in and around us would be huge."

Telford beat the Poppies 3-1 at the New Bucks Head last month, but new manager Ashley Westwood – who has taken over from Mark Cooper – has since led the Northamptonshire side to two successive wins.

"They've had problems which are well-documented and they've lost a couple of players during the week but we can't let that affect us," added Sinton.

See also:

• Andy Brown on 24-hour stand-by for AFC Telford

• Cold snap could see off another game for AFC Telford