Crunch time: AFC Telford have destiny in own hands

What's all the fuss about? AFC Telford United have their destiny in their own hands. A four-point cushion to Hayes & Yeading is effectively five given the gulf in goal difference, writes Alex James.

And with Hayes, on paper, having a much trickier run-in featuring games against three of the top 11 and two of the other relegation candidates, it's difficult to see Andy Sinton's men falling through the trap door.

But we all know football doesn't quite work like that.

Telford have only picked up one away win all season, and that was in August, so the odds are stacked against them collecting too many more points on their travels.

That leaves the games at home to Tamworth on Monday and Grimsby in the penultimate weekend of the season, as the best bets to collect the pair of wins which, in all likelihood, should prove to be enough.

Tomorrow's trip to Newport County, one of the sides level on points with the Bucks in a congested bottom third, is another of those 'must not lose' games. A draw is not a disaster, a win is a huge stepping-stone to survival.

Taking points off the other teams in and around you has the double whammy of building confidence, while damaging the opponents' belief.

But Newport, buoyed by booking a trip to Wembley in the FA Trophy Final and boasting a run of just one defeat in five, will certainly enter the game as favourites.

It would certainly be a perfect time to register that elusive victory on the road.

Enough of the negatives.

There are more than enough reasons for optimism.

Points on the board at this stage are crucial, and the Bucks have them.

Their form, while patchy, is not actually too bad – they have only lost three of the last 10 games.

On the field, Telford know how to handle pressure. We only have to look to last season's promotion-winning campaign to see that. You don't come up through the Blue Square North play-offs without having what it takes to not know when you are beaten.

That two-legged win over Nuneaton took nerves of steel while the memorable victory over Guisley when the Bucks were dead and buried with 11 minutes to go, showed the willingness to never accept defeat.

Yes it has been harder this season, of course it has, and at times the fans have become increasingly frustrated at what is perceived to be a negative style of play.

But ask anyone in the New Bucks Head when the season began back in August whether they would have taken the position Andy Sinton's men find themselves in now and they would have snapped your hand off.

Five points from the last five games will do it.

It is difficult to see Hayes picking up more than nine points of their own but we could spend all time working out the whys and wherefores brought about by plotting the results.

The only statistic that matters is finishing above that dotted line come the final whistle on April 28.

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