AFC Telford captain Ryan Valentine up for Luton

Valentine is aware that the Bucks will start as underdogs against Paul Buckle's fifth-placed Hatters, especially after their disappointing 3-1 FA Trophy defeat at lower-league King's Lynn last weekend.

But the former Wrexham defender believes Saturday's game could be exactly what the team needs as they aim to bounce back from that setback at the first opportunity.

He said: "We will be massive underdogs going into that game probably now because of the way we have played over the last couple of months.

"Some people will look at it and say it is a hard game, but it's probably what we need to be honest in a weird kind of way, a Luton, a Grimsby or a Newport, a top three or four side.

"It is probably a good game for us to bounce back and, as long as we go onto the pitch with an honesty and a desire from ourselves, then I think we can put in a much better performance.

"We owe it firstly to ourselves but then also to the fans, the club, the manager and everyone else connected to the club."

Telford will go into the game having only won one of their last 11 in all competitions, with no league win in their last seven games.

And Valentine admitted that the players needed to accept that recent performances had not been good enough.

He said: "It is time for a bit of honesty. We need to have a long, hard look at ourselves. It is 100 per cent down to us now.

"We haven't been good enough individually or collectively."