Will Salmon insists AFC Telford will fight for a win

But the 26-year-old right-back believes the Bucks must put their 26-game winless run to the back of their minds when they take on fellow strugglers Lincoln City tomorrow.

Should they fail to beat the Imps, Telford will stretch that streak to 27 league games since the October 9 win at Dartford, setting an infamous new Conference Premier record for the division's longest winless run.

They equalled the record, set by AP Leamington in 1981-82, with Tuesday's 2-1 defeat at Macclesfield.

It is a statistic the players are very keen to avoid making, but Salmon insists that they must forget what has gone before once they step over the white line this weekend.

He said: "We can't reflect on it too much. As soon as you step onto that pitch and start playing you have just got to be totally focused on that game, but it will be in the back of our minds.

"We don't want to go down in the record books for having the longest winless streak in the Conference Premier.

"But as a player you can be on a five-game winless run or a 26-game winless run, it is still gutting and hurtful. We still walk off that pitch dejected but we are looking to rectify the situation."

Much has been said and written about the Bucks' unenviable form in recent weeks, but they will face opponents this weekend equally keen to take a huge step towards avoiding their own dismal record.

Lincoln will start the game two points adrift of safety inside the Blue Square Premier relegation zone following last weekend's 1-0 defeat at Nuneaton.

Should they remain there come the end of the season, it would see them drop to the lowest level of football in their 129-year history.

And while they remain one of the biggest names in the non-league's top-flight, their form is certainly that of relegation candidates.

Gary Simpson's team have won just two of their last 18 in all competitions and are second only to Telford at the bottom of the league's 12-match form table.

Lincoln City's board have branded their final eight games of the season the most important in the club's history.

With Telford 11 points adrift of safety and just six games left to play, the Bucks' fate looks far more predictable.

Salmon has not given up on survival but knows that, regardless of their fate at the end of the season, this game represents a good chance to experience a feeling for which everyone at the club has waited too long.

"That winning feeling is something I haven't felt in the league since October and it would also give the fans something to cheer about.

"It can't be easy turning up every week and watching what they have had to watch," he said.

"But we are not saying we are relegated until it is mathematically proven and we will go into the game with a fresh mind.

"Lincoln are down there for a reason. The pressure is on them. We are bottom of the league and they are free-falling.

"If we can go there and put a performance in, nine times out of 10 if you do that you get a result."

John Psaras should be able to call upon right-sided utility player Luke Hubbins, who has missed the last three games with a knee injury, and Dan Preston could be set for a return after missing the Macclesfield loss.

But Richard Davies (foot) and Jay Smith (knee) are not expected to be fit.