Gainsborough Trinity 1 AFC Telford United 3 - match analysis and pictures

It worked – but Watson is already starting to get a bit sick of having to tear into the team at the break for them to wake up and smell the coffee.

The half-time oranges have been bitter-sweet for the Bucks on far too many occasions. In only one of the five games played so far this season – on the opening day – have they led at the interval.

Teams seem to be put it all on the line against the title favourites and then fade after the break, after Watson has launched his rockets. And the Telford chief admits it cannot go on.

He said: "Gainsborough were on a hiding to nothing, having lost their first four games, but we know they were going to be young, keen and hungry with their new signings.

"We told the players one or two home truths at half-time. I think people are sick and tired of listening to excuses. For me, it looked like a few of them were going through the motions.

"That's not something we, as a management team, will ever have anyway."

The Bucks were breached by Liam Davis' opener but a penalty from Sean Clancy put them level, before strikes from Adam Farrell and captain Simon Grand sealed the win.

It was Telford who had first gone close to breaking the deadlock after just two minutes when defender Neill Byrne was found by Clancy's cross, but his connection was poor and he fired wide.

But the Bucks took a back-seat for the rest of the first half as Trinity attacked in their droves, with loan arrivals Conner Robinson and Rhys Oates leading the way.

Borrowed Barnsley attacker Oates nearly capitalised on a mix-up between Grand and goalkeeper Ryan Young, getting in-between the two to meet Josh Wilde's cross but heading wide.

Jonathan Williams also fired wide for Trinity while Dan Clayton headed into Young's hands and Oates blazed over, all within the first 15 minutes of the game.

Simon Russell forced another save from Young, low to his left, on 23 minutes before the first booking of the game when Trinity's Williams yellow-arded for hacking at the back of Alan Moogan's feet.

Trinity should have taken the lead on 37 minutes when Robinson, on loan from Lincoln City, put in an inviting cross that went behind the run of Clayton.

Russell picked up the loose ball and cut inside the defence to shoot, but the ball sailed over Young's far post and the opportunity was missed.

The warning was not heeded, however. The hosts finally broke the deadlock six minutes before the break when Davis was left unmarked from Williams' corner and headed over the dive of Young and into the far corner.

Telford threw on Charlie Barnett for Moogan at half-time and he made an instant impact, putting the ball over the top that forced defender Greg Young to haul down Andy Owens for a penalty.

Up stepped Clancy to send goalkeeper Phil Barnes the wrong way and haul the Bucks back into the game. The Trinity shot-stopper was then at fault for the second goal.

It came after Clancy had hacked substitute Ryan Williams' goal-bound effort off the line and the visitors are probably still wondering how they took the lead.

Clancy's free-kick from the left was headed downwards by Farrell at Barnes' near post and it squeezed through the goalkeeper's grasp and into the net to hand Bucks an unexpected gift.

With 10 minutes left, Telford put the result beyond doubt when skipper Grand gobbled up a rebound after Barnes had made a double save, first from Byrne and then from Clancy.

It was by no means a perfect performance but, ultimately, the result is all that matters.

But Telford are certainly not playing like champions, as Watson concedes.

He said: "I keep on telling them that it takes years to build up a reputation and weeks to lose it. And it's not the first time it has happened this season."

Not the first time, Watson admits, but it's actually the fourth. Even when they did lead against Workington on the opening day, they were maybe not the better side.

It was only at Boston in game two that The Bucks turned it on for the duration and that was only enough for a draw. Had they not performed, the home side would have hammered them.

Then at Gloucester City they went in level at the break having been pegged back by an equaliser, before snatching a winner and coming out on top.

Last Monday, at Solihull Moors, was probably the poorest half of football Watson's men have produced yet and they deserved to be losing at the interval. But they battled back to claim a point.

Heads were shaking at the break on Saturday as they chased down a goal deficit against, supposedly, the league's whipping boys who, in truth, were better than expected.

Now comes Harrogate this weekend, who scored three in four first-half minutes against Stockport on Saturday to establish an unassailable lead. Hatters boss Ian Bogie resigned after the game.

The Bucks may well be punished soon if they keep on forgetting that it's a 90-minute game. It may have been a decent start to the season, but the sluggish opening to games is a growing concern.

By Craig Birch