Pictures, analysis of Telford 1 Hednesford 3

Shrewsbury-born striker Elliott Durrell did start out at Hednesford Town, but switched to the youth ranks of the Bucks.

He played four first-team games but it never worked out for Durrell at Telford, who loaned him out to Rushall Olympic before letting him go altogether to rejoin the Pitmen in 2008.

It was Rob Smith, now Hednesford manager, who was Telford boss when Durrell left Shropshire and that decision hasn't turned out to be his biggest regret. In fact, it's been to his gain.

But how Telford came to curse that call on Saturday, as Durrell ran the show for league rivals Hednesford in a 3-1 win that dumped them out of the FA Cup at the first hurdle.

Some home fans probably couldn't believe it was the same player – they would remember him as a right-back who couldn't get into the team, with Lee Vaughan blocking his path.

But the 24-year-old is one of the most feared strikers in the Skrill Conference North and the league's top scorer added another two cup goals to his tally.

That's 14 and counting and he's exactly what Telford are missing – a striker in red-hot form who is scoring out of instinct, as well as luck. Everything Durrell touches is turning to gold, at the moment.

On the other side, Telford are creating chances but there's no Durrell to put them away. Adam Farrell and Tony Gray are trying, but their clinical edge seems to have escaped them lately.

A hatful of opportunities have gone begging for Liam Watson's side in the past two games, last Tuesday night's goalless draw at home to Worcester City in the league a tipping point.

Robbie Booth had to dig out a beauty to get them going on Saturday but Durrell scored two free-kicks in response, also setting up Aaron Rey for their second goal.

It was action straight from the off as Ryan Young was called into action in the home goal with less than a minute on the clock, parrying away Jamey Osborne's shot from outside the area.

Telford could have taken the lead with five minutes gone when Farrell got himself into a good position to meet Matthew McGinn's inviting corner, only to head a promising chance over the bar.

Young came to the rescue again on nine minutes to turn the ball aside for a corner, with the home defence sound asleep as Alex Melbourne's cross found Durrell completely unmarked in the box.

It was the Bucks who nearly broke the deadlock on 31 minutes when a looping ball into the box from McGinn caused havoc in the Hednesford defence.

Neill Byrne drew Dan Crane across to his near post and his header had the beating of the goalkeeper, but Darren Campion was on hand to clear off the line.

Hednesford rattled the woodwork three minutes before half-time through a free kick from former Telford winger Kris Taylor, which hit Young's left hand post.

The tie suddenly sprung into life after the break with a super strike from each side, Booth first doing the honours to break the deadlock for Telford in the 51st minute.

Picking up the ball outside of the area, he drew the challenge of Hednesford defender Ben Bailey before curling a beauty over Crane and into the far corner.

But whatever Booth could do, Durrell with the bit between his teeth could do better and just three minutes later, too, with a sweetly struck free-kick.

Up stepped the Pitmen hitman from just outside the box to hammer a low drive round the wall and into Young's far corner for the equaliser.

Telford ploughed forward in search of an equaliser, starting four minutes later when Charlie Barnett was found outside of the box to take a touch, but only blaze high and wide with his effort.

On 65 minutes, Barnett turned provider after Byrne nodded the ball into his path to lay it off to Gray advancing into the area but he, too, fired over the bar.

Byrne had gone into referee Jonathan Hunt's book for an off-the-ball incident a couple of minutes earlier and Hednesford had to clear their lines again on 68 from Barnett.

He whipped in a cross that was heading towards McGinn forcing Melbourne to intervene, nodding the ball behind for a corner when it could have gone anywhere.

Another chance went begging with 15 minutes left and it was a waste from Andy Owens, who was found in the middle by McGinn's cross but he went for power and nearly blazed it out of the ground.

Hednesford then grabbed the winner with 10 minutes to go, as Durrell turned provider by whacking a long ball into the box that a back-tracking Byrne should have got his head to.

Byrne mistimed his jump and ended up missing it completely, not realising an onside Rey was behind him who got his head to it and nodded it over Young and into the net.

But Byrne can consider himself hard done to when his shirt was tugged on 87 minutes by Campion, hauling him to the ground, with referee Hunt waving away penalty appeals.

Durrell was shining for Hednesford and Telford were undone by almost a carbon copy of this first goal with two minutes to go, from another free-kick just outside the box.

His second effort took a wicked deflection on the way in and dropped into the bottom of the far corner, to send the Bucks spinning out of the competition at the first hurdle.

Going out of the FA?Cup is one thing and an important point, every club hopes for a decent run, for the revenue alone, before you factor in the fame – of infamy – it can bring.

But there's a bigger picture here. While Telford are by no means a bad team, they leak goals at the back all too often and are now becoming shot-shy at the other end. Both will need to change.

By Craig Birch