Early penalty paves the way for AFC Telford - match analysis

Yes, this was a mauling where Telford's class shone through – but for large parts of the first half it was hard to tell which team were in the higher division in this FA Trophy encounter.

Scarborough boss Rudy Funk (possibly the best name in football) said the penalty decision changed the game and it was difficult to disagree.

The visitors, backed by vocal support from the seaside town, started the game with a much higher tempo as they sought to get at the Bucks from the outset.

That was no surprise as Scarborough had billed this clash as "the biggest cup game in their history".

Telford struggled to settle into any pattern of play. The only threat posed was to any low-flying seagulls that had followed the away contingent to Shropshire.

Watson's brief to his team was obvious: Get it up to Adam Farrell to flick on. But it was clear the long ball game wasn't working.

However, it was Farrell who was involved in the game's opening goal which from a decision that even the most hardened Telford fan would question. Scarborough skipper Paul Foot appeared to pull off a legitimate challenge on the No.9, so cue bemusement when referee Robert Ellis put his whistle to his lips to blow for a penalty.

Sean Clancy was quick to grab the ball and coolly slotted his spot-kick into the bottom left-hand corner, sending keeper Jason White the wrong way.

This didn't faze the Seadogs whose midfield, marshalled by former Birmingham City star Bryan Hughes, snapped into the challenges.

But despite that tenacity it was a gift from the Bucks which nearly gave the Evo-Stik First Division South outfit a way back into the match.

Mike Grogan was caught in possession on the edge of his own area; the impressive Peter Davidson nicked the ball and charged into the 18-yard-box. He seemed ready to strike, but the unwanted intervention of Gary Bradshaw triggered an offside flag. It was a massive let-off for the home side.

This seemed to wake the Bucks from their slumber, but it was to get worse for Grogan before it got better.

First he fired over from six yards out on 38 minutes after a flick from Farrell, then the ginger-haired midfielder headed against the post just minutes later.

But his perseverance was to pay off – and it came at the perfect time for the hosts.

Clancy, buzzing from his penalty conversion, delivered a delicious ball to the back post that was begging to be finished.

Grogan obliged and headed in from close range to double Telford's lead on 44 minutes.

Both sides were out early for the second half but it was Telford who were the faster out the blocks as they raced into a 3-0 lead.

Sean Cooke brought the best out of keeper White, who tipped over a left-footed effort. But the shot-stopper let a corner slip through his grasp and man-of-the-match Grogan was there to force the ball over the line and effectively end the game as a contest.

Scarborough's heads dropped and Telford's chests pushed out as they threw off the shackles of tension to play some neat football.

Nothing summed them up better than Farrell's Goal of the Season contender on 55 minutes.

Used as a target man in the first half the striker showed his ability on the deck too.

He took one touch on the angle of the area before letting rip with a rocket of a drive that beat White all ends up and crashed into the net off the bar.

It meant the Telford man had scored for the third consecutive match – and now the rest of the side wanted to get in on the action.

Substitute Mike Phenix, who replaced Farrell, nearly made it 5-0 on 68 minutes. He was set free down the left, before drifting into the area but saw his effort strike White's near post before bouncing away. Cooke's cheeky chip on the follow-up ended up on the roof of the net.

Charlie Barnett somehow didn't get on the scoresheet either when his shot struck keeper, bar and keeper again before going behind for a corner.

Telford stopper Ryan Young would have been thankful he was wearing gloves on what was a chilly November afternoon. He was called into action on 75 minutes when Scarborough's Matty Plummer rose to meet a corner but Young, a spectator for most of the game, was sharply down to his right to turn the ball around the post.

Then began a frantic final five minutes at New Bucks Head.

Skipper Simon Grand had spoken in the week about his dream of taking Telford to Wembley and typically the centre-half led by example.

On 85 minutes Grand exposed more frailties in the visitors' backline and was on hand to scramb le the ball home to extend the Bucks' lead to five without reply.

Minutes later Tony Gray, who had to endure a frustrating afternoon, was brought down inside the penalty area by Andrew Milne.

Referee Ellis awarded his second spot- kick of the game and reached into his back pocket to flash the red card at Milne to finish off a miserable afternoon for the defender.

Gray picked himself up, dusted himself off and fired home from the spot to seal a ruthless second-half display from Watson's side.

Next up for the Bucks will be Barrow at Holker Street and it will need the Telford who showed up in the second half for the Bucks to continue any promotion push.

For full match pictures, see Saturday's match report here