Storming win as AFC Telford march on - analysis and pictures

Players, officials, fans and the press gang alike agreed Saturday's Skrill Conference North fixture was played out in the worst weather they had ever seen during a match. Seeing really was believing.

That made what was already a potential banana skin twice as slippery against the manager-less league strugglers, who had player-coach Gavin Skelton on the bench in caretaker charge.

And it was a game where nothing less than a win would do for Telford as Brackley Town, Hednesford twice and Boston United complete 2013 for Liam Watson's side.

But cometh the hour, cometh Russell Benjamin, as the midfielder marked his recall to the starting line-up with the only goal of the game.

Benjamin's first competitive strike for the club in the first half proved enough to see off the home side, who lost substitute Alberto Saidi to a straight red card after the break.

Telford took to the field, which was already struggling with the elements, in an all-new third kit of yellow shirts to avoid a clash with the Workington Reds.

It was a lesson learned from the Bonfire Night clash at Brackley, where they had to borrow the host club's away shirts as they couldn't wear their red-and-blue change strip.

Like that night, a battling 1-1 draw, this was one of their better days on the road and it came in twice-as-difficult circumstances. Three points will probably never be more hard earned.

Slipping on the turf was commonplace, but no-one was falling out quite as much as Workington defender Valter Fernandes.

His error with just two minutes gone allowed Sean Clancy to break free on the left wing and fire in a shot low across the face of goal, which was pushed away by home goalkeeper Joel Dixon.

Clancy went close again in the 12th minute with defender David Lynch making the save, sliding in for a saving tackle that deflected his wind-assisted shot wide of the post.

But there was no stopping the strike that gave the smattering of Telford fans and officials something to cheer about, Benjamin's weather-assisted goal on 16 minutes.

After five games out with a knee injury, the 22-year-old had started like a house on fire after wisely trying his luck from outside of the box.

As the away side had won the toss and gone with the wind, the elements were with Benjamin's shot from 25 yards.

It was low with added drive and too fast for Lynch to see in time, his dive in vain as it crept into his near corner.

Buoyed by the breakthrough, Telford looked to make the most of their advantage with the elements and it nearly led to Workington defender Dan Wordsworth putting through his own net.

Tony Gray had tried his luck moments after the goal from outside the box and, while low and relatively tame, Lynch still needed two attempts to get the ball safely into his grasp.

The visitors again broke at speed in the 19th minute with Clancy again released on the left, by a long ball from the back pinged forward by captain Simon Grand.

Clancy's cross was heading for Tony Gray so Wordsworth had to intervene, with a header that could have gone anywhere. Fortunately for him, it was wide of his own goal.

Another error from Valter Fernandes on 23 minutes allowed Gray to advance on goal and he danced past defenders looking to pull the trigger, but Jonny Wright got the tackle in just in time.

Matthew McGinn fired over the bar seven minutes before the break after he was put into a space by a defence-splitting pass from Charlie Barnett, acting as playmaker in the worse of circumstances.

Telford had to defend against the howling gale and rain when play resumed for the second-half, making it twice as difficult for goalkeeper Ryan Young.

There was even a worry that the decision on winning the toss could backfire, as conditions got worse rather than better as the match wore on.

Young had barely touched the ball in the first-half and realised what he was up against on 53 minutes, when his goal kick got stuck in the wind and went straight to Scott Allison, who fired over.

But the Bucks' No 1 still managed to produce two super saves, within seconds of each other, to keep his side in the lead.

Just before the hour, Saidi's fierce drive from distance was pushed wide by two strong hands from Young, before he was called into action again from the ensuing corner.

Ben McKenna's ball in again fell to Saidi, who went for goal with a cheeky back-heel but was denied by the shot-stopper's feet. The Workington replacement then went from potential hero to villain.

A challenge from McGinn in the 71st minute out wide sparked a mass melee and a furious reaction from Saidi, who raised his hands to push him in the chest.

Referee Graeme Fyvie sent him off for it and that gave Telford a huge helping hand, as the Portuguese ace was the one real threat Workington could call upon, despite spending all of 16 minutes on the pitch.

The Bucks had replaced their own strikeforce with Andy Owens and Adam Farrell in place of Tony Gray and full debutant Mat Bailey, but the onus was now on defending.

Allison couldn't find the target with a shot wide as Telford scrambled to clear a corner with 12 minutes left, as it was backs-to-the-wall stuff in the closing stages.

It was Young to the rescue again in stoppage time to tip over substitute Conor Tinnion's dipping effort from the left wing, as Telford held on for the victory.