AFC Telford's Andy Owens geared up for Brackley Town
Striker Andy Owens wants to stay off the bottom of the class in the Bucks' car school – and wind one of his mates up by scoring another goal against him!
The tall AFC?Telford forward shares a car with winger Sean Clancy and midfielders Mike Grogan and Russell Benjamin to training and matches from their respective homes in Liverpool.
In the goal charts, six-hitter Clancy leads the way, while Grogan has five. Owens was ahead of Benjamin through his solitary strike at tomorrow's visitors Brackley Town.
It was a long-time coming for the 24-year-old, who opened his account in Telford's 13th game of the Skrill Conference North season, only to later go off with a groin injury.
He had just 11 minutes to cherish his strike before making way, with just 29 on the clock. But he cherished leaving friend Billy Turley red-faced, who was keeping goal for Brackley.
That strike, at least, gave Owens bragging rights over a barren Benjamin for the next month-and-a-half. That was until he, too, got off the mark in last weekend's 1-0 at Workington.
Owens said: "Hopefully, I can get back into the team for the next couple of games and get some goals, as I am trying to hold my own in our car school that goes to training.
"I am with Sean, 'Grogs' and Russell, who has caught up with me now after scoring the other day, but we have been saying it was an own goal, despite what he thinks!
"I have been concentrating on catching up with the rest, which I want to do as soon as possible. I haven't scored at home yet, so what a buzz that would be for me.
"The last game at Brackley was so frustrating but the goal gave me confidence, particularly against Billy Turley, who was the goalkeeping coach when I was at Mansfield.
"I took a bit of extra pleasure in that, winding him up a bit! After the game, he said to me it's a good job I went off, because he wouldn't have been happy if I scored again."
Versatility may have hindered rather than helped Owens' case this season, having been used at left-back and on the wing at various stages of the season.
The former Liverpool youngster also has experience at centre-back and in midfield from his previous clubs, while he has climbed off the bench for the Bucks on occasion.
He was a second-half substitute at Workington after Benjamin's wind-assisted first-half strike sail into the net, as rain and a howling gale battered Borough Park in Cumbria.
It was only when he got onto the pitch himself that Owens realised how bad the conditions were. Nothing at the New Bucks Head tomorrow is likely to compare.
He said: "I don't think you will ever get a game of football played in worse conditions than that. We keep giving our goalkeeper, Ryan Young, stick about his goal kicks.
"I watched him boot the ball. It went straight up in the air, got stuck in the wind as we were all wrestling for it, but it landed on the edge of our box!"
