High-fliers AFC Telford are short on sympathy
AFC Telford United will be keeping a close eye on North Ferriby United's game in hand and the financial situation at Saturday's visitors Histon.
The Bucks will be knocked off the top, where they have spent 17 days, if North Ferriby take all three points away to Gainsborough Trinity tonight.
The Villagers kept up the pace by winning 3-0 on Saturday at Histon, who are due at the New Bucks Head this weekend in the Skrill Conference North.
The troubled visitors are in financial turmoil, taking away manager Brian Page's playing budget as the club need £40,000 to cover their remaining fixtures.
But Bucks boss Liam Watson won't let his side show any sentiment to the Stutes, as they chase promotion and the chance to extend their unbeaten run to nine games.
He said: "They will be tough but we have to keep on grinding out results, one game at a time. I know people say it's a cliché and it's probably a boring one, but it's true.
"There's no point in us looking any further than Histon. What happens to them is their business, we just need to go out and win the game.
"I would have thought they would finish the season, at this stage. They have a youth team and so on, so I can't see that being an issue.
"It's the economy, at the minute, so everyone is struggling. People can't find the money to go and watch matches.
"The Premier League has killed football and not enough comes down to the lower levels."
Telford went back top - for the second time this season - courtesy of a 4-2 victory at Vauxhall Motors, another North side to financially collapse last week.
Motors insist they can no longer afford to run a team in the second tier of non-league football and will resign from the division when the campaign is over.
They have now lost manager and former Telford defender Carl Macauley, too, after he left the club to become Steve Burr's assistant at Conference Premier side Chester.
Watson and his No 2 Dominic Morley have known Macauley ever since the three were players at Witton Albion in the 1990s and was full of respect before the two sides met.
Watson said then: "Carl has done a brilliant job, he's performing miracles. I am surprised and amazed he hasn't got a bigger job."
