Hit for six: AFC Telford are the April Fools - match analysis and pictures

The Manager of the Month curse struck for Bucks boss Liam Watson, as his March accolade was soon forgotten by an horrific display.

The joke was on his players and Mike Grogan, in particular, when a dubious penalty turned an uphill struggle into a mountain to climb.

Watson defended his men, putting the defeat down to a bad day at the office – one which would have left most tempted to ring in sick the next day.

Notions of returning to the top of the Skrill Conference North were rendered a distant memory, yet Telford are still only a point behind leaders North Ferriby.

The Lions led 2-0 at the interval, through goals by Danny Ellis and Gavin Rothery, but really mauled the Bucks in the second half.

A highly-contested spot-kick converted by Rothery extended the home side's lead straight after the break before Adam Boyes made it 4-0.

Telford super-sub Mike Phenix pulled a goal back but Watson's side conceded two more, Alex Johnson netting twice to shatter the visitors' unbeaten run.

With nothing in the game just after the half-hour, Guiseley suddenly went ahead in the 32nd minute from a set-piece.

The Bucks' back-line stood static as Wayne Brooksby's cross came into the box and centre-back Ellis rose highest to direct his header past goalkeeper Ryan Young.

A setback became a real problem in the 38th minute when Rothery got away from Wes Baynes on his left-hand side.

He advanced into the box and fired a bullet shot past the leg of defender Neill Byrne and Young's dive, the ball slamming into the top-left corner.

Adam Farrell blazed over Telford's best chance of a reply before the break, when they headed down the tunnel to regroup for the second-half.

Controversy followed just three minutes after the re-start when referee Andrew Miller pointed to the spot, adjudging Grogan to have pulled Brooksby's shirt inside the box.

The assistant referee had originally flagged for a corner and was ignored despite Grogan's furious protests, handing Rothery the chance of his second goal.

He fired past the outstretched hands of Young, who had guessed right by diving left, to effectively settle the game as a contest.

Things went from bad to worse in the 53rd minute when Boyes was set free on the edge of the box to go one-on-one with Young, who had left his area.

All the Bucks' No.1 could do was close the gap and the Guiseley striker saw him coming, taking his time to slot the ball past the goalkeeper and into the bottom-right corner.

Half-time substitute Phenix, netting his sixth goal from the bench this season, put a shell-shocked Telford on the board in the 69th minute.

He was left unmarked in the centre as Shaun Whalley picked him out with a cross; Phenix set himself and directed a low header to the left of keeper Steven Drench.

All eyes were on the referee again a minute later when Whalley went down under pressure from Guiseley captain Andy Holdsworth. The official booked the on-loan winger for diving.

Any lingering hopes of adding some respectability to the scoreline vanished in the 74th minute when Johnson seized on a loose ball to fire home.

His second goal with a minute to go rounded off Telford's miserabe evening as he finished at the far post after being picked out by substitute Kevin Holsgrove's left-wing cross.

By Craig Birch