AFC Telford fielding two sides again at Bala
AFC Telford United manager Liam Watson will change all his outfield players at the break for the final time in pre-season at Bala Town.
The Bucks boss switched 10 at half-time for Saturday's 4-0 defeat at home to Blackburn Rovers, only goalkeeper Jonathan Hedge playing the full 90 minutes.
That will again be the case at the Welsh Premier League side tomorrow night, with Watson planning to give his personnel more minutes at Witton Albion on Saturday.
He said: "Blackburn put two sides out on Saturday and we were able to do the same. That will probably be the case again at Bala.
"In the next couple of weeks, we need to whittle that down and get 90 minutes into the players. That's what pre-season is for.
"I am thinking that we will build up to giving people an hour on Saturday. Ultimately, it's all focussed towards the first game of the season at Welling.
"But it was a great work-out, there wasn't a bad tackle in the game and it's just about fitness, at the minute. It was the first time we have had the balls out this summer.
"All of the training has been about running because, when we start the season, we have to be at our maximum. There's still a long way to go.
"That's what it was always going to be about this season, making sure we have got the legs. In the second half of the season, we want to be coming on strong."
The Blackburn friendly came about through the Telford management's friendship with Terry McPhillips, the assistant boss at Ewood Park.
All of Rovers' goals in the second-half with Leon Best breaking the deadlock, then setting up Ruben Rochina for two strikes before Jack O'Connell added a fourth.
Watson said: "We were never going to outplay them but we looked a lot more solid in the first-half, simply by holding a high defensive line.
"I think the strongest Blackburn team was the one that played the first-half, with the likes of Rudy Gestede and Jordan Rhodes.
"In the second-half, the two defenders dropped off and made the game stretched, which was when they murdered us. We didn't really offer anything.
"We made our own problems by letting them use their quality, instead of pressing and condensing play. You don't invite the pressure we did, so we only have ourselves to blame.
"I am not looking for Man of the Match displays, I just want people to be doing the right things out there. That will come with time."
