AFC Telford must stop the Bloods’ flow, says boss Rob Edwards

A physical, well-organised outfit is what Bucks supporters may be anticipating ahead of tomorrow’s third qualifying round clash.

But Telford chief Edwards feels the Bloods’ stand-out quality is their passing – the Evo-Stik Northern League First Division North side try to ‘play in the right way’.

“We have had them watched and have had a report on them,” said Edwards.

“They are a good footballing team – they try to play an expansive game, play in the right way.

“They are not what a lot of people might expect to be honest.

“It will be a good test and we are looking forward to it.

“It is an opportunity for us to try to progress in the competition.

“We have to match their work-rate, that’s a given.

“No players up against you will roll over and let you through, no matter what league they are from.”

Droylsden are two divisions below the Bucks.

Telford have learned the hard way that lower league opposition are not to be overlooked though as Hereford recently knocked them out of the FA Cup – in the first round proper.

Making it to the first round of the Cup lifted the mood of fans, and Edwards is hoping for a fruitful run in the Trophy to do the same thing.

“You want to go into every game trying to win,” he said.

“The Trophy definitely is not a hindrance, we want to go into every game and try to win it.

“We want to go as deep into the competition as possible.”

Telford switched to a 3-5-2 system as they beat Tamworth 2-0 on Tuesday night.

Edwards may go with the same formation for this encounter and said: “We’ve got a couple of different ways of playing, which is good.

“We did that to match Tamworth and it’s something that we have up our sleeve if we need it.”

The Bucks could switch things around for this game.

Marcus Dinanga may be given a rest while the Jon Royle is back after serving a three-match ban for his red card in the 1-0 defeat at Hereford.

One man who will not be involved is midfielder Jack Rea, who has not played since August.

He recently had a steroid injection in his injured ankle and has been doing one-to-one sessions with physio Jake Roe.

Giving an update on his condition, Edwards said: “His ankle is looking good, he’s feeling better and stronger.

“There’s still no time frame on it though, as we need to make sure that when he comes back, he stays back.

“There’s no pressure on our side, he just needs to make sure he is OK and we’ll continue to help him in any way that we can.”

Ross White made his return from suspension in the Tamworth win and impressed.

On having him and Royle back, Edwards added: “It’s good to have them back, hopefully they have learnt their lesson as they are both very important players for us.”