Comment: Is something special happening at AFC Telford?

In the summer fans would have been happy with a mid-table spot, and on the face of it the management staff are happy with a top-half finish.

But the credentials being shown at the moment tell a different story. They are credentials shown by promotion-winning sides, writes Jonny Drury.

They aren’t being shown all the time, but Telford have shown enough in their latest run to make them outside contenders to sneak in the back door of the promotion party.

Last season the Bucks began well under the leadership of Rob Edwards, but then things started to fade in November and they never recovered.

But this side is different, they are playing some top drawer football for National North and have both strength and depth. They are winning when they are dominant and when they aren’t churning out the best of performances.

And they seem to have a togetherness both on the turf and on the terraces, and the second part of that is half the battle.

It all seemed to begin with some shrewd business in the summer.

Six of the summer additions were in the starting line-up as the Bucks left FC United of Manchester with all three points on Saturday. Near enough all the summer additions have made an impact so far.

Daniel Udoh has proved the most fruitful addition with his firepower, but the likes of James McQuilkin, Steph Morley, Darryl Knights and Theo Streete have added big contributions to this Telford side brimming with confidence.

Gavin Cowan now has a well-oiled machine that has shown they are capable of taking on anyone in this division.

That was underlined by a point against Chorley that could well have been three, the dominance shown against Boston and the ease at which they kept Saturday’s hosts at bay.

There are other signs apart from strength in depth and togetherness that underline that the Bucks might be onto something this season.They have been able to switch between systems and been able to make it work.

The early season diamond showed promise before Cowan and his backroom staff switched to a 3-5-2, which gave so much joy to the wide players like Morley and Henry Cowans.

The side has been able to switch between systems mid game, to go and get the result and I am sure they have more in the way of tactical changes up their sleeves to help them through the campaign.

One other change from last season’s side, and arguably the most important, is the experience.

There was a lot of young potential in last year’s squad and at times it came to the forefront. But, more often than not, the lack of experience was there for all to see.

But this time it is different, there is experienced non-league heads like Streete who have been added to the squad, and they are benefiting the Bucks no end.

When the fans turn up to home games they expect three points and on the road they expect a result.

The quick rise in expectations can sometimes be a bad thing, but it can also be a good thing because it shows how far the side has come in a short period.

And the fans have a right to expect after what they have already seen this season.