AFC Telford 4 Leamington 1 - Report and pictures

After Colby Bishop had stunned the Bucks crowd on four minutes, the hosts turned the game on its head and led 16 minutes later.

Brendon Daniels fired in another stunner following his Boxing Day heroics, before Amari Morgan-Smith dispatched a penalty after being upended in the box.

The victory was all but secured 11 minutes from time as Morgan-Smith scored his third in three outings.

Leamington lost both Connor Gudger and Jamie Hood to straight red cards as tempers flared in stoppage time, before Daniel Udoh stroked home a fourth with the last kick of the game.

Gavin Cowan opted for just the one change to the side that dispatched of Nuneaton with ease on Boxing Day, and it was an enforced one.

Dom Smith was recalled as captain Shane Sutton served his one match ban following a red card at Chester.

The boss opted for his tried and trusted 3-5-2 again, but with a more attack minded approach with Ryan Barnett and Daniels again preferred to the almost ever present Henry Cowans and Steph Morley in the wide areas.

Boxing Day's win had stopped the rot of three straight defeats, and Cowan would have been hoping that his Bucks could use that as a spring board to go on another run.

Leamington on the other hand had other ideas, and took their first opportunity of the afternoon.

A corner from former Buck Kieran Dunbar found Bishop who peeled into space, and the unmarked striker had time to flick the ball goal wards and it trickled over the line.

It was one of the simplest goals you will see at the New Bucks Head this season, and was sure to have left the Bucks boss seething.

After that awful start though Telford did settle as Theo Streete volleyed over, before Daniels cooked up his second Christmas cracker in as many games.

Ellis Deeney's free kick bounced around before dropping to the winger, whose shot rose up and cannoned in off the underside of the bar, via goalkeeper Tony Breeden's finger tips.

Daniels has well and truly announced himself to the Bucks fans now, and they will be hoping his loan spell is extended longer than just the initial month from Port Vale.

Dunbar had a fierce effort blocked at the other end, before the Bucks had turned the game on its head by the 20th minute mark.

Udoh won the knock down from a long ball, allowing Morgan-Smith to burst into the box but he was upended and a spot kick was awarded.

The striker dusted himself down and despite Breeden going the right way, the penalty had too much on it.

The game was as they say end to end, as seconds after the goal the Bucks hooked one off their own line.

Bishop turned in the box and beat Wycherley from a narrow angle but Daniels got back to scramble it clear.

Daniels had a shot blocked at the other end, before another former buck Jordan Murphy lashed wide for the Brakes.

The 3-5-2 formation has been tried and trusted for Cowan and his side, and despite no change in sytem in this one, they seemed to be playing a lot more freedom going forward.

Daniels and Barnett offered more attack minded options out side, and when the Bucks broke they were flooding into dangerous and advanced positions.

After a bit of a lull in proceedings towards the break, the action sprung back into life in stoppage time as Leamington were lucky to go in just the one behind.

Morgan-Smith chased down a lost cause and it cannoned into the box, with Darryl Knights' deflected effort hooked off the line by the back peddling keeper Bredden. Then from the next phase of play Morgan-Smith's header was nestling in the corner, but James Mace's touch turned it wide.

Udoh went close after the break from a narrowly angle, with Bishop lashing over for the Brakes.

Breeden then got down well on the hour mark to keep his side in the game, as Udoh lashed a knock down goal wards with the keeper's right hand keeping it out.

Barnett was coming into the game more down the right, producing a couple of dangerous crosses as the Bucks went in search of the goal that would probably kill the game off.

The Brakes were unbeaten in seven league games coming into this one, and so they were always going to pose a threat.

They showed their attacking prowess 20 minutes from time and were close to drawing level.

Murphy broke with pace and squared for Jack Edwards, but the striker's placed effort looped up into Andy Wycherley's hands.

Udoh glanced wide for the Bucks, before the woodwork prevented Deeney from what would have been a well deserved goal.

The skipper for the afternoon had put in a stellar display in the centre of the park, and 15 minutes from time he saw a curling shot rattle the upright.

Five minutes later and that elusive third that had evaded them so far finally arrived.

Barnett held off his marker on the left and got to the byline before firing in a low cross, that Morgan-Smith turned into the corner.

Within seconds Wycherley produced a top stop to keep out Bishop's header, before Reece Flanagan flashed a shot just past the post.

The afternoon turned from bad to worse from the Brakes on 90 mimites as Gudger was awarded a straight red card, for a late tackle on substitute James McQuilkin.

The points were now gone for the visitors but the drama wasn't as the ten men became nine when Jamie Hood was dismissed after going in late on Deeney.

And there was time for more goals, as a long ball was squared by Morgan-Smith for his strike partner Udoh who slotted home to make it a very happy end to the year for the Bucks.

Key moments

4 - GOAL - The first attack for any side and the Brakes lead. Kieran Dunbar's neat corner routine finds Colby Bishop, who has acres of space in the box to flick the ball goal wards. It trickles over the line to give the visitors an early lead.

12 - GOAL - Brendon Daniels does not score tap ins. Ellis Deeney's looping free kick isn't cleared by Leamington and falls to the winger. He takes a touch before lashing a shot that rises up, touches the keeper's gloves and flies in off the underside of the cross bar.

20 - PENALTY - Daniel Udoh wins the knock down and Amari Morgan-Smith bursts into the box and is brought down, with referee Lewis Smith pointing to the spot. Morgan-Smith dusts himself down, gets back up and slots his spot kick home.

45 - CHANCES - First the keeper does superbly well to hook Darryl Knight's deflected effort to safety, after the ball pin-balled around the Leamington area. Then from the next phase of play, Morgan-Smith met a cross and his header was heading into the net, but James Mace got the faintest of touches to turn it wide.

74 - POST - After a quick break a cross comes to Deeney, who shifts the ball to his left and curls a shot that strikes the upright.

79 - GOAL - A throw in on the left finds its way to Ryan Barnett who holds off his man well and fires in a low cross. Morgan-Smith is there to meet it from eight yards and fire into the corner to seal the victory.

90 - RED CARD - Connor Gudger makes the long walk back to the dressing rooms after a late tackle on James McQuilkin.

90+4 - ANOTHER RED CARD - The pot has boiled over now. Jamie Hood walks for a nasty tackle on Deeney, before booting a bin on his way down the tunnel.

90+5 - GOAL - A long ball is squared by Morgan-Smith into the path of Udoh who stroke the ball into the net.

Teams

AFC Telford United (3-5-2) - Wycherley, White, Smith, Streete, Deeney, Royle, Daniels (Morley 68), Barnett (McQuilkin 86), Knights (Cowans 76), Udoh, Morgan-Smith

Subs not used - Brown, Barnes-Homer

Leamington (4-2-3-1) - Breeden, Gudger, Kane, Mace, English (Hood 58), Dunbar (Obeng 66), Clarke (Gittings 73), Flanagan, Murphy, Edwards, Bishop

Subs not used - Bowen, Taylor

Attendance - 1,196

Referee - Lewis Smith