Telford aim for a quick response

The Jekyll & Hyde Bucks need to show some desire and fight at the home of the National North promotion-chasers, writes Lewis Cox.

It won’t be easy and the hosts will be short odds as favourites, but Telford will probably enjoy playing away from the New Bucks Head after some recent dark days at home.

Much brighter days have come on the road at Guiseley and Darlington.

It is difficult to comprehend the same team that rammed in seven goals in those fixtures capitulated so disastrously against Leamington in the FA Trophy.

Cowan’s men have faltered badly on home turf, possibly due to the rise in expectation from supporters given how impressive they were for much of last season.

But Bucks fans would be absolutely right in expecting far better than they have seen this term.

Telford have conceded 29 goals in 11 home games this season after beginning the campaign with back-to-back shutouts in front of their own fans.

That is not necessarily something new. As brilliant as they were last season, clean sheets were not a regularity.

The issue this term has been compounded by the sucker punch of losing club captain and stalwart Shane Sutton for such a period.

What is most jarring is that Telford felt they were on the right path following the dissection of the squad a couple of months ago.

Some improved performances and results looked to show performances against the likes of Chester, Nantwich and Blyth were behind them.

But the embarrassment against Leamington in a competition the club eyed a run in was as bleak as it gets and needs to be rock bottom for this season. This must be the beginning of a comeback.

Chester, third in the table but seven points behind second albeit with a game in hand, are in decent form and have lost just three of 19 league games this term.

Joint-managers Bernard Morley and Anthony Johnson will not take pity on their visitors in the light of the 5-0 drubbing.

“Telford have been beaten 5-0 at home but we won’t be reading anything into that and they will want a reaction and they watched us Saturday,” Morley said after the Blues beat step three Hednesford Town in their Trophy replay on Tuesday.

“We just need to make sure that we put a few wrongs from the second half (against Hednesford) right.”

Bucks skipper Ellis Deeney returns from his one-match suspension for the short trip while left-back Riccardo Calder, sent off on Tuesday, is expected to be available with his ban yet to kick in.

Telford are hopeful on forward Matty Stenson’s fitness, while the hour Sutton got under his belt against the Brakes was one positive from an extremely low evening.

n The Bucks will travel to Altrincham for their rescheduled National North clash on Tuesday, February 4 (7.45pm), which means Telford and Alty will do battle twice in four days.

Predicted line-up: Yates; Birch, Sutton, Streete, White; Walker, Deeney (c), McQuilkin, Barnett; Stenson, Dinanga.