"I was very surprised with how they embraced me" - Telford star credits 'shock' off-field friendships with on-field success
Telford star Oliver Cawthorne has revealed he was shocked to forge friendships with two specific teammates so soon after joining the club last year.
The Venezuela-born defender signed for the club in March 2025 and went on to play a crucial role in helping the Bucks earn promotion to the National League North, as well as backing it up this term to keep his side in the hunt for a play-off position.
Despite Telford being his first experience of senior football in England, having previously played in Venezuela and Panama, Cawthorne took little time to settle into life at the SEAH Stadium, and the 24-year-old credited two fellow defenders, Orrin Pendley and Jordan Piggott, with helping him adjust to life in the UK as quickly as he did.
"Firstly both of them are top lads, and I think that's really important," Cawthorne said. "Normally when you join a new club it is the lads that play in the same position as you that are the coldest when meeting you, so I was very surprised with how they embraced me and how warm they were from the off.
"They really were friendly with me, and especially Orrin. He's been advising me since the day I started training with the club, he told me what things were like and what I should expect from games and opponents.
"Rather than teammates I'd consider both Jordan and Orrin very good friends, and I think that's helped our partnership on the pitch as well. It's all based on trust, especially in defence where you've got to limit your mistakes as much as you can.
"I'd trust both of those guys with my life, so it's been really good to play alongside such good guys and really good players that have given me the confidence to grow."
