Bucks in Wolves friendly after Farsley game off

AFC Telford United will tonight host a "strong" Wolves side in a hastily-arranged friendly - after their scheduled clash with crisis-hit Farsley Celtic was called off.

Farsley Celtic were due to visit the New Bucks Head for what would have been an important Blue Square North encounter this evening.

But the Yorkshire side, who started the season with a 10-point penalty for going into administration, have informed the league that they will not be fulfilling the fixture.

Celtic - having already survived one winding up order this season - look on the verge of liquidation after talks between the club's administrator and a consortium aiming to complete a takeover broke down.

Telford have acted quickly to fill the sudden gap in their fixture list, with Mick McCarthy's Wolves stepping up after their reserves clash with Portsmouth was postponed.

The game will kick-off at 7pm, with a flat entrance fee of £5 for adults, concessions and under-16s. Telford season ticket holders will be admitted free of charge.

"This has come out of the blue and the ramifications for us are huge because we stand to lose up to £10,000 out of our budget by having one home game less," said Bucks chairman Lee Carter.

"That is a massive blow, which is why we are so fortunate that Wolves have agreed to do this. We need to make the most out of it and get people down to support us."

Should Farsley Celtic's liquidation be confirmed, then it is likely that their Blue Square North points would be expunged from the record books.

That would not affect Telford's tally, as they lost 3-1 when they travelled to Farsley's Throstle Nest earlier in the season, but a number of their play-off rivals would lose between three and six points.

"Football is in the eye of a storm at the moment and I'm not sure anyone knows how to act," added Carter.

"It's a real mess, and good clubs like us are suffering as a result.

"Someone, somewhere, has got to get gold of this. If there are brains enough to put a World Cup bid together in this country, then there should be the brains to deal with this crisis in the grassroots game."

By CHRIS HUDSON