Smith backs Bucks to deal with big loss

Boss Rob Smith is backing AFC Telford United's centre-backs to rise to the challenge after losing skipper Stuart Whitehead for up to three months.

A precautionary scan on Whitehead's injured left knee unveiled an unexpected snapped ligament - and that means the 32-year-old will be out for eight to 12 weeks.

Click here for our AFC Telford United v Hucknall photo gallery

But Smith is confident they can maintain their current good form without him - and was heartened by Saturday's 5-0 win at Hucknall Town.

"The scan shows Stuart has snapped a medial ligament and that's quite serious," revealed Smith, who had previously expected to have his captain back within a fortnight.

"He'll be out for a couple of months in the best case scenario and it could be 12 weeks.

"I'm not going to try and hide the fact that losing Stu is massive but, having said that, we've got good options.

"There's not many better defenders around than Indy Khela or Jimmy Turner so we can cope and we have to get on with it.

"Indy Khela is one of my all-time favourite non-League footballers. I've got all the faith in the world in him, and always will have."

Khela was on target on Saturday, along with Carl Rodgers, Terry Fearns, Lee Moore and Danny Carey-Bertram.

And Smith was delighted with the way his side made light work of the division's bottom club.

"It was a professional performance," he said. "You have to view these games as potential banana skins but we're like a machine at the moment.

"Whatever we ask the lads to do, they're doing."

Moore's second half goal was enough to take him to the top of the new club's all-time goal charts. His 33 from 95 appearances since joining for £5,000 from Tamworth has eclipsed Kyle Perry's tally of 32.