Durrell to take new role in stride

AFC Telford man-of-the-moment Elliott Durrell was today backed to take his sudden rise to first team prominence in his stride.

Durrell enjoyed the perfect debut on Tuesday when he turned in a man-of-the-match performance and bagged the winning goal in his side's extra time Setanta Shield victory over Solihull Moors.

Assistant manager Larry Chambers has insisted the 18-year-old has the ideal temperament to cope with with his quickfire elevation

"We always knew we had a good player in Elliott and felt this year was a learning curve where he would be in and around the squad, going on the bench and playing the odd game here and there," said Chambers.

"He did very well on Tuesday night - I don't know yet if he will play on Saturday but he has given us something to think about.

"The important thing is that people don't expect too much too soon and that Elliott keeps his feet on the ground. I'm confident he will do that because he's a level headed lad."

Meanwhile, striker Gary Birch will be back training with the Bucks tonight after his one month loan spell with Rushall Olympic was ended.

The former Walsall frontman signed off his short stint with the BGB Southern League Division One Midlands outfit with a goal in their 3-1 victory over Bishops Cleeve.

And Chambers has revealed he and manager Rob Smith plan talks with the experienced marksmen this evening.

"He has gone there and done reasonably well, got some football under his belt and scored four or five goals."

Telford's end of season fixture list has undergone a reshuffle following the decision to end the season a week earlier than originally planned. They now entertain Vauxhall Motors on April 22 and travel to this weekend's opponents Burscough on April 26.

By James Garrison