Droylsden v Bucks - match report

With 10 goals, the Bucks have scored as many in five days as they did in the previous 12 Blue Square North fixtures going back to the end of October.

At Droylsden on Saturday, they faced hosts who had to play more than an hour with 10 men after Kevin Leadbetter had been sent off for a late challenge on skipper Lee Vaughan.

They also scored three dramatic late goals that gave the final scoreline a gloss that did not really reflect the overall game.

Yet that will make little difference to the massive injection of confidence they will take from a big victory against an in-form side challenging for promotion.

"I knew it was going to be hard, but I thought the game plan worked," said boss Rob Smith.

"It was like one of our old performances. There was a lot of heart and spirit, and when we scored you could see all the players going up to one another."

The Bucks actually played some of their best football before Droylsden were reduced to 10 men.

Ragged

Lining up with an aggressive attacking formation, they really took the game to their hosts and fully merited the lead they established.

Phil Trainer never seems to score tap-ins, and he drilled in the first with a blistering finish from the edge of the box.

Droylsden, who had looked ragged and disorganised at the back, then lost Leadbetter in the 20th minute as he slid in late on Vaughan.

There is history between those two, with the Telford man actually getting his marching orders last season for grappling with Leadbetter - then a Southport player - in an FA Trophy tie.

This time it was Vaughan who stayed on to try and help his side take advantage.

And they did just that, winning a penalty just three minutes later as Lee Roche climbed all over the lively Steve Thompson in the box.

Andy Brown had missed a spot-kick at Southport only last month, but made no mistake this time with a crisp drive into the bottom corner.

At that stage a massacre seemed on the cards, but the Bloods showed why they are promotion contenders as they re-grouped and clawed a way back into the game.

They got one as Tony Gray netted with a header that took a big deflection off unfortunate Adam Dugdale.

And they might even have gone in level at the break but for a smart save from Telford keeper Ryan Young to deny the experienced Neil Sorvel.

The second half continued in a similar vein, with Droylsden enjoying plenty of the ball - though the disciplined Telford defence did not afford them many sights of goal.

Even when it did, Young proved up to the task as he showed why he is one of the best shot-stoppers at this level.

Droylsden thought they had scored when Gray turned Shane Killock inside out and fired goalwards, but Young stuck an arm out to divert the ball - which hit the underside of the bar and bounced down just inches in play before being hoofed to safety.

The alert keeper then made another save to keep out Gray's 30-yard free-kick before getting to his feet to block Roche's effort on the rebound.

That knocked the stuffing out of Droylsden, who visibly tired for their exertions - and Telford took advantage with ruthless glee.

Screamers

Jon Adams made the points safe a minute from time as he turned in substitute Kevin O'Connor's cross.

And the five minutes of extra-time elevated the Bucks into dreamland, as Trainer and Brown both scored screamers to take their personal tallies to two each and the Bucks to five.

"The game was in the balance for a long time and I actually thought we were better against 11 than we were against 10" said an honest Smith.

"It's a massive win for us," added a jubilant Trainer, who now has seven goals this season.

"Hopefully this can kick-start our season and we can get to where we should rightfully be - in the play-offs."

By Chris Hudson