Premier stars on parade at Telford

AFC Telford's New Bucks Head ground could play host to the cream of the Premier League's international stars this season.

The reserve teams of champions Chelsea, Manchester United, big-spending Manchester City and Arsenal will all be in action at the Shropshire venue over the next seven months.

The four giants of the English game will be amongst 10 teams playing against Wolves' second string in the Barclays Reserve Premier League.

The Molineux club have a long-standing agreement to play many of their reserve matches at the home of the Blue Square North Bet club.

And Telford officials will be hoping for a repeat of 2004 when Steven Gerrard made his comeback from injury for Liverpool's reserves at the New Bucks Head, attracting a capacity crowd of almost 7,000 in the process.

"It sounds a really terrible thing to say but you are almost hoping that a big star gets injured and his comeback clashes with when the reserve team comes here," said AFC Telford United chairman Lee Carter.

"It happened with Steven Gerrard and it packed the place out.

"It gets considerable interest when you get a star like that but, even if that doesn't happen, the quality of football on show is unbelievable.

"Last season, we had Arsenal here and we had over 1,000 people at the game. All of them left thinking 'wow' at what they had just seen."

Carter believes the agreement displays the close relationship between AFC Telford and Wolves.

"It's great for us and there is a financial benefit through gate receipts and Wolves hire the facility from us," he said.

"But it shows that if we had to name our biggest friend in the family of football then it would be Wolves."

The first high-profile reserve team game at the New Bucks Head comes later this month when Newcastle will take on Wolves on Tuesday, September 28.