AFC Telford are relegated as John Psaras calls for show of pride
AFC Telford caretaker boss John Psaras has called on his relegated team to play out the season with "dignity and pride".
Psaras pointed the finger at former managers over fitness issues affecting his threadbare squad after the Bucks were condemned to relegation from the Blue Square Bet Premier following Saturday's 3-0 defeat to Nuneaton.
Telford travelled to play-off chasing Forest Green this afternoon looking to end a record winless league run that now stands at 28 games.
"We've just got to keep going," said Psaras. "I'm here until the end of the season. We've got to play out our games with dignity and pride. I've got to squeeze every last bit of energy out of the boys and see us over the line.
"It's not fair to say the players aren't listening to instructions – they are. But the reality is that we had six players out there who aren't fit for whatever reasons – previous managers discarding them, sending them away on loan and they've not been playing.
"When you have six players that have only played half a dozen games each – I'm looking at Michael Briscoe, Christian Smith, Craney has only played five games before he came here – it's hard for them to come in and boss games."
Psaras may be tempted to hand a maiden first-team start to James O'Neil, whose impressive cameo late on against Nuneaton.
"It's good that a youngster can come on and show some of the other guys what the passion is all about," said Psaras.
Meanwhile, former Bucks striker Andy Brown, who scored twice on Saturday, is "unsurprised" that his current boss, Nuneaton's Kevin Wilkin, has been linked to the Telford hot-seat.
"He's one of the best managers around at this level," said Brown, who previously joined Telford from Nuneaton in August 2008.
"What he's done for a part-time club like Nuneaton, with the budget and the constraints he's had is unbelievable. So it doesn't surprise me that he's been linked with the job at all."
Brown had mixed emotions after scoring two of the three goals that confirmed Telford's relegation, saying: "The ground's great, the facilities are great and the people are great. It's a shame to see Telford go down."
