Steve Akrigg: Telford can't lose six pointers

And skipper Steve Akrigg insists the Bucks must not add Welling United to that unenviable list tonight if they are to kick-start their flagging Conference Premier survival bid.

Akrigg feels the team should take extra belief that they can win their battle against the drop from Sunday's FA Cup heroics against Bristol City.

But the team, which is rock bottom of the table, can afford no more false dawns against their fellow strugglers in the second half of the season.

Akrigg said: "It certainly should give us a bit of belief we can stay up. We have probably said that a couple of times and then come unstuck against the teams around us though.

"We should take encouragement that we can raise our game and we need to start doing it more."

He added: "Obviously Bristol City are top of League One, they are no mugs, but I didn't think they threatened us an awful lot.

"Hedgey (goalkeeper Jonathan Hedge) has made a couple of really good saves to keep us in it but we had chances ourselves.

"I can't fault any of the lads and to lose 1-0 in the 92nd minute to a side top of League One, there's not a lot you can complain about really.

"But it is a different proposition tonight. The result is all important.

"Welling are just outside the relegation zone and it is important that we beat them and close that gap because we haven't done it against the teams around us.

"We have lost a lot of games against the teams around us and it is important we get three points and claw them back in."

Asked why the Bucks have consistently fallen short against their main relegation rivals, Akrigg said: "I don't know whether it is a case of us raising our game against the bigger sides, like we did on Sunday or underestimating the teams around us, or whether it is down to our style suiting (against) the higher-placed sides but not the teams in and around us.

"It could be either one to be honest, but it is important that we raise our game against the teams near us."

Telford can take encouragement from their last meeting with The Wings, which took place on the opening day of the season.

The Bucks had both Mike Phenix, now of Barnsley, and Godfrey Poku sent off for two bookings midway through on that occasion but still emerged with a 1-1 draw.

And Akrigg said: "I thought it was a game we should have won and if we had done then things might have gone differently from there.

"Obviously we got two sent off and even then we managed to get a draw which was great at the time.

"But they have since picked up a lot more points than us so they must have something there and we will need to raise our game."

With the game coming just two days after the Bucks' gruelling trip to Ashton Gate, manager Liam Watson has warned he will make changes this evening.

Goalkeeper Freddy Hall, defender Kyle Brownhill and midfielder Karl Ledsham, who were all cup-tied, are available again.

And Akrigg said: "Obviously there will be a few tired legs but we have just got to get through that in order to get three points. The only thing we can do in the 23 games we have left is push on and get as many points as possible."