AFC Telford v Boston: Bucks in good shape says Gavin Cowan

Cowan thinks the Bucks have been dominant in each of their last three games, writes Joe Edwards.

A 2-1 win over York City was followed up with 1-1 draws against Hereford and Alfreton – and the Telford chief insists they should be on to a winner if they perform in a similar manner tomorrow.

“We are back to the form we showed throughout August,” said Cowan.

“We’ve drawn the last two games but we’ve been dominant.

“The last three performances are probably the best we’ve had this season.

“In terms of the manner of the performances and how we’ve approached the games, I couldn’t have asked for any more.

“We’ve just got to add that finishing touch to turn the strong performances into wins.”

In each of those three matches, the Bucks lined up in a 3-5-2 formation, with midfielder-by-trade Henry Cowans shining as a right-wing back and Jon Royle proving his worth in a defensive midfield role.

Cowan has praised his squad for excelling in the system – but that does not necessarily mean he will stick with it.

“We’ve got a versatile squad,” said Cowan.

“We haven’t had the biggest budget to work with so we had to bring in players who could play in a number of positions and they’ve adjusted to this system.

“That formation is where are at now but we can go back to a diamond if we want, or a 4-4-2 which we’ve played as well.

“The key is not being limited to a certain formation.

“We’re not and that makes it harder for the opposition to prepare for us as we have the ability to change things around.”

Boston visit the New Bucks Head with an away record of four wins, a draw and three losses.

They are seventh in National League North – one place above Telford, on goal difference.

The Bucks won this fixture 2-1 last campaign.

It was an entertaining encounter on Non-League Day, with all the goals coming in the first half.

Skipper Shane Sutton opened the scoring for the hosts before his own goal, leaving Anthony Dwyer to grab the spotlight with a sumptuous long ranger, which ended up being his final strike for the club.

On Craig Elliott’s Pilgrims, Cowan added: “I’ve seen a bit of them, doing as much homework as I can.

“They’re a very dogged team, they put in a lot of work, so it will be a tough one.

“They’re a team who could well have play-off ambitions but the main concern for me is making sure we prepare right and show what we’re all about.”

Telford go into the game with no fresh injury worries.

Striker-turned-defender Zak Lilly is likely to miss out again after taken a hefty knock his hip against York though.

Top scorer Daniel Udoh is serving a one-match ban.