Shropshire Star

Five lessons from AFC Telford’s FA Trophy triumph

AFC Telford United beat Farsley Celtic in a 4-3 thriller to advance in the FA Trophy.

Published
Ellis Deeney battles for the ball in Saturday's win

Here, Jonny Drury goes over the game's talking points.

1 Andy Wycherley continues to improve in the Bucks goal, which is a bit strange to say considering Telford shipped three goals.

Andy Wycherley

But the young stopper and Telford fan is growing in confidence every game. He made two top saves from long-range efforts in the first half, and then came off his line quickly to shut down a Farsley chance.

His distribution has stood out since he dislodged Max Bramley earlier in the campaign. He is now more assured when dealing with crosses, and has made some vital stops in recent weeks.

2 Steph Morley came back into the Bucks side and he just gives them a bit more balance on the left flank.

Under the 3-5-2 formation Gavin Cowan has adopted, wing-backs Morley and Henry Cowans are almost two of the first names on the team sheet.

Steph Morley

They’ve both adapted to the roles well and Morley coming back into the fold allowed Ellis Deeney to go back into a more familiar position in the centre of midfield. And Morley’s deliveries – with his left foot from corners and free-kicks – are a big asset to have in the team.

3 Daniel Udoh has had a cracking season so far and scored his 14th of the campaign on Saturday.

Prior to scoring last week, he had scored just once in eight games, but he looked a bit more like the Udoh from earlier in the season against Farsley.

He linked the play up superbly well and was a constant threat to the Farsley backline. He made good runs in behind the defence, driving at the them and trying to stretch the game. Worked tirelessly and has got his goalscoring touch back at a key time of the season.

Daniel Udoh

4 If Saturday’s performance is anything to go by, Ryan Barnett has an exciting future ahead of him.

He is highly-rated back at parent club Shrewsbury Town and he showed why with a superb performance.

The youngster began as a No.10 before drifting wide and looked assured as he ran at players and made things happen for Telford.

Ryan Barnett

He got his rewards with a cracking strike in the second half. His pace helped late on too, driving out from the back as Farsley applied pressure. Creates a selection headache for Cowan now.

5 Gavin Cowan could have a midfield dilemma on his hands. For the majority of games this season, he has gone with two players in the centre of the park.

It was Ellis Deeney and James McQuilkin on Saturday, with the impressive Jon Royle dropped to the bench.

He came on late in the game, scored and helped the Bucks to see out the game.

All three bring different qualities to the midfield, but the system doesn’t really allow for all three to play so it is going to be interesting to see who misses out on Saturday at Chester.