AFC Telford v York City: Season doubts ahead of visit from high-flyers

The Bucks are set to host the Minstermen tomorrow while talk around the future of the National League season hots up, with Telford having voted to suspend it for three weeks, writes Lewis Cox.

Tomorrow’s home clash is definitely going ahead the league have stated – though today’s National League board meeting could throw up some much-needed answers regarding financial support and the season’s short and long-term future.

For Cowan, there is the considerable challenge of arresting his side’s slump in form while trying to block out the news surrounding the troubled campaign.

Challenges continue coming for the Bucks, who are six without a league win. Having faced high-flying Chester twice, and AFC Fylde, as well as a Curzon outfit boosted by the National League’s method of distributing funds, Telford welcome fourth-placed York.

Steve Watson’s side, who are due to finally leave their home of Bootham Crescent at the end of the month, have only played once this calendar year and their form is patchy – just a solitary league win in four and an FA Trophy exit.

For Cowan though, whose side trained at Lilleshall last night ahead of the clash, there is no option but to go on until they are told otherwise.

“There’s no alternatives (for us). The way the National League work, it’s the tortoise rather than the hare, so we will play against York tomorrow,” said Telford boss Cowan.

“The game will incur a lot more costs for the club while getting nothing in return, it’s a little like getting dressed in the dark.”

York added prolific National League North goalscorer Jason Gilchrist to their ranks this week, as well as fellow striker Gabby McGill, from Dunfermline.

Cowan, meanwhile, has another hamstring injury to contend with in midfielder Jack Byrne, joining Brendon Daniels and Henry Cowans in the treatment room.

Lee Vaughan serves the last of his three-match suspension and will be available for Tuesday’s rearranged trip to his former club Kidderminster – if the season is still ongoing at that stage.

New recruit Simon Lenighan becomes available again having served a ban accrued from his former club and could be required to make his Bucks bow.

Cowan added on the visitors: “It just shows the difference in where we are, to be able to go and sign two strikers of that qualities shows we’re in completely differently hemispheres.

“Credit to them, it’s not resent or bitter, maybe there’s a bit of envy in there, credit to them.”

In the light of the recent news that funding would be in loans rather than grants, Cowan explained that his playing budget has been further cut.

He added: “Our club can’t take on loans, we don’t have the budget and resources.

“The grants for the first three months were really well received, for us to continue our jobs, but it just isn’t sustainable with loans.

“It devalues the club, puts us in a position where we’ll have overheads we can’t fulfil.

“When I took the job we were holding quite a lot of debt, we’ve got to position where there’s not a massive amount and we can try to function year to year. But it would put us in an untenable position.

“We just want to get on with it, it’s the strangest season I’ve ever been involved in. We had to cut the budget again, the playing budget has been cut and managing, even initially it was nowhere near what we’re competing against.”