Bradford Park Avenue v AFC Telford: Early-season six-pointer as the Bucks strive for safety

AFC Telford United and Bradford occupy 18th and 19th in National League North – and both are on nine points, three clear of bottom side Gloucester City.

With confirmation this week that just one side will be relegated this season, both sides view this as a big opportunity to ease their concerns for the time being.

“For both teams we’ll feel it’s a must-win game, to try to get some daylight,” said Greene, whose side follow the clash with Bradford with matches against promotion-chasing sides Kidderminster Harriers, AFC Fylde and Gateshead. “These games at the moment, albeit only 11 games in, they’re six-pointers, aren’t they?

“It’s a game we really want to win, because of the fixtures we’ve got after that, where potentially there might not be too many points coming from. We’re realists, we know we’re not where Kidderminster, Fylde and Gateshead are at present, so they will be really tough games and two of them are away from home.

“We do need some points against Bradford and we’ll be going there to try to get some.”

Bradford Park Avenue go into the game on the back of their second 5-1 defeat in three matches. They responded to their heavy lost at Kidderminster with a 2-1 win over Blyth Spartans, only to crash again at Alfreton Town last time out.

And Greene is wary of another response from tomorrow’s opponents.

“They lost 5-1 to Kidderminster three games ago but bounced back in an important game against Blyth, I watched the game and they won 2-1,” said the Bucks boss.

“They were not affected by that 5-1, they were able to bounce back, them losing 5-1 last week, they’ll probably feel they can bounce back again and we’ll be a team they’ll be looking at thinking they can beat. They’ve bounced back before, they haven’t done too badly at home on their plastic pitch, they’ve struggled more away.

“It’s not great when you don’t train or play on a plastic pitch, a lot of teams train on Astroturf which helps them when they come to these games but we’re always on grass, it’s a little false when you go to play on the Astroturf.”

Greene revealed the Bucks are to make a decision on a move for a loan striker target as he seeks more support in attack for Jason Oswell.

Arlen Birch (heel) and Brendon Daniels (quad) are unavailable again – despite closing in on a return to training – but Albion loanee Saul Shotton is available again after impressing on debut last time out.

“Saul’s debut was first class and that was on the back of recovering from Covid,” said Greene. “When I spoke to him afterwards, he said ‘yeah I really enjoyed it but I’m still not 100 per cent there’.

“So I thought well you’ll do for me if you play like that every week, never mind any better!”