Paul Carden: No Telford panic button...yet
AFC Telford United manager Paul Carden is refusing to hit the panic button as his side look for a route off the foot of the table.
The Bucks are five points adrift of safety at the bottom of National League North ahead of crunch back-to-back Saturday home clashes against Darlington and Bradford Park Avenue.
One of their Achilles heels this season has been shipping goals. Telford have kept just two clean sheets in 20 league games – during their two victories, including one on the opening day.
The Bucks have struggled for shut-outs for a couple of years now and fans are keen to see defensive reinforcements. Boss Carden, who is looking for his first league win in charge, says he has a clear focus.
“People from afar might look at it and think ‘where do they go from here?’” Carden said after his side lost 4-1 at leaders Gateshead on Tuesday. “But I’m certainly not thinking that way, I know what we’ve got to do and how we’ve got to improve. I know where we need to strengthen and that’s always in my mind, we’re working on it.”
Carden has signed versatile defender Jordan Piggott on loan and he the Solihull stopper played at right-back on Tuesday with Arlen Birch out for the foreseeable future, but the boss is still searching for centre-half recruits.
Long-serving duo Theo Streete and Zak Lilly played in the heart of defence on Tuesday.
Carden said of the challenge for a leaky backline to keep clean sheets: “No it’s not (easy) and that comes with work, it’s comes with players’ understanding of what you’re asking because everyone asks different things of their players.
“When it comes to the defensive side of it and keeping clean sheets – it’s as a team.
“Obviously there’s individuals in defence who are going to be scrutinised more, but we need to address it as a team and not just one person on his own.”
Carden added on his search for defenders: “We’ve got Ross White as our only other defender, we do need to strengthen that area.
“If they’re available and better than what we’ve got then we need to bring them in to help us.
“I’m looking, constantly, my phone’s always buzzing or ringing because people know what we’re looking for.
“Even on the phone at 1 or 2 o’clock after Gateshead, I’m sending messages out as reminders of what we’re looking for and needing, to clubs as well as people I know.
“Because situations change all the time, different people come available at all times, you’ve got to make sure you remind as many as you can you’re searching.”
