AFC Telford United 1-1 Boston - Report

With two games remaining, the Bucks hold a three-point lead over Guiseley, and also have a vastly superior goal difference. They’re not mathematically safe, and Carden won’t entertain thoughts that they are safe, insisting “We haven’t achieved anything yet”.

Neither side was content to settle for anything less than victory in what was a terrific advert for Step 2 football and, should the Bucks survive, the squad and spirit that Carden has built and nurtured bodes well for next season.

However, first things first.

Carden made a single change to his starting XI for this game, preferring Carl Baker over Byron Moore and sticking with a defensive pairing of Zak Lilly and Reiss McNally despite captain Jordan Piggott returning to full health.

That also meant a change of captain, with Piggott on the bench, and striker Jason Oswell took the armband. Already the Bucks top scorer, Oswell appeared to raise his game another notch with the responsibility; however, the same applied to every one of his teammates, who produced a collective performance that made it almost impossible to single out any one player.

The game started at a high tempo; it was probably for his composure that Carden selected his assistant manager Carl Baker, but in the 7th minute the 39 years old midfielder saw his poise desert him when Oswell hooked a left-wing cross to Baker, in space on the right of the penalty area. Baker shot past the right hand of keeper Marcus Dewhurst but also wide of the far post, a priceless opportunity spurned.

Oswell was busy making a nuisance of himself, going up against Boston skipper Luke Shiels, but despite the high energy start, chances remained scarce. The Bucks were almost caught out by a diagonal ball from Boston’s own half which put the impressive Paul Green in behind Ryan Burke on the Bucks left; as the Bucks recovered, Green stepped inside but his shot from the corner of the penalty area was too high, and went over the angle of post and crossbar to Luke Pilling’s right.

From a Pilgrims free-kick that brought no threat, the Bucks made ground quickly and when Oswell saw Dewhurst a little off his line, he took the shot on, clearing the crossbar from 25-30 yards out.

Although not completely against the run of play, Boston then took the lead, in the 21st minute. Left-back Brad Nicholson’s cross picked out the run of top scorer Danny Elliott, who had ghosted beyond an off-guard Bucks defence to steer a header past Pilling, low to his right.

It was a blow, and the pace of the game dropped as the Bucks steadied the ship and Boston looked to consolidate their advantage.

Just after the half-hour, the Bucks found a second wind and began to apply more pressure. Burke, who loves to join the attack, was located with a cross-field ball and moved into space before locating Devarn Green; he beat his full-back and from his cross, Brendon Daniels made a late run and although his contact wasn’t the best, his shot bounced up and had to be fingertipped over his bar by Dewhurst for a corner.

From the corner kick, plenty of Bucks bodies weighed in, and McNally had a shot blocked as the home side tried to force the ball in; however, a clash of heads involving Robbie Evans halted play.

Carden was spoken to by referee Darren Rogers, presumably for expressing some frustration at the officiating, and then came a moment that the Bucks exploited fully. Joe Leesley looked set to advance onto a ball into space, but James Melhado’s strides ate up the ground and his tackle not only denied Leesley but left him down injured. Leesley received treatment, and once on his feet clearly expressed a view that he felt Melhado should have been booked. It worked against Leesley, as he was booked for the words aimed at Mr Rogers, and minutes later he had to limp out of the action.

It was as Leesley was off the field being treated for second time that Melhado made use of the space that left to advance and strike a swerving shot at goal that Dewhurst beat away, just about tracking the ball’s movement through the air.

That brought a corner, and the Bucks once again committed bodies into the box, Lilly unable to turn the ball home as it bounced and ricocheted around. Boston counter-attacked and a missed tackle gave them a 4 against 2 advantage; however, Elliott wasted the opportunity, spurning his teammates to take a shot on and clearing the bar by some distance.

As the interval approached, the Bucks looked to have missed a great chance when Baker’s right-wing run and low cross was met by Green; with the ball behind him, Green tried to direct it past Dewhurst with his heel, and the keeper hung on to the ball low down. Carden’s side were not to be denied, however; In the third minute of added time, Daniels’ alertness saw him quickly take a free-kick to Baker, and this time his cross was right on the money, directed home by captain Oswell from a few yards out.

Deservedly level at the break, the Bucks had to be alert in the early minutes of the second half as Boston started strongly. Elliott lost a chance to cross when he dallied and Burke took the ball off him, and he and Pilling then had to combine to halt Green’s foray into the box. Pilling was soon busy again, beating away substitute Scott Duxbury’s shot as he overlapped, but the Bucks were soon to go closer still.

Green and Burke in tandem gave the latter a crossing chance, and when Liam Nolan met the ball at the far post his downward header came back off the base of the post. Boston hastily cleared the danger, giving away a corner, but almost rued that too; with the ball loose in the box, Oswell swivelled but got underneath the ball and rifled it over the bar from 8-10 yards.

The unrelenting commitment from both sides continued. Robbie Evans typified the Bucks’ desire, running and running and then running some more. As the teams geared up for a big push, Boston’s Femi Seriki, who really caught the eye, saw his effort to turn the ball home from an Elliott cross denied by Pilling, the keeper unflappable all afternoon.

The Bucks replaced Evans with Byron Moore and Boston brought on ex-Bradford City man James Hanson, and Moore helped to keep the Bucks attacking impetus. Pilling was down bravely to smother Nicholson’s dangerous low cross aimed for Hanson, and in the 79th minute the Bucks struck the frame of the goal when Moore did superbly to pick out Oswell with a cross; the striker, however, could only direct his header against Dewhurst’s right post, rather than find the gap between post and keeper.

Minutes later, Boston struck the bar, and it was substitute Hanson who did so, meeting a cross from the right with a downward header that bounced up and beat Pilling, but flicked off the top of the goalframe.

Play switched from end to end like a basketball game, and as the Bucks stood off Elliott he fired away a skidding, low shot that came close to taking a coat of paint off the outside of Pilling’s left post as it thudded against the advertising hoardings.

Hanson went close again with another towering header late on, Pilling and Lilly putting themselves in between the ball and goal, although an offside flag would have ruled it out.

A couple of stoppages in injury time killed any momentum for either side, and at the final whistle both sides shook hands and acknowledged doughty opponents. The point gained wasn’t truly what either side needed, and neither could truly have complained had the other won, meaning that for both, their quest for their goals extends into Bank Holiday Monday’s fixtures, and possibly a nerve-wracking final day.