Paul Carden reveals AFC Telford final day survival plan
Paul Carden has revealed how he kept his AFC Telford players calm on survival D-Day – by banishing his staff from the dressing room.
The Bucks finally ensured they retained their National League North status on the final day on Saturday with a nerve-shredding 1-1 home draw against York at a busy New Bucks Head.
Telford’s lead, through Keaton Ward, was cancelled out with 15 minutes to go and York needed just one more goal to relegate Carden’s men – until Alfreton turned it around against Guiseley in the dying stages, meaning the Lions were finally sent down.
Carden revealed to the Shropshire Star he noticed a nervous energy in his staff ahead of kick-off and told colleagues to leave the players to themselves.
“I had a meeting with the staff before the game, I’ve never done it before, I pulled them in to say ‘listen, we play the smallest part, but everyone’s running around like blue-a***d flies’,” Carden said.
“That was the staff, and I don’t want that in the dressing room, I said, so I don’t want you in the dressing room.
“I told the physio to stay in his room, the analyst to stay out the way, Tom the goalkeeper coach to potter about, the kitman to stay in his room unless anyone wants him.
“Because it’s hard as staff when a lot of it’s out your control, but things you can control is how you’re seen and come across. I just didn’t want that nervousness from the staff to be in the dressing room.
“I just felt it was important to stay out the way, leave the lads to their own devices, most have played in big games before, and I’m sure they’ll handle it and they did that.”
A boosted attendance of 2,621 fans, with a few hundred travelling York fans, saw Carden’s men hold on to a point to finally finish third-bottom of National North, two points clear – and with a far superior goal difference – of the dreaded bottom spot.
Chairman Andy Pryce watched on with new major shareholder and investor Walter Gleeson, the millionaire co-founder of music retail giants Music Magpie, who came on boars with Telford in January.
“There are emotions going everywhere, relief has got to be up there,” said Pryce. “Since Paul’s come in he’s given us that belief and today we just needed one last push and, to be fair, every single lad in that squad – not just the XI – has given us everything.
“We got our 16th draw, we didn’t want anymore draws, but one’s just taken us over the line. It was unbelievable.
“We weren’t in a very good place when Paul came in and he’s given the whole place a lift, a buzz, a belief.
“Not just to the fans, but mainly the players. It’s taken a while to get his settled squad and he got that and it’s got us over that line.
“Today we’ve had 2,600 and something fans in here, the atmosphere was unbelievable and it just shows what we can do next year, we’ve got something to go from, let’s push on with this club.”
Gleeson, who lives near Bridgnorth, said: “Relieved is probably the understatement of the day.
“I’m really feeling quite positive and looking forward to next season now and supporting Andy and the club in whatever way I can to try to push on and not have a relegation battle next season – I don’t think my nerves can stand it!
“It was one of those games where you’re kicking the ball with the players, it was fantastic and I really appreciate the hard work in digging out that point to stay up.”
Gleeson added: “As soon as I came and met Andy, Steve (Pryce) and Ian (Dosser) they explained what they wanted to do with the club, the vision, straight away I wanted to be involved to support them in any way I can.
“There are some really exciting projects going off the pitch to secure the future of the club, which is the main aim initially, and then hopefully we can start pushing on the pitch as well as developing the off-field activities.”
