Bucks sign off at home with a determined display

Just one more game remains before Kevin Wilkin can begin an overhaul of his squad, and while it may be too late for some of those players to change Wilkin’s mind, they applied themselves to the task of trying to reward their fans with a victory.

Wilkin’s side already knew their fate, but the visitors, managed by former Manchester United and West Bromwich Albion midfielder Jonathan Greening, arrived still needing points to retain a grip on a play-off place.

The visiting fans were in a party mood, some 200 or so of them, many in fancy dress. However, the Bucks’ performance had them watching nervously until they took the lead in the 73rd minute, only to be pegged back within 10 minutes.

Wilkin made three changes to his starting XI, with Robbie Evans and Liam Nolan injured. Luke Rowe and Kai Williams returned, and Brad Bood started at left-back, with Brendon Daniels dropping to the bench.

The first half was evenly contested, even if the two sides went about their business in contrasting styles. The Bucks created more through open play than the visitors, whose threat came more from set-piece situations and restarts.

Williams won a corner in the first five minutes, forcing Seadogs skipper Will Thornton to head his dangerous cross behind, and although Harry Flowers won a header from the delivery, he couldn’t direct it to the goal.

The visitors employed a fairly substantial defensive barrier, a central trio of Thornton, Ryan Qualter and Bailey Gooda flanked by wing-backs Ashley Jackson and Kieran Weledji.

There was an early booking for the Bucks’ Byron Moore, who halted a Seadogs foray with a foul and found himself on something of a tightrope. The caution didn’t unduly inhibit Moore, who is probably the Bucks player most capable of being reliable in possession.

Gooda arrived at the far post to direct a header straight into Joe Young’s midriff, but the Bucks were beginning to string together a few passing movements in promising fashion.

In the 24th minute, Williams won a corner off Gooda and from the delivery, Nathan Cameron, the Bucks captain in Evans’ absence, directed a downward header that was bouncing up and inside Joe Cracknell’s right post before the keeper plucked it to safety.

Both sides were testing each other out without creating any clear chances. Moore struck a shot goalwards from 25-30 yards, and although speculative it drifted dangerously wide to Cracknell’s right-hand side.

Gibson then forced Cracknell, much the busier of the two goalkeepers, to block his fierce shot struck towards the near post, earning a corner that brought no reward.

The Seadogs had looked more cohesive in their 1-0 victory over the Bucks in October, Wilkin’s first game in charge, and appeared to be missing top scorer and talisman Michael Coulson.

They employed Jake Charles, formerly of Stafford Rangers, as a lone front runner but the Welshman, grandson of former Leeds United and Juventus colossus John Charles, made his most notable contribution in earning a booking for stopping Jamie Allen unfairly.

On-loan right-back Luke Burke was trying to overlap for the Bucks, and from his cross in the 41st minute Gibson watched the ball descend from on high at the far post, adjusting his body position to fire a scissor-kick narrowly over Cracknell’s crossbar.

The half ended with Thornton’s well-timed challenge taking the ball off Gibson’s toe as he moved onto Rowe’s perfectly weighted through ball.

Half Time: AFC Telford United 0-0 Scarborough Athletic

The second half began at a similar pace to the way the first half had begun, but fortunately, Wilkin’s team were more switched on than had been the case in recent matches.

Blocking Jackson’s cross from the left, the Bucks sent Allen away into the Seadogs’ half, and after his path was blocked he switched the ball infield for Williams to take aim, sending a shot whistling over Cracknell’s bar from the left edge of the penalty area.

Scarborough responded and a Gooda header from a corner on the left was directly harmlessly wide, before Cracknell was soon busy again, stopping Gibson’s pot-shot from a tight angle at his near post.

Cracknell had to be swiftly off his line in the 56th minute to beat Gibson to the ball; Rowe corralled his clearance, sent the ball wide to Williams on the left, and he beat Gooda before putting the ball into Cracknell’s gloves with a low shot, when a pull-back to Prince Ekpolo may have been a better choice.

The Seadogs’ Lewis Maloney got the ball up and over a defensive wall from a free-kick 30 yards from goal, but the ball didn’t come back down in time and landed on the roof of Young’s net.

Dom Tear, introduced for Charles by Greening, directed a header wide to Young’s right, and the visitors then won a corner when Bood took the ball flush in the face when blocking Danny Greenfield’s cross from close range.

Scarborough, perhaps aware of scores elsewhere, looked a little nervous and their fans were subdued, and their frustration began to look a little like desperation as Thornton sent a header wide from a free-kick, he and a teammate both trying to score and getting in each other’s way.

In the 68th minute, the Bucks looked certain to score after good work from Gibson. Chasing the ball in the inside right position, Gibson bumped Thornton and the Seadogs expected a free-kick.

Referee Michael Crusham allowed play to go on and Gibson was able to lay the ball into Williams, who switched it on to his left foot and then drove it off the crossbar with Cracknell and his defence all at sea. From the loose ball, Bood drove into the penalty area and struck a left-foot shot that looked set for the nearside top corner until Cracknell pushed it around the post.

From almost going a goal behind, the Seadogs soon led. Weledji, nominally a right wing-back but playing almost as an extra forward, went to ground just outside the Bucks’ box under pressure from Cameron. There seemed to be little contact, but perhaps mindful of not penalising Gibson’s push on Thornton, Cameron was booked by Mr Crusham.

From the resulting delivery, whipped towards the far post, Tear plunged forwards to head powerfully past Young from just a few yards out.

The army of cheerleaders, Flintstones and Teletubbies behind Young’s goal was exultant.

The Bucks sought a response, and in the 82nd minute, they got one. Scarborough hadn’t sought to press home their advantage with a second goal, and when Williams was given time and space to cross from the right, he picked out Gibson’s far post run.

The Bucks forward rose, headed the ball back across Cracknell and the goal, and saw the ball nestle into the far side of the goal from the tightest of angles.

Level at 1-1, both sides had further opportunities to steal maximum reward. Luke Burke struck a corner played short to him over the crossbar from the edge of the box, but the Seadogs replied from a free-kick with a header that Young dropped onto to save. Young was then almost left red-faced; he dashed from his area as Cameron looked to be in trouble, but his headed clearance landed close to substitute Ryan Watson. He took aim and tried to beat the retreating Young by finding his abandoned net, but put his effort wide.

A point was the least the Bucks deserved in an enjoyable encounter, which brought down the curtain on a season few will be sorry to consign to the past.

Referee: Michael Crusham.

Assistants: William Vaughan, Mark Ryder.

Attendance: 1,113.

Telford: Young, Burke, Bood, Flowers, Cameron, Rowe, Ekpolo, Moore, Williams, Allen, Gibson.

Subs not used: Piggott, Livingstone, Thompson, Daniels, Salmon.

Cautioned: Cameron, Bood.

Scarborough Athletic: Cracknell, Weledji, Gooda, Qualter, Thornton, Jackson, Greenfield (Watson 67), Heslop, Maloney, Glynn, Charles (Tear 57).

Subs not used: Bancroft, Burton, Hutton.

Cautioned: Charles.

Scorer: Tear (73).