The Lions rerturn to Nethermoor on Tuesday night for another big game as AFC Telford United make the trip north for a 7:45pm kick-off.

Match sponsored by: Blacks Solicitors

Tickets can be purchased online in advance here, tickets will also be on sale on the day at the turnstiles with payment by cash only, it is also cash payments only inside the ground for programmes, food and drink and 50/50 cash draw tickets. The clubhouse accepts and prefers payment by card.

Previous Meetings

The two teams crossed swords just before Christmas in a midweek fixture at the New Bucks Head. Josh Stones headed in his first senior goal five minutes from time to earn a moral boosting win for his side before the festive fixtures.

The Lions’ Form Book

A midweek win was not backed up by Marcus Bignot and Russ O’Neill’s side at Leamington on Saturday with one goal enough for the hosts. Form at Nethermoor has been much stronger this campaign though with 19 of our 26 points picked up in LS20. The only team with a worse points total on the road is AFC Telford United.

A Look At AFC Telford United

AFC Telford United have struggled all campaign but have had an upturn in form in 2022 with 17 of their 28 points coming since the start of the year. Two wins and a draw in the last five games have pulled The Bucks away from the bottom position they occupied going into the year.

Their last fixture away from home ended in a 1-1 draw at AFC Fylde last week, they are without a win away from Shropshire all season with six draws their only positive results on the road.

Manager Paul Carden has recently secured the services of Reiss McNally on loan from Solihull Moors, the former Lion has not returned to Nethermoor since his departure two years ago.

A Look At The Lions

The Lions will be boosted by the return of Prince Ekpolo from his four match suspension for this one but could be without several players.

Kaine Felix, Scott McLean, Adam Haw, Jamie Spencer, Lewis Hey, Shaun Tuton and Bailey Thompson all missed Saturday’s trip to Warwickshire through injury and illness.

Andy Kellett however continued his recovery with another start and Josh Stones gained more vital experience off of the bench.

What Are They Saying?

Speaking after Saturday’s loss at Leamington Marcus Bignot said: “I thought we started the game really well, for the first 35 minutes we had territory, we were creating opportunites and I thought we were a threat. The only thing the disappointed us at half-time was going in at 0-0, I thought our performance warranted us taking the lead. It was a complete different story in the second half, the pitch is not coducive to playing, the conditions as well it was typically a game of two halves. It was a really disappointing goal to concede from a long throw possibly the smallest man on the pitch, you can probably count three times as many set pieces we had in the first half but we haven’t capitalised.”

“Disappointing overall and then you find out results elsewhere. We have got to recover and bounce back quickly and we have a game on Tuesday night to look forward to.”

“Kaine has been out for a long time and bless him he wants to make himself available for the cause but there has to be some common sense as well. He has come in from doing little to going straight back into the thick of things, we had to be careful with him because if he was available today we could have lost him for the season and we don’t want to do that. We have to manage his load, he is really key for us he gives us intensity up there, gets us on the front foot and playing in the final third. We missed him today but we look forward to hopefully seeing him very soon.”

“Josh will be disappointed, he has gone through one on one and a player of his ability will be disappointed he hasn’t hit the target. There were few chances in the second half but that was probably the best chance overall in the game.”

“The important thing is now we focus on Tuesday, it is a very important game for us. We got a good result last Tuesday, we’re back home and back on a good pitch. We have the return of Prince from suspension so there is a lot of positives and encouragement going into Tuesday. We cannot have no hang ups, it has to be all hands to the pump in terms of supporters, players and staff.”

Tickets for the game with AFC Telford United can be purchased at the turnstiles on the night with cash payment only or online in advance here. Don’t forget to pick up a matchday programme for just £3, it is packed full with exclusive content with what you will find inside here.