The Bucks fell to an agonising 1-0 defeat against 10-man Buxton, with the visitors stealing the points thanks to a 96th minute winner.

The early exchanges saw little by way of clear cut chances as the sides felt each other out. The visitors looked good on the ball, but Kevin Wilkin’s men looked dangerous going forward. Indeed, George Ward had to be on his mettle when Matty Stenson looked to be through, but the Buxton man made a good challenge to snuff out the danger.

As the half wore on, the Bucks of Telford began to get the better of their namesakes from Derbyshire. In the 20th minute, Jordan Piggott crossed for Ola Lawal, but the Bucks forward couldn’t connect with an acrobatic volley. While Stenson went even closer in the 40th minute when he played a one two with Lawal before firing in a shot that defeder Kieran Burton did well to get a toe to to send the ball just wide to Paul Cooper’s left post. Goalless at the break.

Wilkin’s men began the second period in much the same vein as they had finished the first, with Lawal having the Bucks’ best chance of the game in 51st minute. The tricky attacker jinked his way forward before curling a shot from 20 yards that was heading for the top corner, but Cooper produced a top save.

And the Bucks were handed even more of an impetus in the 64th minute, when George Ward was shown a straight red for a really poor challenge on Ola Lawal. The Buxton man may well have misjudged matters, but his high boot caught Lawal square in the crotch, and he was quite rightly given his marching orders.

But as much as they tried, Wilkin’s men couldn’t find a way through a well-drilled Buxton defence. And with the game all but over, Buxton hit Telford with a sucker punch in the 96th minute to snatch all three points at the death. Will Trueman did well, and his low cross was nudged in by Luke Brennan.

There were late calls for a Telford penalty, but the referee was unmoved, and Buxton nearly made it two, when Sam Tomlinson broke away only to shoot narrowly wide.

Wilkin’s men were the better side even before the red card, and Buxton would have had few complaints if Telford had won the game. But the visitors were resilient and somehow came away with a 1-0 win and all three points.