"Telford looking to turn the tables of the Turbines"

Match Date : April 1st, 2023 3:00 pm
Competition : National League North
Ground : New Bucks Head
Kick Off : 15:00

AFC Telford welcome Peterborough Sports to the New Bucks Heads this weekend.

This season is the Turbines debut campaign at step two of non-league having won promotion from the Southern League Premier Division Central last year. The Cambridgeshire club finished 2nd, some 23 points behind league winners Banbury United, but clinched success in the playoffs by overcoming Alvechurch before beating Coalville Town 2-0 in the final.

Remarkably, that promotion was a fourth in the five full campaigns that were overseen by manager Jimmy Dean. Dean took the reins at Lincoln Road ahead of the 2015/16 season, and his run of success led to him being appointed Scunthorpe United boss in January 2023.

The Turbines have subsequently installed Michael Gash and Luke Steele as joint managers, and the duo have made few changes to the Sports squad. Star attacker Dion Sembie-Ferris left to join Dean at Scunthorpe, with the gap being filled by loanee Jordon Crawford from Boston United – Crawford scored home and away against the Bucks for Kettering last season. Sports can also once again call on Jordan Nicholson. Nicholson kicked off the season with six goals in eight games before breaking his leg in an FA cup clash against Redditch at the end of September.

The Cambridgeshire club head into this Saturday’s game in good form, with Sports having gone unbeaten in March – three wins, three draws. And the run means that the Turbines have an outside shot at forcing their way into the playoff picture. Currently 12th, Peterborough are only six points off the playoff places.

The Turbines ran out 3-2 winners when the sides met at Lincoln Road earlier this season, a result that triggered Paul Carden’s departure from the Telford hotseat. That defeat was the 12th game in 17-match winless run for the Bucks, but Kevin Wilkin’s men head into Saturday’s game in decent form. While not quite as impressive as Peterborough’s recent run, the Bucks have picked up eight points from the last five games, keeping three clean sheets in that time.

In fact, the Bucks are 6th in the form table over the last four games, with Sports one place higher in 5th. Saturday’s game, then, promises to entertaining affair between to in form sides.

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MATCHDAY INFORMATION

Tickets for Saturday’s fixture will remain on sale up until kick-off and are available for purchase online here.

For more information, please see our ticketing advice page.