Shropshire Star

AFC Telford done with signings for now

Manager Rob Smith claims further arrivals are unlikely in the short-term as he hunts stability at AFC Telford United.

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The Bucks boss hopes the recent loan signings of defender Graham Hutchison and striker Richard Peniket.

It coincided with the departure of stopper Mark Lees, is his final bit of squad shuffling for the foreseeable future.

Smith and assistant Larry Chambers have overhauled the team since returning to the club in late August but results have remained poor.

Saturday's 1-0 win over Lowestoft just their fourth in the league this season, ahead of a crucial festive period.

It will see the Bucks take on fellow strugglers Gloucester City and Hednesford Town – the latter twice – with Smith keen to start building some stability on the pitch.

He said: "I'm hoping Graham and Richard will be the last arrivals for now. The one thing which may change is if we pick up a couple of injuries, or get to the stage where we are a little bit short of numbers.

"When you have a lot of loan players too, there is always the risk of them being recalled.

"But, for the moment, we are looking pretty settled and I do think we will have more stability from now on."

Telford travel to Smith and Chambers' former club Hednesford Town on Boxing Day for a relegation six-pointer.

The Pitmen, who sit two places and three points above the Bucks, appointed former Chelsea defender Frank Sinclair as manager last week.

Smith, who set his side a testing target of 10 points from their four festive fixtures, starting with the Lowestoft game, believes his team are moving in the right direction.

He said: "We've put ourselves back in the picture. You don't want to say we have momentum, it's only one game but I do think the squad is more than capable of staying up."

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