Gavin Cowan hails AFC Telford's hard work after opening day victory
Boss Gavin Cowan is proud of his AFC Telford United players after kicking off the campaign with a 1-0 victory against Southport.
Amari Morgan-Smith got the goal against former Telford chief Liam Watson's charges and the Bucks were clapped off the pitch.
"What you've seen is the culmination of a lot of hard work from the players," said Cowan after winning his first competitive game in charge.
"They've trusted in the process, believed in what we've offered them. They played it to a tee so I'm really proud of them."
Particularly impressive about Telford's display was how they stood up to the physicality of Southport - after struggling so much in that department last term.
"Being physical doesn't necessarily come in the form of a 6ft 5in, athletic build," said Cowan.
"It comes in the way of working smart, and that's what we do. I think that we've got the balance between working smart, being aggressive and competitive.
"That's what we're going to need this year, in this league – I'd like to think that I know what I takes because I've played at this level, and above.
"It's about making sure you can be productive, having two players wherever the ball is."
He added: "They've put into practice everything we've done over pre-season and I thought we deserved the victory."
