AFC Telford v York City: Andre Brown out to net again

Brown got back among the goals as the Bucks lost 2-1 at Curzon Ashton.

He lashed into the roof of the net from the right-hand side of the area and, with top scorer Daniel Udoh ‘touch and go’ for this one, the 22-year-old may well be the main attacking threat for tomorrow’s clash with the Minstermen.

“Andre took his goal really well and while the performance of the team was disappointing, I was happy to see him get his goal,” said Cowan.

“That’s what he’s in the team for, to score goals.

“Of course, you want your strikers to work hard and help the team in whichever way they can. But goals are the main thing from your forwards.

“Hopefully that’ll be the start of something for Andre and he can really show what he’s all about.”

Brown was snapped up from National League North rivals Kidderminster Harriers over the summer, having turned down fresh terms at Aggborough.

The speedy striker caught the eye of Premier League side Leicester last year and had a spell on trial there too.

He is now on three goals for the season, having endured six games without scoring.

Brown had an effort cleared off the line as Telford were dumped out of the FA Cup at Warrington Town – things were just not going his way.

But Cowan was always confident he would end his goal drought in emphatic fashion.

“I sort of knew it was going to come from him,” he said.

“It wasn’t happening for him in games but he turned up for training on the Thursday and everything he was hitting was going in. He was electric and managed to take that in to the game at the weekend.”

On 11-goal top scorer Udoh, Cowan added: “We’re just monitoring him as we go along. It’s touch and go, really.”

The Bucks are desperate to avoid a horror show like last campaign – a dismal 5-3 defeat that had Telford fans thinking relegation was very much a possibility.

A calamitous defensive performance in January, which included a howler by goalkeeper Ryan Schofield, who ended up having his loan spell from Huddersfield Town cut short soon after, saw York condemn the Bucks to a third straight defeat which kept them hovering just a point above the drop zone.

Sylvan Ebanks-Blake bagged a brace for the hosts, Connor Johnson getting the other.

The one to watch for the visitors is Jordan Burrow, who has scored six goals in his last six games.

Former Telford full-back Sean Newton is the skipper and well-travelled striker Jon Parkin is on their books too.

Amari Morgan-Smith will be eager to start for the Bucks, having left the Minstermen to join the Bucks on an 18-month deal earlier this year.

Shrewsbury loanee John McAtee will not be involved after being shown a straight red card at Curzon for an alleged elbow on goalkeeper Cameron Mason.