Ashton 3 Telford 4 - Report and pictures

The Bucks were made to work very hard for three important points against the relegation-threatened Robins at Hurst Cross.

Strike duo Morgan-Smith and Udoh gave Gavin Cowan's team a two-goal lead inside half an hour, but Sam Sheridan made things a bit more anxious.

Morgan-Smith doubled his tally after the break before third-bottom Ashton had substitute Kallum Mantack grab a brace, with Udoh getting the winner 15 minutes from the end in a topsy-turvy clash.

Telford's victory, after three games without one, has lifted them to fourth in National League North. It also boots their spirits going into Saturday's huge FA Trophy quarter-final tie at Solihull Moors.

Cowan made three changes to the side which lost 3-2 at Stockport County on Saturday, as Steph Morley, Darryl Knights and Morgan-Smith replaced Brendon Daniels, Jon Royle and Ryan Barnett.

But Barnett did not have to wait long to get on the pitch.

Only four minutes in, Henry Cowans sustained a heavy knock to his right leg in a 50/50 challenge with Robins midfielder Sheridan - and he was unable to continue.

Cowan then had another scare as experienced defender Theo Streete had his heavily-taped right knee kicked.

Javid Swaby-Neavin was booked for the tackle but, luckily, Streete was able to carry on.

Unsurprisingly, it took the Bucks a few minutes to find their feet after being forced into such an early change. They made the most of their first effort on target though.

Morley floated a sumptuous cross from the left-hand side, right onto the head of Morgan-Smith, who gratefully headed the ball past a helpless George McMahon.

Such deliveries are what strikers like Morgan-Smith dream about at night.

Fellow centre forward Udoh then got in on the act soon after.

Latching onto a clearance from Barnett, Telford's star man weaved his way past a couple of Ashton defenders before slotting the ball into the bottom corner with his left foot. A masterclass from an attacker oozing in confidence.

Much to Cowan's chagrin though, the hosts came up with an immediate, fortunate response.

Barnett tried to clear a cross from the right but could only kick the ball against Sheridan, who it ricocheted off, into the top corner of Josef Bursik's net.

Bursik had to get down low to save a Connor Dimaio strike just prior to the interval after Morgan-Smith and Udoh both had half-chances to add to their respective tallies.

The Robins - managed by Cowan's good friend and fellow ex-Shrewsbury player, Jody Banim - finished the first half pretty strongly, and were putting themselves about at the start of the second.

But, as it turned out, they were a little too eager.

Ashton's defence tried to play Morgan-Smith offside, but he cleverly checked his run, cut inside from the left and drove the ball into the net with his right foot for his second of the night.

The emphatic finish sparked a mass celebration from Bucks chief Cowan, his backroom team and the players in front of the away dugout, as attention turned to putting the game beyond any doubt.

In a desperate attempt to salvage something, the hosts made all of their permitted substitutions before the hour mark.

And one of them, Mantack, managed to fulfil Banim's wishes. Firstly, he scored from close range to reduce Telford's advantage - being afforded way too much room as the Bucks backline switched off.

The man who once played a pre-season friendly for Telford against Salop then swiftly got his second to level the scores, squeezing his shot from the edge of the area under Bursik. An undeniably poor piece of goalkeeping from the England Under-19 international.

But the ever-clinical Udoh soon bailed the Bucks out. Ellis Deeney got to the byline and cut the ball back to Udoh, whose side-footed shot wrong-footed McMahon as he raced across his line.

Morgan-Smith was denied a treble by a stunning McMahon save in the closing stages of the affair.

Lessons to be learned for Cowan's charges as the defence did not look all that convincing but, ultimately, it is a crucial win in the bag.

Teams

Ashton (4-3-3): McMahon; Crowley, Ashworth (c), Regan, Swaby-Neavin (Chalmers, 60); Kay (Mantack, 55), Goulding, Sheridan; Hobson, Martin (Jennings, 55), Dimaio

Subs not used: Tomsett, Reed

Goals: Sheridan (30), Mantack (69, 72)

Telford (3-5-2) Bursik; Streete, Sutton (c), White; Cowans (Barnett, 4), McQuilkin (Royle, 71), Deeney, Knights, Morley; Morgan-Smith (Dinanga, 90), Udoh

Subs not used: Daniels, Brown

Goals: Morgan-Smith (20, 51), Udoh (29, 75)

Referee: James Bell (West Riding)