Gavin Cowan: AFC Telford cannot afford slow start

The Telford chief was left displeased with how side started last weekend’s defeat in West Yorkshire, where the Bucks fell a goal behind on 19 minutes, writes Lewis Cox.

Telford went down to 10 men after the break and the hosts added a second late on. Cowan says a similar opening at 17th-placed Kettering tomorrow will see them punished again.

“It’s a bit like snakes and ladders at the moment, it feels like we’re making real progress and then it’s a bit like – not so much back at square one – but we didn’t turn up for 26 minutes. We were beaten in all areas of the pitch,” Cowan said.

“Thereafter we were well in it. I felt before Dom (McHale) was sent off we would get something. There was a little bit of a story of the season, missing from a yard, not taking chances, dominance and play in their half but not getting over the line.

“We’ve got to find a way to get something out of matches and win. We’ve got to find that consistency.”

On tomorrow’s test in Northamptonshire, which will feature up to 2,000 home supporters at Latimer Park, the boss added: “Kettering is very similar to what we faced at Farsley.

“If they can replicate the final 65 minutes of the game we’ll be fine.

“When you go to those places you’ve really got to be on it, winning your battles, desire, old-school stuff.

“That’s where you’ve got to be fully at it, it’s almost like going to war, from the first moment until the 26th we didn’t do what we said we’d do or worked on. That was really disappointing for me when you work so hard and tirelessly all week.”

Cowan is boosted by the return of defender Courtney Meppen-Walters, the summer signing from Chorley who has been missing for two months with a hamstring injury.

Meppen-Walters was an unused substitute at Farsley last week. Cowan also said Brendon Daniels (hamstring) and Shane Sutton (toe) have an outside chance of featuring.

Midfielder McHale will serve a one-match suspension, however, after his dismissal.

“With the formation we were playing, Courtney and Brendon were vital, it wiped out all of our left side,” Cowan added.

“They were probably the ones we didn’t want having injuries and they had quite long-term ones.

“You sign players to benefit the team and squad and those two do. He (Courtney) will need to get his chance and then take it. He gives us the natural left-sided and a bit of balance. Hopefully he can play some part.”

Cowan believes game management is an aspect his side must improve.

“There are a lot of positives from a lot of angles but we have to find consistency, I was telling the team there is only one performance I’ve been disappointed in,” he said.

“So game management is obviously an issue, because if we’re performing we should be getting points on the board.”

Kettering, managed by experienced former Mansfield and Barrow boss Paul Cox, have won three of their 10 league games this season.

They lost 2-0 at high-flying York in midweek, conceding twice in the opening eight minutes, before dominating the game, as Cowan saw it.

The Poppies are in their second season back at step two. They were third-bottom of National North when play finished in March, having lost 3-1 at Telford before lockdown.

Kettering signed former Telford and Wolves defender Connor Johnson yesterday, while striker Josh Scott was recalled by parent club Mansfield.