AFC Telford interim boss Dennis Greene upbeat despite tasting defeat

Greene stepped into the Bucks hot-seat last week following the departure of Gavin Cowan but saw his hopes of kicking off his reign with a win ended by Glen Taylor’s 50th-minute strike.

“I think, if I’m being fair, that Spennymoor were the better side throughout, and it would have been harsh on them if they hadn’t got the result,” said Greene after seeing Bucks’ winless run extended to six league matches, and seven in all competitions.

But he felt his men competed well against their in-form hosts, who recorded their first-ever win over Telford in a competitive fixture.

“I thought our commitment was excellent,” he added, “We defended well and if you look back on the game Russ (Griffiths, goalkeeper) hasn’t had a lot to do, just keeping some shots out from distance, and we had three or four really good opportunities. It would have been harsh on them if we’d got an equaliser, but for our effort, I felt we deserved an equaliser.

“We just couldn’t quite get the opening. I can’t fault the lads; they gave me everything. Their front two (Taylor and Rob Ramshaw) are a handful, they compete for everything, but we generally dealt with them, by hook or by crook, maybe with a bit of luck.”

Greene was in charge of a team for the first time since his dismissal from Tamworth in January 2019, but seemed comfortable and happy to be back in the game.

“I enjoyed it; it’s good to be back in this type of setting,” he said. “I think we’ve got something to work with, but a bit more work with the players and get that final third right, and we could be OK.”

Assessing the Bucks deficiencies after their first outing under him, Greene said:

“We need another one or two bodies in certain areas, that’s for sure. Another goalscorer would help, and give you better options. We were pretty stuck with four at the back today because we only had two centre-halves (Theo Streete and Kory Roberts), what with Zak (Lilly) being suspended, so it’d be nice to have a couple in to balance the squad, but I can’t fault their commitment. I feel a bit sorry for them that they haven’t come away with anything.”