MOORS player/coach Gavin Cowan is no stranger to AFC Telford having captained the side for two years and he is expecting a touch match when the two sides meet in the National League North division.
Telford were relegated from the National Premier last season but they have struggled to adapt and currently sit in the National League North relegation zone.
The Bucks have amassed just 26 points from 29 games compared to Moors’ 56 from 27 and they have managed to win just two matches on the road this season.
They did however find a welcome return to form on Tuesday evening when they thrashed FC United 5-1 which lifted them off the foot of the table.
Cowan made over 80 appearances for Telford and despite their lowly league position, he knows league leaders Moors are in for a tough match.
“Telford have a good squad of players but until last Tuesday they have not gelled as they would have hoped,” said Cowan.
“From our point of view we are acutely aware that on its day any team in this league is capable of beating any other and we take nothing for granted.
“We will approach Saturday’s match physically and mentally prepared, and if anything, Telford’s league position will only heighten our awareness of what is at stake.”
Cowan is not the only player to have represented both clubs.
Telford were formed following the demise of Telford United FC following their liquidation in 2004 by a supporters trust who became owners of the club who were placed into the Northern Premier League Division One.
They won promotion to the Northern Premier League in their first season but had to wait until 2011 before reaching the top of the non-league echelon again where they lasted two years before tasting relegation.
The came straight back the following season by winning the league but this lasted just 12 months before they were back in the National North for the start of the current campaign.
Moors boss Marcus Bignot played there at the start of his career between 1992-96 and made 149 appearances, while Darren Byfield and Steven Leslie were both there during the 2012-13 season.
Andy Brown also led their attack for three years between 2008 until 2011 and helped them reach the Premier Division.
The clubs have met a total of 12 times with Moors having won just two games and lost seven – a record that Bignot will be looking to put right this Saturday.
Admission for Saturday’s match costs are £10 for adults, £5 for concessions and 12 to 15-year-olds, and children under 12 can enter for free when accompanied by a paying adult.
Moors are in action next Tuesday (February 16) at home to Wolverhampton Wanderers in the quarter-final of the Birmingham Senior Cup. Bignot’s side were reinstated into the competition after last 16 conquerors Redditch United were found guilty of fielding the ineligible Rob Thompson-Brown in their 2-1 victory.
If the scoreline remains level after 90 minutes the match will go straight to penalties. Admission for the match is priced at £5 for adults and £2 for under-16s (no concessions).
