AVENUE FIZZ AT BUCKS
Bower’s a happy man as his side keep up charge at top of the table
AVENUE remain top of the National League North table after inflicting a first home defeat of the season over the Bucks.
Goals from Lewis Knight and a late clincher from substitute Jamie Spencer kept Mark Bower’s side ahead of the chasing pack.
Bower felt his side’s quality at key moments was the decisive factor.
“It was a really good away performance from us, without dominating possession or anything like that,” he said. “I felt we were solid, and didn’t look like scoring against us, which is really pleasing after shipping four goals last week (at Altrincham).”
The opening twenty minutes suggested it would be an open encounter; after seven minutes the Bucks’ Darryl Knights shot over the bar from 15 yards, the chance worked from a short corner by James McQuilkin.
Avenue responded, and from a swift break prompted by Nicky Clee, prominent in the early exchanges, it took a fine block to deny Lewis Knight as he was about to pull the trigger.
The Bucks peppered the visitors’ goal, with Henry Cowans putting a dipping 30-yarder over Steven Drench’s cross bar, then the keeper had to save low at his near post from an Ellis Deeney header.
It then fell to Deeney to deny Knight at the other end, the midfielder, filling in at left wing-back, blocking his shot.
Adam Nowakowski went close from a corner, turning the ball into the side netting from a corner, before missing the clearest chance of the half, miscuing on the volley at the back post with home keeper Andy Wycherley scrambling.
Bucks’ top scorer Daniel Udoh was being tightly policed by Luca Havern and Mark Ross. A foul on the stiker gave McQuilkin a free-kick chance from 25 yards, one that Drench clawed away from the top corner.
In the second half chances were rarer; Knights lifted the ball over the bar, but on 52 minutes Avenue led. The Bucks were caught outnumbered and although Wycherley saved Jake Beesley’s initial shot, Knight was on hand to take a touch and tap in.
With an advantage, Avenue slowly starved the Bucks of chances. Their best efforts came from second-half substitute Ryan Barnett; playing on the right, he tested Drench twice from distance, one a shot the keeper stretched to turn for a corner, the other held low down through a crowd.
A spell of pressure in the last ten minutes looked like it might bring the Bucks back level, but they were caught out again, and Avenue substitute Jamie Spencer advanced to beat Wycherley to his right from 18 yards.
“We weren’t where we normally are in terms of our usual standards,” Telford boss Gavin Cowan said. “It wasn’t all bad, but in terms of the standards we’ve set in recent games it was nowhere near.”
STAR MAN: Lewis Knight (B’ford PA) ENTERTAINMENT: ★★★★★