Express & Star

AFC Telford 1 Wolves 2 - Report and pictures

A youthful Wolves Under-21 side ruined AFC Telford United's final home pre-season friendly at the New Bucks Head tonight.

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Despite starting well the Bucks, with central defensive trialists Pablo Mills and Jack Deaman among their starters, conceded a goal in each half.

Johnny Gorman struck for the hosts with a magnificent curling free-kick, after Belgian trialist Nicolas Napol had given the visitors the lead.

The impressive Bright Enobakchare fired a delightful winner.#

The action got underway at a high-tempo and the hosts should have taken a five-minute lead, Gorman with a left-sided cross that was prodded wide by skipper Dave Hibbert.

And the visitors took full advantage as Napol raced on to a glorious lofted ball from Declan Weeks, to finish comfortably beyond goalkeeper James Montgomery.

But the Bucks did not take long to respond, after Jack Rea was barged over on the edge of the Wolves 'D.'

Gorman stepped up to curl a delightful free-kick over the wall and into the top-right corner of Jon Flatt's goal.

Wolves should have re-taken the lead after 25 minutes, as Donovan Wilson missed a gilt-edge opening.

Fine work from Enobakchare saw him beat a couple of Telford challenges before crossing, only for Wilson to somehow smash high and wide from the six-yard line.

The Championship youngsters were creating openings and should have scored through Lee Evans, who met Ronan's delicious right-sided delivery only to head over.

Napol then raced onto a clearance-turned-pass before lifting an effort over the stricken Montgomery, only for it to land narrowly wide.

Evans was then set-in by Napol but could only skew a first-time left-footed strike at Montgomery.

Midfielder Evans, who has been tipped to go out on a loan deal for this season, continued to pull the strings from a deeper position and went close after the re-start, drilling narrowly wide from 25-yards.

Wolves continued to turn the screw on their hosts and took the lead close to the hour when the lively Enobakchare picked the ball up wide left.

He beating a number of Telford challenges to find the far corner with a precise finish. The Nigerian-born 17-year-old forward, who recently signed a two-year-deal at Molineux, continued to impress.

Only a goalkick call from the assistant referee stopped another of his dangerous bursts.

Bucks substitute Kaiman Anderson was unfortunate as he chased down a knock-on but was unable to beat Flatt to the ball.

At the other end, visiting substitute Laurent Davis-Wilson dragged his 20-yard strike across Montgomery's goal.

With no real opening in the second period, a Telford leveller did not look likely but they had a sniff with 15 minutes remaining.

Jack Roberts' harrying put the Wolves backline under pressure and Anderson was on the loose ball in a flash, but his near-post effort was denied by Flatt's legs.

Telford exerted some late pressure on the Wolves goal in search of an equaliser and midfielder Roberts, who bagged two in Friday's defeat to Derby County, again looked the most likely.

He firstly miscontrolled when well-placed from an Izak Reid corner before receiving a second opportunity and curling an effort that flew just above the angle of the woodwork.

Danny Glover was unable to find the equaliser with his first goal for the club, he stood over a well-placed free-kick for the Bucks. But he fired well over as Steve Kittrick's men fell to defeat.

Telford: Montgomery, Green, Clancy, Deaman, Mills, Rea, Reid, Goddard, Hibbert, Roberts, Gorman. Subs on: Brownhill, Fletcher, Anderson, Glover, Grogan. Subs not used: Lilly, Springthorpe, Harrison, Vernall.

Wolves: Flatt, Matiyadre, Deslandes, Weeks, Hayon, Carter, Evans, Ronan, Napol, Enobakchare, Wilson.

Substitutes on: Simpson, Upton, Breslin, Rainey, Harris, Bancessi, Leocock-McLeod, Davis Wilson.

Subs not used: Burgeoyne (GK).

Attendance: 640.

Ref: Lisa Rashid.

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