AFC Telford United: Andy Sinton needs to 'eradicate' Bucks poison

AFC Telford boss Andy Sinton says he needs to get the "poison" out of the dressing room as he tries to end his side's run of just one win in 11 games.

Inside two months, Telford have slipped from eighth to 17th in the Blue Square Bet Premier and exited the FA Cup.

And Saturday's 3-1 defeat at King's Lynn ended their FA Trophy hopes too.

"I feel let down by a group of players. Management is a lonely place at the minute, but I'm a fighter," Sinton told BBC Radio Shropshire.

"It's my team and they're my players, but something's not quite right in the dressing room that I haven't got to grips with yet.

"I think I know where it's coming from and until that poison is eradicated, I think it's going to drag us down.

"Sometimes you can't do what you want to do because of employment laws.

"But I've just told the group be careful what you wish for, be careful what you want."

Telford headed for Norfolk as favourites against Lynn, who play in Evo-Stik Division One South, two levels below.

But, after Kris Taylor had equalised Steve Spriggs' early Lynn strike, Telford were rocked by winger Steve Jones' red card on the hour.

And Spriggs' late second, rapidly followed by a strike from substitute Jason Turner added Telford's name to that of Lynn's four other Trophy victims this season, all of whom are above them in the non-league pyramid.

Telford's only win in the last two months was the 1-0 Trophy victory over Nuneaton in the last round. But, having stumbled to within two points of the relegation zone, they now have the job of trying to end a barren seven-game winless run in the league.

And the next two matches are very tough - at home to Luton Town on Saturday (22 December, 15:00 GMT), followed by the Boxing Day trip to another promotion-chasing side Wrexham (26 December, 13:00 GMT).

Telford had Jake Reid back from a month's loan at Redditch, while Chris Blackburn was also available following the end of his loan at Chorley, but neither figured on the field in Saturday's Trophy exit.