Spennymoor Town 1 AFC Telford United 2.

Spennymoor have collected just two points from their last six matches after losing at home to Telford last night.

Despite the setback to keep them in eighth place, Moors still have their play off hopes in their own hands, but they can’t afford any more slip ups – especially if they keep giving soft goals away as they did with Telford’s equaliser.

Moors have two home games remaining, against relegated North Ferriby on Thursday and fourth bottom Southport – who are at Darlington tonight – and they must win both if they are to be sure of one of the last two play-off spots.

Just like their last home game against Darlington, Moors got off to a good start, but they were punished for a mistake and not surprisingly given their recent gruelling schedule, they lacked sharpness in the second half as they tried to break down ten men.

Moors gave themselves a morale-boosting start in the third minute, when the Telford defence made a mess of clearing a low ball into the box from the right, and Mark Anderson fired across keeper Ben Wilson into the bottom corner of the net.

Telford replied with a good run and low shot by Ellis Deeney that Moors keeper Jordan Porter easily gathered.

Moors then lost James Curtis with a head injury on 12 minutes, and was replaced by Joe Tait.

Just as it was looking likely that Moors might score a second with the possession they were enjoying, they conceded a sloppy equaliser on 26 minutes, when Amari Morgan-Smith nipped on to a back pass by Tait in the area, and even though he was forced wide, he pulled the ball back into the six yard box for Marcus Dinanga to turn home.

And there was another scare for Moors when a scramble in the Moors box from a right wing corner ended with Royle hooking the ball over the top, and again when Morgan-Smith glanced a header wide from an Ellis Deeney cross.

But Moors bounced back with a free kick by Kallum Griffiths that was only half cleared, and Brad Fewster fired over the top.

They nearly took the lead at the start of the second half when Anderson sent Fewster away in the inside left position, but he was unable to lob Wilson as he came out, and instead his shot was blocked on the edge of the area.

But another slip in the Moors defence after they lost possession inside their own half, led to Deeney thumping a volley just wide of the post.

Telford were reduced to ten men on 55 minutes when Fewster was scythed down by defender Dominic Smith, who was red carded after the referee had spoken to both assistants and broken up the scuffle that followed.

Moors were boosted by the dismissal, and nearly took the lead with a left foot shot by Anderson that went just wide of the post, and then Anderson had another effort blocked as Moors broke at speed.

However, they were caught on the break on 68 minutes when Ryan Giles broke quickly up the left from the halfway line off a great flick by John Royle, ran into the box and beat Porter with a low shot.

Moors nearly levelled when Anderson floated the ball into the box and Rob Ramshaw nipped in front of the keeper but knocked the ball wide, and then Glen Taylor headed just wide from a Jamie Chandler cross.

In the last minute of stoppage time, Taylor’s powerful header was saved by Wilson Spennymoor: Porter, Griffiths, Mason, Chandler, Henry, Curtis (sub Tait 12), Hall (sub Johnson 68), Ramshaw, Taylor, Fewster, Anderson (sub Foley 82) Subs: Lowson, Dixon Attendance 610