AFC TELFORD United will arrive at York City intent on recovering from two years of struggle after a summer of upheaval.

A total of 15 new players have been recruited by the Shropshire side during the close season, although only four were signed by new Bucks boss Rob Edwards, who only took over the reins after his predecessor Rob Smith was relieved of his duties at the end of June.

Off the pitch, meanwhile, chairman Ian Dosser has stood down after 13 years with the club, handing over to the majority shareholding family with Andy Pryce filling the role on an interim basis.

The new regime have signalled their intention to turn full-time within 18 months, as Telford look to recover from back-to-back relegation scraps at National League North level.

A record of 38 goals and just two away wins – against relegated duo Stalybridge and Altrincham – represented the lowest tallies in last term’s division, as United finished just three places and seven points above the drop zone.

The campaign before had seen Smith’s side come within a point of dropping into the realms of Evo-Stik League football just 12 months after being relegated during their most recent stint in the National League, which lasted a single season.

Eight-goal top scorer Josh Wilson was among the players culled at the end of last season, whilst ex-West Brom Premier League forward Lee Hughes, now 41, dealt Telford a blow when he returned to previous team Worcester City as joint-boss after ending the campaign by netting four times in 13 appearances.

Former Luton forward Matthew Barnes-Homer, 31, has featured fully for the Bucks in pre-season, but it is not clear whether he has signed for the club and Edwards could instead turn to rookie Anthony Dwyer for attacking inspiration.

Dwyer, 20, has been the top scorer in pre-season with three goals from five matches.

Having been released by Mansfield in 2016, Dwyer has also played for Stafford Rangers, Matlock and Ilkeston in the past and is one of the players signed by Edwards.

The others are defender Aaron Hayden on a season-long loan from Wolves, ex-Soilhull Moors keeper Sheridan Martinez and former Liverpool under-21s midfielder Will Marsh.

Prior to Edwards’ appointment, Smith had secured the services of Ross White (Southport), Elliot Newby (Barrow), Luke Shaw (Grantham), Jordon Gough (Brackley), Chekaine Steele (Worcester), Graham Hutchinson (Worcester), Jasbir Singh (Gloucester), Curtis Strong (Tamworth), John Marsden (Stockport), Kieran Dunbar (Stalybridge) and Shane Sutton (Newtown).

Marsden had a spell on loan last season but the only permanent survivors from 2016/17 are Zak Lilly, Jack Rea, Jon Royle and Joe Fitzpatrick, along with young hopefuls Benji Robinson, Dan Frances and Jordan Broome, although the latter – a 17-year-old defender – will play no part after he suffered a broken arm, leg, hip and knee following a 60-foot fall working on a building site with his father this summer.

Among those released with Wilson were fellow forward Dan Westwood, Paul McCone, Dave Hibbert, Connor McCarthy, Danny Reynolds and Joel Dielna, while skipper Luca Havern moved to Bradford Park Avenue and loan pair Elliot Hodge and John Paul Kissock returned to their parent clubs.

Ben Bailey, meanwhile, has moved on despite agreeing new terms at the end of last season, having been unhappy with his level of pre-season exposure.

Ex-Wales international defender Edwards, who played in the Premier League briefly for Aston Villa and Blackpool, has spent the last three years coaching at Wolves in the junior and senior set-ups, working under the likes of Kenny Jackett, Walter Zenga and Paul Lambert and spending a spell in caretaker charge last season.

Now 34, he will be joined in the dugout by ex-Telford favourite and new assistant-manager Sean Parrish, who also coached in the youth ranks at Wolves and is Edwards’ cousin.

Telford kicked off their pre-season campaign under Edwards with a 4-0 win at ninth-tier outfit Haughmond and finished with last Saturday’s 4-1 away triumph against Welsh second division team Caernarfon Town.

In between, there were other victories against West Midlands League side Sporting Wolves (5-0) and League One Shrewsbury (1-0).

A 0-0 draw with Hereford, now plying their trade in the Evo-stik South Premier League, also followed home defeats to a strong Aston Villa squad (4-0) and Wolves under-23s (1-0).

Little, meanwhile, should be gleaned from a 14-1 Shropshire Senior Cup thrashing at the hands of The New Saints with Telford fielding a group of inexperienced teenagers, incurring the wrath of their local FA in the process.