Six of the best, but AFC Telford can still improve - boss
Despite seeing his team rise back to the top of the Southern Central Premier with a 6-2 thrashing of Bedford Town, AFC Telford United manager Kevin Wilkin was adamant his team can and must improve, writes Rich Worton.
The Bucks usurped previous leaders Bedford, chiefly thanks to a salvo of four goals in nine minutes which left the visitors bewildered, having taken the lead only to go in at half-time trailing 4-1.
Wilkin was “delighted with the result”, but left his players in no doubt that aspects of their performance weren’t up to standard, and also admitted to having felt “let down” in relation to some absentees from his match-day squad.
“It's fantastic to score the goals that we did, and the most important thing is getting the result," he said/ "When you think of the disappointment of Saturday (a 3-1 defeat at Alvechurch), and then you’re going in against the team that was top of the league, and then being able to muster 14 players is really disappointing.
"I feel there’s a player or two in there that’s let me down. I'm disappointed with that, and look, that'swhere it is, but the lads that have gone out there have shown real courage with being down to the bare bones like we are.”
Wilkin was able to name only three substitutes. With Remi Walker, Byron Moore and Steff Jones already injured, on-loan defender Alex Gudger was a late withdrawal with injury and Mansfield Town also withdrew Jakub Kruszynski, citing injury to their player but leaving Wilkin short of options.
The Bucks boss was dismayed by the timing in relation to Gudger and Kruszynski, but those he was able to name put Bedford to the sword in emphatic fashion.
“It’s kind of frustrating that I've had no time to manoeuvre around, but credit to the boys. They've again been knocked back and found some really good moments and some good goals, and it's nice to win in the manner that we do, but we're going to need to do a whole lot better on Saturday against Harborough to overcome them.”
Bedford were top of the table and they share with the Bucks the characteristic of being free-scoring but liable to concede.
Huw Dawson put them ahead from a set-piece which Wilkin felt his side defended poorly; however, Matty Stenson then rattled in two finishes to take his seasonal goal tally to 17, having scored seven times in January.
Orrin Pendley and Jimmy Armson then headed in from two Jordan Cranston set-piece deliveries to stretch the lead in front of an almost delirious crowd of 968.
Max Brogan’s first goal for the Bucks and Armson’s eighth of the season took the lead to 6-1 before an hour had passed, before Dawson bookended the scoring, again from a set-piece.
The two goals the Bucks conceded irritated Wilkin considerably: “The two goals are just for me, still really disappointing and they maybe paper over cracks there, and maybe the result papers over some cracks, which I think it probably is.
"I don’t want to be downbeat about that, because you can only beat what's in front of you in the manner that you do, but I wouldn't be happy conceding the two goals that we have.
"Clearly, Bedford won’t be happy in the way that they conceded some of the goals and will expect to do better, but against sides that are going to be really tight at the back it's not going to be so easy.
"Overall, it needs to be better, believe it or not, than we saw tonight.”
Stenson and Armson took the scoring honours, with Stenson scoring for a fifth game in succession to match a record for the ‘new’ Telford club, equalling the achievement of Lee Moore in the 2000s.
However, the catalyst for the Bucks’ victory was winger Ellis Brown, who gave evidence that supporters worried by the loss of Ricardo Dinanga may have had unfounded fears.
Brown was a livewire, his electric pace terrorising both Josh Mullins and his replacement Kieran Dawes, both of whom were left scorched by their encounters with the 22-year old left-sided attacker.
In keeping with his overall view, Wilkin had praise for Brown, but believes the player can be even better.
The boss said: “Ellis works hard at his game and he just needs to understand certain situations and areas that he finds himself in, how to make the best use of himself.
"He's got through tonight (against the defence) and probably should score a goal or two, but on Saturday (at Alvechurch) he was getting us up the field and earning restart moments and corners.
"Hopefully we can develop Ellis, in a similar way to Ricardo and hopefully he can go on to a similar sort of level.”
