"We've purposely tried to change that" - Kevin Wilkin on AFC Telford United's victory over Leiston

New signing Luke Rowe’s gritty contribution to central midfield won praise from fans and management alike, and Wilkin felt his performance underlined exactly why he’d swooped to sign Rowe from Bromsgrove Sporting last week.

“Luke came here when he was 21 and played in the National North and did alright through that period, and probably I should have kept him in and around the group, maybe last season, and maybe prior to this season," said Wilkin. "The thing is that he's continued to make progress and, the leader that he is and the tough competitor, he’s a great guy to have in that changing room, and he really wants to win and move his game forward.”

Wilkin backed Rowe to be a positive influence on his equally youthful colleagues.

“You need players like that in the group, who are infectious and who are going to stand there strong and battle and scrap for 90 minutes," added the boss. "We’ve one or two younger lads that will be helped by him, even at 23 years old. I think he’ll help them to progress their game or when you have to be hard and ruthless and difficult to break down, and we were exactly that in the second period.

"I think Harry (Hawkins) is 18, Max (Brogan) is what, 23? Luke's 23, and there’s a lot of youth within that group now. We've purposely tried to change that around.

"That’s not to say that we won’t have dips and bumps along the way. We will do, but as long as you've got a team of young men that want to fight and scrap and battle for one another, you'll give yourself a chance.”

Stenson opened the scoring for the Bucks in the fifth minute, drawing him level with Kyle Perry’s ‘AFC-era’ record for most league goals scored in a single season. Max Brogan then volleyed home as half-time approached, and although Adam Mills cut the half-time deficit to 2-1, Stenson’s second of the game secured the points and took Perry’s record into the bargain.

“There's a lot that happens around them to give him those chances and opportunities, and everybody in that chain deserves a whole lot of credit. His (Jimmy Armson’s) presence of mind there to take a look up and just put it in an area on Matthew's head, and he's trustworthy in those moments and finishes like he does… it's a nice platform after five so minutes from which to go and build on.”

“I’m really pleased with the second goal, the intensity we showed, the press, the way we keep the ball alive, and then we finish. Max, again, that’s no less than he deserves. The effort that he's put into games and the distances he's covering? Fantastic. Awesome. Those lads are working hard for one another, and I love that in my teams.”