Shropshire Star

AFC Telford v AFC Sudbury preview: It is all about results for Bucks boss

Kevin Wilkin has insisted he does not care about how his AFC Telford United side perform, providing they pick up victories.

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The Bucks have struggled to match good performances with wins this season, drawing several games they should have come out of with all three points.

And with the Southern Central Premier title race getting more tense by the week, Wilkin is desperate to secure victory over AFC Sudbury tomorrow afternoon by any means necessary.

“I’m not necessarily so concerned about performances at the moment,” the Telford boss explained. “If you can get a good performance to go alongside a good result then fantastic, but most importantly for me at the moment is picking up points in whatever way that looks.

“Last weekend the game was tough and difficult, the ball spent a lot of time in the air, but among all of that the most important thing was just to take something from the game.”

Wilkin added: “Saturday will be the same. It’ll be great if we get a performance that backs up the win, but if we don’t it’s not the end of the world.

“It’s all about winning games now, and how we get there is pretty secondary to me. Week on week we see how tight this division is, and we’re just trying to get each game out of the way with a positive result before seeing where we stand at the end of it.”

Jahdahn Fridye-Harper impressed on his first start for the club (Picture: Kieren Griffin Photography)
Jahdahn Fridye-Harper impressed on his first start for the club (Picture: Kieren Griffin Photography)

And against a Sudbury side who Telford have picked up just four points against from their three meetings since the start of last season, the Bucks chief is even more determined to secure the win at any cost.

“We went there at the end of last season and lost 1-0, and they always seem to be close games when we play them,” he admitted. “We’ve got to approach it in the right way, and if we do that at home and get into the groove that we know we’re capable of we know we can cause them problems.

“We’ve got to make the most of our strong home following and use it to the best effect, because we know how much it can galvanise us at certain times.”

Telford now boast an impressive squad of players who are all – with the exception of young defender Steffan Jones – fit enough to play their part in the run-in.

New signings Dylan Hadley and Ola Lawal both made their debuts last weekend as part of a new-look Telford forward line, while Jahdahn Fridye-Harper impressed in his first start for the club.

Experienced defenders Ellis Myles and Orrin Pendley dropped out of the side at Bromsgrove, with Pendley replaced by the returning Sam Whittall whose hamstring issues appear to have eased.

And there could be more changes in the backline tomorrow following the arrival of centre-back Oliver Crawford, who joined the club following a successful trial period after his release from Panamanian side Alianza FC.

Jimmy Armson and Byron Moore have also returned from injury and stand a chance of featuring this weekend.