AFC Telford boss wary of hosts in 'comfort zone'

The Bucks travel to the Spencer Stadium in Oxfordshire tomorrow knowing only a win will do as they battle against Bedford, Halesowen and Kettering for the Southern Central Premier title.

And against the 12th-placed Puritans, who are 12 points off the play-off places and nine points clear of the relegation zone with four games left, Wilkin admitted it is tough to know what version of their opponents will turn up.

“When you’re playing within that comfort zone when you know whatever result you get won’t really matter it can be a comfortable place to be,” the Bucks boss said. “They can play in that comfort zone I suppose, but pride will still kick in, they’ll still see us as a scalp, and they’ll still very much want to beat us just like every team does.”

He added: “They don’t concede many goals, and they don’t score many goals, so on the face of it you might expect it to be a challenging game particularly on their pitch.

“Prior to beating Lowestoft they haven’t been a high-scoring side, but then they’ve got the best defensive record in the league, so it’ll be a challenge for different reasons to last Saturday.”

After two home games on the ever-impressive SEAH Stadium pitch, the Telford boss also raised the point that his side may have to adapt their style of play to suit the harder surface at the Spencer Stadium.

“We might have to change the way we play because of the surface, but we’ve adapted to those situations previously and hopefully we do so again,” Wilkin said. “It’s a really interesting one, and quite how it plays out we’ll have to wait and see.”

He added: “If the surface is like it has been in previous seasons where there hasn’t been much rain it’ll be very dry and bouncy, and I’d guess it’ll be a very direct game.”

With a potentially crucial trip to Halesowen on the horizon, Wilkin has been searching for ways of keeping his squad fresh, with the Bucks getting Tuesday night off from training.

And the Telford boss explained that he is still reluctant to make changes to his side that are not enforced, despite acknowledging the improved depth within his squad.

“There is (more depth) now, and hopefully that little bit more quality too,” Wilkin said. “We’ve still got four massive games to play, and we need to win every single one.

“When you’re leaving good players out of the side like we have done it can be tough, but it’s all for the right reasons.

“We have to say how the lads come out of every game, and if they all come through okay then clearly my inclination will be to leave things alone.

“This weekend creates a whole new set of challenges to last Saturday, just as every game does.”