Telford v Alvechurch preview: Back-to-back victories the target for Wilkin’s Bucks

The Bucks missed the chance to achieve the feat on Saturday when their game against AFC Sudbury was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch.

Instead Wilkin’s side have the chance to make it consecutive victories in the Southern Central Premier at home to Alvechurch, and the boss is keen to do just that.

“It was unfortunate to lose a game to weather at such an early stage of the season, but these things can happen, and we’ve just got to get on with it,” he said.

“It’s nice that we haven’t had to wait too long to get an opportunity to get back-to-back victories.”

There has been good news and bad news on the injury front over the weekend, and Wilkin admitted the break has allowed his players time to recover.

“Montel Gibson may have a chance to be available, he was desperate to play against Sudbury and would have travelled but we still weren’t convinced he was over the injury,” Wilkin said.

“We’ll give him a late fitness test to see where he’s at.”

Young defender Brad Bood is the latest player to go down with an injury though, picking up a back problem prior to the weekend.

Wilkin confirmed it is likely that Bood will join Twariq Yusuf and Fraser Kerr on the absentees list, although there has been good news regarding the latter’s ankle

injury.

“Fraser’s injury looks to be on the shorter side of what we were initially looking at,” he said.

“There’s no surgery required based on the scan that he’s had so hopefully it won’t be as long as we first feared.”

New signing Sam Whittall is expected to start in defence to fill the void left by Kerr’s absence as he did so well against Stratford on his debut.

Telford will face a stern test in Alvechurch, a side that have won four games in a row and are unbeaten in the Southern Central Premier since early September.

It is the kind of run that Telford are looking to get on themselves, and the Bucks boss believes now is the perfect time to climb the

table.

“A couple of wins lifts you right up in and around the play-off areas and that shows the importance of getting a few wins,” Wilkin explained.

“Alvechurch are in good form, and they’ve got that little bit of momentum and belief in their ranks that we’re searching for at the minute.”

He continued: “We’re fully respectful of what they are capable of doing and the good players in their team and we know it’ll be a tough game but equally we believe in what we are doing and hopefully that’ll stand us in good stead.

“With the good players we’ve got we know we can deal with them, and I think it’s time to build on the Stratford result and bring some continuity to our season.”