AFC Telford United to enjoy a rare Saturday back home

A season of inconsistencies on and off the field has caused frustration among many at the club, despite the side sitting just five points off the top of the Southern Central Premier.

And manager Kevin Wilkin is hoping his players can take momentum from last weekend’s FA Trophy triumph at Mickleover into their league campaign.

“You need fixtures to be kind to you and they haven’t been really, it’s been very stop-start, and we haven’t had the momentum of turning up which has been a bit of a challenge,” the Bucks boss bemoaned. “I always say, you have to face up to these challenges and I won’t make it an excuse for one moment, we have to make the very best of it.

“I think the positivity that we showed (at Mickleover), and the amount of times we got into good moments (pleased most).”

Visitors Bishop’s Stortford have endured a difficult start to life back in the seventh tier, having been convincingly relegated from the National League North last season.

It has not been too dissimilar a start to the season as Telford endured last year, something Wilkin admits could change at any moment.

“I think it is certainly a fair comparison to make,” he agreed. “The start to the season they had was fairly consistent, but they seem to have lost that of late which goes to show how tight and close this level is.”

Wilkin added: “We always respect our opponents, and we know that if we allow them to get a head of steam up they can be a real challenge for us.

“As always we will just focus on ourselves and bring the best version of ourselves to the table, we just need to be prepared to deal with the reaction they will be wanting to show.”

Playing in front of their home fans on a Saturday afternoon for the first time in over two months will likely mean another impressive turnout at the SEAH Stadium.

And the Bucks boss understands the key to any success his side are to have tomorrow will rest on how well they manage the game, and the crowd, early on.

“Clearly the easiest way to manage a crowd is to show them effort, desire and get yourselves in the box seat,” Wilkin said. “We have been slow starters, and I need to address that and make us start quicker, because the impact that can have on us and the crowd shouldn’t be underestimated.”

He continued: “The last thing we want to do is have to play against the home crowd as well as the opposition.

“We understand the passion within the stadium, and it’s important to embrace that and use it to our advantage as best we can.”

Reece Styche will return to the fold, while Byron Moore and Nathan Fox are injury concerns after coming off early last weekend.