Boss Kevin Wilkin gives his verdict on AFC Telford United's win over St Ives Town

Wilkin’s side took full advantage of the Cambridgeshire side’s poor start to the game, racing into a three-goal lead before the clock had reached half an hour played.

The manager acknowledged that his side hadn’t been able to maintain that level, but felt St Ives deserved credit for avoiding a potential humiliation as much as his side deserved criticism for not forcing the issue.

“(I’m) really pleased with the with the result, obviously," he said. "Certainly, the first-half performance we got was excellent. We really put St Ives on the back foot and asked lots and lots of questions of them.

"I don't think three at half-time flattered us, to be honest. Yes, we could have gone on and probably had about half a dozen in the first period.

"We missed some good moments, and the goalie has made some good saves. Then, like we do, we offer the encouragement we do and allow St Ives a glimmer of opportunity.”

Matty Stenson’s sixth and seventh goals of the campaign had St Ives tottering, and Remi Walker added a third after 24 minutes. His low, long-range effort squirmed out of the grasp of keeper Dan Wilks as Storm Bert claimed the assist on a soggy afternoon at the SEAH Stadium.

The visitors dug deep in the second half and replied through Josh Allen’s goal on the counter-attack. It was a goal Wilkin accepted some responsibility for, having instructed his side to leave just two men back at a corner as they pushed for more goals.

“That's not a great moment, and I’m disappointed in myself that our set-up isn't better in that situation," he said. "Credit to St Ives; they've kept going and kept fighting, forcing issues and situations.

"They've changed their formation and the personnel, and we’ve had to manage and deal with those situations.

"Brandon (Hall) had to make a fantastic save right at the death and again, you have to take your hat off to them; they don't give up, and people don't give up when they come here, and that's something we have to manage and deal with all the time.”

Wilkin recognised that St Ives’ revival may not have happened had his team dispatched them in the first half, one that the Bucks dominated.

Despite Wilks’ howler, he denied the Bucks several times, and the Bucks boss preferred to accentuate the positives when considering the performance overall.

“I suppose the disappointment is we haven’t scored more goals," he said. "We should have done with how we passed the ball in the first period and how we were on the front foot. We were difficult to handle and we showed what we can be.

"We didn't reach those levels in the second half, for whatever reason; whether that's one or two tiring or making poor decisions, or St Ives improving, it was a more even contest in the second period, and it can be a difficult position to find yourself in.

"You’re kind of comfortable at half-time at 3-0, and really driving that home and putting it to bed and not building on that score in the second half was obviously a little bit disappointing, but taking the three points is the most important thing.

"Staying strong and staying together is really, really important, and it keeps us around the sharp end.”