AFC Telford boss has his say on potential Dinanga replacement

Telford received an undisclosed fee for the 23-year-old Irishman after Salop triggered the release clause in his contract, while the Bucks will also receive a percentage of any transfer fee their Shropshire rivals receive for Dinanga in the future.

It is the second player Telford have received a fee for this season after selling Nathan Fox to Spalding United, but having missed out on several transfer targets already this season there is no indication the club will move immediately for reinforcements.

“I look at the staff I’ve got around me and we’ve got a pretty reasonable track record of developing players for full-time football,” Wilkin stressed when discussing Dinanga’s move to the EFL.  “At my previous clubs we had several players move on into the full-time game, so I’d like to think we’re good at identifying players and then progressing them as players and people within the team.

“I’m confident with my record, and our record as a management group, that if players are willing to work hard enough we can help them get to a level over and above where we currently find ourselves.

“We know there’s a void there to fill with Ricky, and it would be fantastic if that replacement was within the group.”

Of the current options in the Telford squad, the most likely heir to Dinanga’s position looks to be Ellis Brown, but Wilkin admitted he does not expect any one player to ‘fill the void'.

“The finger won’t be pointed at one player in particular,” he explained. “Ricardo has gone to a League One club and League One players at step three aren’t ten a penny. That’s a fact.

“We’re now hoping that there are other players in our squad who can kick on themselves and get back to full-time football.”

Wilkin continued: “For any player that’s on an upward curve you just have to look at Ricky’s consistency over a prolonged period.

“It’s an indication to anyone in the team, especially those younger players, that they are the levels you have to reach to go and play football full-time.

“Ricky showed that if you continue to play well on a consistent basis and put an undeniable mark next to your name by scoring goals, people are going to show an interest in you regardless of the level you play at.

“If you work to a high level there will be interest from higher levels, but you have to find those big moments week in week out, which Ricky had been doing for us.”

Telford were able to secure the signing of Scunthorpe midfielder Max Brogan on a one-month loan, but Wilkin admitted they continue to struggle to compete financially when it comes to signing players permanently.

“We’ve missed out on players who have gone over and above our level. It was going to cost us a fee to try and get the lad in, but he’s gone into a higher level which we have to understand and respect,” he revealed. “The most important thing for us is identifying the right sorts of players. We don’t always get them, but we’re patient and we’ll continue to try with a lot of the players we think would improve us.

“For whatever reason you’re always going to miss out on some, through location or finance or the opportunity to play at a higher level, but we have confidence that we can identify the right players and bring them to the club.”