AFC Telford preview: Bucks on a revenge mission against Redditch United

The defeat marked the end of a tough run during the Autumn, where the Bucks won just one of their five games between September 21 and October 21.

However, after a lot of turnover of players in both team’s squads, Telford boss Kevin Wilkin is anticipating a completely new challenge this weekend.

“It’s a very different side, and they’ve lost some very good players,” he explained. “Teams have picked off and taken some of their best players so it will be very different to the team we faced earlier in the season.

“We can’t underestimate them. They’ve got players who are on an upward curve, but the stage they’re at within their career remains to be seen.”

The Telford chief also referenced the difference between Redditch’s 3G surface at their home ground, compared to Telford’s grass surface at the SEAH Stadium

Discussing their previous meetings, Wilkin said: “In the last couple of years we’ve never enjoyed going and playing on those 3g pitches.

“In the return fixture last year I think you saw a better picture of us, and we ended up beating them quite comfortably in the end.”

He added: “They’ve changed personnel, we’ve changed personnel, and I’m expecting it to be a whole different game on Saturday on a completely different surface that should hopefully suit us a bit better.”

Telford’s Max Brogan could play his last game for the club on Saturday ahead of the end of his loan move from Scunthorpe, but Wilkin revealed the wheels have been set in motion regarding extending that deal.

“We’re hoping to have that boxed off before the weekend, and the indications at this stage are that Scunthorpe are happy for him to stay with us, and Max wants to be here too,” Wilkin said. “The conversation needs to be thrashed out, but if there’s the opportunity to take him until the end of the season that’s something we’ll certainly look to action.”

After three draws in a row Telford cannot afford to drop more points, in what is one of the closest title races in recent memory.

And Wilkin has called for his players to be more ruthless against sides beneath them in the Southern Central Premier.

“I’d be the first to say that we would have expected to beat Biggleswade, and with the greatest respect you’d like to think we would’ve had enough to overcome Bishop’s Stortford,” he said. “I do understand that they aren’t ideal results for us, but as we’ve been saying all season it just emphasises the tight nature and unpredictability of the league.”

Wilkin added: “Without a doubt we can’t allow refereeing decisions to have such a bearing on the outcome for us, and at the moment that’s the tightrope that we’re walking.”

“We should be able to do enough so we don’t have to worry about that, but at the moment we’re not.”