Chorley vs Telford - Match preview

The Bucks chief led Telford to a first National League North win at his eighth attempt in charge against Banbury last weekend.

Telford were unable to follow that up with another successful result and lost 1-0 at Bradford Park Avenue on Monday night as they remain bottom of the pile, 11 points from safety.

Wilkin takes his side to Chorley tomorrow with Telford’s long winless league run on the road still hanging over them. The former Brackley boss knows a lack of wins has not been good enough since his October appointment, but believes things are on the right track, and says he is constantly learning how his group work.

Wilkin said: “It’s been very much a mixed bag but results have obviously not been good enough, I’ll be the first to hold my hands up and admit that. We’ve not moved forward on the results front, but I think we’re getting a bit more out of players, they are starting to understand the intensity we need to work at, clearly that will take a little bit of time.

“Over the period we’re finding more out about the players as we go through, I was kind of aware of a lot before I came in, but you find out about abilities and characters.

“You’re always building the picture and understanding more and learning from it. We probably had a good idea of most here before taking the job but it doesn’t count for one or two different issues and challenges, which is always the case.

“I can see pretty clearly the changes that need to be made and that’s what we’ll try to do, we’ve been really badly hindered by suspensions and injuries. If we had a cleaner bill of health I’m pretty sure we’d have had more points.”

Experienced boss and and former striker Wilkin has been left tearing his hair out by some unavailability issues since he took over two months ago tomorrow.

As well as a lengthy injury list, which does mercifully now seem to be easing, suspensions have bitten. Brendon Daniels and Jamie Allen are both serving bans for red cards and miss tomorrow’s clash, while Harry Flowers, Matty Brown and Robbie Evans have all been unavailable due to the totting up of bookings.

Andy Preece’s Chorley, in 11th, have won three of their last five games.

Wilkin said of consistency: “If you can look at things in a block of games that’s probably better, but the predicament we’re in is moving game to game, it’s really frustrating and explains the reason we find ourselves where we are.

“It’s all part of continuity, momentum, when you’re having to constantly chop and change for whatever reason, it could be lack of form, suspension, injury, we need to improve that situation, to bring a more robust group better-equipped to deal with these eventualities will see us move forward results-wise.”