Chorley v Telford: Bucks need to make their good play count for more

The Bucks made it six games unbeaten on Saturday after a 1-1 draw with Southport in Shropshire.

But in those six games, Telford have led on three occasions before being pegged back for a point by their opponents.

Wilkin’s side visit Chorely tonight in the National League North, as they look to build on their first away win in 784 days, which they picked up last time out on their travels – with a 2-0 win at relegation rivals Buxton earlier this month.

The manager was keen to accentuate the positives from the weekend’s fixture, but recognised there remains more work to do, as they bid to chase down those above them in the table.

He said: “It was nice to take the lead, but we have to build on that.

“There were some good moments after that, where really we should have given ourselves that cushion to take the game away from Southport.”

The Bucks have yet to taste defeat in 2023, but the game on Tuesday night will be a tough test with the hosts sitting in seventh place.

And Wilkin will be seeking to build on the progress made so far this year whilst hoping his side can go that one step further.

He continued: “There’s more of an air of optimism around the group, and around the place, I feel, and we need to continue to make that the case.

“We’re making better decisions now and generally just showing a better quality on the ball.

“We’re clearly not at the level that we need to be, but the lads are getting on with it and understanding and recognising moments better than they did when we first came in.”

In terms of the side he will have available, he has been in a good position of late only making a few alterations to his starting XI each game.

Montel Gibson served his last game of a three-match suspension against Southport at the weekend.

He will return to Wilkin’s thinking should he decide to make a few changes to the team to freshen things up.

They do have more forward options to choose from now too. Rackeem Reid made his Bucks debut at the weekend, coming on in the 61st minute.

He could be in contention for his first start for Wilkin, to help his players cope with the demanding workload.

The overall outlook is still fairly bleak for Telford – they trail 23rd-placed Blyth Spartans by six points.

With four teams dropping out of the division this season, they need to get nine points to catch up with those around them – with a bad goal difference too.

Although it has been a positive start to the year for the Bucks, draws are not enough for them to beat the drop. They need to start winning consistently, and soon.