AFC Telford United boss Kevin Wilkin to wait for loan deals
Patient boss Kevin Wilkin is opting keep his powder dry in the search for AFC Telford United reinforcements.
The Bucks had looked at adding a couple of players on loan to boost a squad currently stretched by injury but a light fixture list over the next month, due to their early FA Cup exit, has prompted a rethink.
It means the boss will continue to give youth a chance when his team host Mickelover tomorrow night, aiming to kick-on from Saturday’s 3-2 win at St Ives Town.
“There were a couple that we could potentially have taken,” said Wilkin. “But we play a big game at home on Tuesday and then we don’t play for a little while.
“Looking at potentially having to pay somebody for the month, it’s a long period to have to find the finances for and then maybe not get so much football out of whoever (comes in).”
Depleted numbers did not prevent the Bucks from picking up their first away win of the season on Saturday, albeit in dramatic fashion thanks to Montel Gibson’s stoppage-time winner.
While Wilkin expressed delight at the character shown by his team, he was equally critical of their naivety in letting a strong position slip before fighting back.
Jordan Piggott’s first-half opener was quickly cancelled out, and the Bucks then fell behind to a Michael Richens goal before rallying. Defender Orrin Pendley blasted them level with 20 minutes remaining, and leading scorer Gibson popped up at the death.
“We’ve got loads of character in the group and desire to do well, but there’s an awful lot of naivety in there,” said Wilkin. “We make some really poor decisions at times and I’m probably a little bit reliant on too many younger players there that can lose their way.”
Captain Fraser Kerr’s knee ligament strain prevented his participation, and fellow defender Nathan Fox’s recovery from a hamstring injury continues. Wilkin was also without midfielder Ty Webster, the teenage midfielder serving a suspension, and the manager admitted his resources were stretched.
He explained: “We need those big players out there and playing so that we’re more controlled in the game and just able to come through games like that in a more comfortable fashion.”
“We’re in a difficult place at the moment, and obviously learning about one another and yeah, it’s tough. Some of the young boys and some of the senior boys as well, make some really strange decisions out there and then we’ve become an inefficient side.
“Credit to St. Ives, they’ve done really well today and could argue that they should have taken something out of the game and they’ve had some near misses. We’ve had quite a lot of near misses where at one nil we should have shifted the game away from them, really, but we didn’t, and we’ve got to learn and understand how to win games in a more comfortable fashion.”
