Royston Town vs Telford - Match preview

The Bucks’ 17-game unbeaten run was ended by the Southern Central Premier promotion favourites, with two second-half goals condemning them to their first defeat since September.

And while Wilkin admitted disappointment at losing their streak, he stressed the importance of bouncing back at the earliest opportunity this evening against Royston Town.

“We’ve done terrific, and the lads have worked really hard to get us into the position that we find ourselves,” he said. “We’ve now got to dust ourselves down, lick our wounds a little bit and keep moving forward.”

Wilkin continued: “When you’ve been on the end of a reverse it is nice to get the chance to bounce back and get on a run again.

“Of course that’s the intention, and it’s nice not to have to wait seven days to get the opportunity, so it’s important that we go and take it.”

The loss at Needham Market was Telford’s first since the two sides met at New Bucks Head in September.

Telford have climbed from 17th to as high as fourth since then, and despite sitting outside the play-offs going into this evening’s game are well placed for a top five finish.

A strong first half against the Suffolk outfit went unrewarded, with Remi Walker and Nathan Fox both seeing efforts well saved by the Needham goalkeeper.

And Wilkin believes there are plenty of things to be positive about despite a rare defeat.

“It was disappointing, I’ve watched the highlights back and we had some decent moments,” he said. “We looked the more likely side in the first half, but you have to give Needham credit for picking us off.”

Explaining his message to the players after the game, the Bucks boss said: “I tried to keep things in perspective and make them understand why we did well on the run that we’ve been on.

“The lads need to keep working and stay at the level that we have been, clearly Needham have been that consistent side at the level this season and that’s our goal to be up there and around that.”

Royston will likely prove another stern test for the Bucks, coming off the back of four wins from their last six games.

The two sides were due to meet in January, only for the game to be postponed due to a waterlogged pitch. And the Telford manager is expecting another tough test on the road.

“They can be quite direct; they load the ball on you,” Wilkin said. “Equally you saw evidence of it when we played them in the first game of the season, they have got players who can play with the ball at their feet.

“If you allow them chances and opportunities they can hurt you, like any team in this league as there are no easy games, you’ve got to be right on it to get three points.”