Consistency is the key for AFC Telford United boss
A 1-1 draw for AFC Telford United at home to Alvechurch was the archetypal game of two halves, and manager Kevin Wilkin admitted afterwards that getting his side to maintain higher levels of performance consistently is something that lies with him to address.
“I think falling behind like we are, and it's happened on numerous occasions this season, is something that I've got to eradicate from us, as a team and as a group.
"The whole dynamic of the of the stadium and the belief it gives to Alvechurch and when we're chasing the game, it's not ideal.
"To have a moment where we don’t defend the first phase and switch off for the second and don’t clear our lines… that's where everybody's got to understand, the team and the group, and how hard we've got to be against the ball.”
The visitors took an early lead when Ammar Dyer took advantage of some sloppy defensive work to fire Alvechurch ahead, beating home keeper Brandon Hall following a routine free-kick the Bucks struggled to clear.
Neither side truly took control of matters in the first half, but after Wilkin “got into” his players at the half-time interval, they responded positively.
Sam Whittall, handed the captaincy in Kyle Storer’s absence, took responsibility for a penalty awarded after a foul on Ricardo Dinanga, and his manager was full of praise for how Whittall performed.
“Sam's one that would probably have started a little bit slower this season than he would have hoped, but that’s a measure of what Sam is, and the character that he is, and that’s why he’s in there," added Wilkin.
"I thought he was brilliant. There’s a fantastic tackle on the edge of the box, and having that character to step up and take the penalty – he's a big, big player for us. He’s a local boy, and I love him to bits. He's a good leader and man; he understands the level, he's a very capable player and yeah, we need a few more to step up and show that attitude and application.”
The outcome didn’t satisfy a section of the home club’s support, and Wilkin understands their expectations aren’t being met for some. Wilkin has been clear that he has higher expectations also.
The Bucks sprang a surprise ahead of kick-off by announcing the return of striker Reece Styche to the club.
The vastly experienced Styche doesn’t fit the bill for some supporters, but Wilkin insisted the move to re-engage Styche made good sense.
He said: "Look at his return last season, it was eight goals from 27 starts, which is a fair return.
"I understand (the criticism), that h's getting to the latter years of his career, but he's a man and you need men in that changing room that can deal with situations. He'll put his chest out and he'll keep going through that.
"We can have some frustrating moments together and we kind of laugh about it afterwards, but he’s a good character. Yes, everybody wants the profile of a 20-year-old that's coming in and that's on an upward curve; I understand and get all that and we're searching for them, but so is everybody else and we need to understand that.
"Once I knew that Reece was available, and we've needed extra firepower, no doubt about it, then I was delighted to have him back on board. Hopefully he can have a similar effect to what he had last season with us.”
