Our supporters were our 12th man, says Telford’s Kevin Wilkin
Boss Kevin Wilkin praised the impact of the AFC Telford United supporters in the win over Halesowen - describing them as the 12th man on the night.
The Bucks got through to the play-off final on Wednesday evening, where they will come up against Kettering on Monday, thanks to a nail-biting 3-2 victory over the Yeltz.
There were 3,204 supporters inside the SEAH Stadium, with the play-off semi-final being played in a great atmosphere.
Telford had setbacks in the game. They trailed initially as Kieren Donnelly gave the Yeltz the lead, and Halesowen made it 2-2 out of the blue with 15 minutes to go.
And Wilkin says the supporters played a huge part in helping them get over the line.
He said: “The support on Wednesday when we were not playing our best, and it is easy to get on the players’ backs - but they stayed behind us.
“We weren’t great after Halesowen scored. We were getting bullied around and not passing the ball as we were capable of, and it was important they stayed with us in the moment.
“We are lucky to have such a fantastic fanbase, and our intentions are to get back to the level. We want to play in front of crowds like Wednesday week on week.
“If we can continue to develop and play some exciting football and score some goals, then there will be a few more on a regular basis through the gate.
“They were terrific though. They were that 12th man, and need a whole lot of credit for getting us over the line.”
Matty Stenson, who scored the winner on the night, and has 30 plus goals this season, is an injury concern for that play-off final at Kettering, he has a slight groin issue. Bucks will hope to strap him up for the clash.
