AFC Telford preview: Day of destiny is here for Bucks
Kevin Wilkin believes AFC Telford United have proven they have what it takes to topple Kettering Town in Monday afternoon's Southern Central Premier play-off final.
The Bucks travel to Northamptonshire with their last trip to Latimer Park fresh in their memories – a 1-1 draw in March where the hosts scored a dramatic 92nd-minute equaliser.
Despite suffering that late heartache there were still lots of positives for Telford to take on an afternoon where they dominated the then-favourites for automatic promotion, and Wilkin admitted there is a confidence within his squad that they can go one better on Monday.
“We’ve drawn confidence from that game without a doubt, and as I’ve said for a while now looking around the players we have in the group we know we’re a match for anybody at this level,” the Bucks boss said. “I think we’ve proved that throughout the course of the season, but those big players are going to have to come to the table now.”
He continued: “It’s an away game and I’m sure there’ll be a massive following from them. They’ll try and make things really difficult for us, but as a group we want to be here.
“We want to be in big games in front of big crowds on big occasions, and with this group of players I know we can get through those challenges.”
The Bucks boss also gave his thoughts on which side will be under the most pressure come kick-off.
“Both teams will feel an element of pressure without a doubt,” Wilkin began. “Kettering did look as though they were going to win the league at a canter at various points throughout the season and it hasn’t quite happened for them in the end.”
He added: “Equally, there were periods where we’ve had the chance to go and win the league ourselves and didn’t come up with the necessary wins.
“They’re close affairs and we know we’ve got to deal with the opposition and their strong home following, as well as the surface which I wouldn’t say plays to our strengths.
“We’re not making excuses because we know exactly what to expect, so we can just get on with focusing on winning the game.”
And Wilkin’s final word went to the Telford supporters, both the 600 set to travel to Kettering and the thousands who will follow updates from home.
“They’ll absolutely (make it feel like a home game), and they’ve done that for us all season,” he said. “We’re lucky to travel everywhere with the strong and vocal support that we’ve got, and hopefully they can be the difference for us.
“It’s disappointing that we can’t get more people to the game, and I’m sure there will be people who have supported us home and away all season who will miss out.
“That’s not my headache; I’ve got to focus on getting the team absolutely right and able to do the job on Monday so we can make everyone happy.”
