AFC Telford United: The 2024/25 season in review

The Bucks were strong favourites for the Southern Central Premier title at the start of the season, but they had to earn promotion the hard way through the play-offs with a 4-2 win at rivals Kettering Town.

It was another season of change and development for the club on and off the pitch for Telford, and it is time to discuss some of those major talking points now.

Success

The main success for the Bucks was of course their promotion back to the sixth tier of English football, and out of the increasingly-difficult lottery that is step-three of the non-league pyramid.

Telford have punched above their weight with this promotion financially, with several clubs at the level, and even some at the level below, throwing more money at the promotion dream and came up short – including play-off final opponents Kettering.

Telford were able to deal with opponents raising their game when coming to the SEAH Stadium and ended the season with the best home record in the division; 45 points from a possible 63.

The early-season performances and subsequent sale of talented forward Ricardo Dinanga to Shrewsbury Town highlighted the pathway the club can offer young players, while the mid-season arrivals of loanees Harry Hawkins and Max Brogan, talismanic captain Luke Rowe, assured defenders Jahdahn Fridye-Harper, Jordan Crasnton and Oliver Cawthorne and dynamic attackers Ola Lawal and Dylan Allen-Hadley helped turn the Bucks from nearly men to promotion winners.

And of course the goalscoring exploits of Matty Stenson – netting 32 goals in 37 games – went a long way to ensuring a return to step two for Telford.

Failures

A failure that Kevin Wilkin and Telford cannot afford to make this summer is the one they have made in the two summers previous when it came to squad building.

Last summer saw 13 members of the squad that lost the 2024 play-off final to Leamington return, as Kevin Wilkin favoured familiarity over fresh faces.

The Bucks boss added to that by bringing in Jimmy Armson and Alex Gudger, two trusted members of his Brackley Town side during his seven-year spell in Northamptonshire.

And after losing last season's top scorer Montel Gibson to step two side Hereford, Wilkin hoped former Barrow and Wrexham man Dior Angus would be the man to fire the club to promotion.

Unfortunately the move did not work out well for either party, and Angus left the club by mutual consent in October after finding goals and game time hard to come by.

Telford’s defensive record also proved to be levels below the 2023/24 season, as they conceded a whopping 60 goals in 42 league games and suffered humiliating defeats to Stourbridge (5-1) and Stratford Town (4-0) along the way.

Manager

Kevin Wilkin came into the season with the security of a two-year contract but will have been feeling the pressure of expectation throughout the campaign having missed out on promotion in the previous season’s play-off final.

The squad did not need major surgery in the summer, but the changes that were made did not have the desired effect as Telford started the season slowly for the second year running.

However, credit must be heaped on the Bucks boss for his ability to identify problems within his squad and rectify them, as for the second season running he oversaw a mid-season rebuild of his squad that turned them from play-off hopefuls to promotion winners.

And for Wilkin the manner of his side’s promotion will be the most pleasing thing.

After a treacherous recent history in play-off campaigns he admitted there was a motivation to improve his own personal record, and to do so with a 4-2 comeback victory over the side most people believed would have promotion wrapped up before the end of the season is a special way to finish.

Also, his relationship with the Telford supporters is something that has not been seen at the club for some time.

Off the field

The last 18 months have seen huge progress made when it comes to the mood around AFC Telford United, and that has improved even more after promotion was achieved.

With the average attendance at the SEAH Stadium for the 2024/25 season comfortably over 1,000, and no home league game drawing a crowd below four figures all season, it is clear that the appetite for football is growing again in Shropshire.

Promotion back to the National League North will provide huge opportunities for the AFC Telford United Foundation, who continue to do fine work in the local community on matchdays and throughout the weeks.

And work is still ongoing regarding the club’s search for a permanent training facility, something Kevin Wilkin has been calling for ever since he joined the club.

So while the priority has to be establishing Telford in the sixth tier, investment in the club’s infrastructure and facilities is vital next season to ensure they have the best possible chance of success on the field.

What next?

Well, another crack at the National League North.

The AFC Telford United that were relegated from the division in 2023 and the AFC Telford United that have been promoted to it in 2025 are two entirely different clubs, and the feeling is that the Bucks stand a much better chance of success this time around.

Crucially, with a popular manager and captain already committed to the club for next season, both of whom understand the division and what success looks like, Telford’s leadership group will remain consistent as they step up a level.

It will be absolutely vital that the recruitment this summer does not leave Telford in need of another mid-season rebuild, so it will be interesting to see whether Wilkin moves away from his tendency to sign players he has worked with previously. Brackley Town’s promotion to step one may present opportunities to recruit more of his former players.

If the Bucks can take the momentum of the 2024/25 season into the National League North there is no reason why they cannot consolidate and ensure there is no swift return to the bear pit that is step three.