Bucks boss Wilkin sure his men are on the right track

The Bucks paid the price for not making their dominance count at Alfreton on Saturday when they slipped to a 1-0 reverse.

But after an upturn in results to go with performances that Wilkin has broadly been satisfied with, the weekend outcome was seen as a misstep.

The manager agreed with the assessment of it as a harsh lesson in the realities and a reminder that getting ahead of themselves can be costly, but also expressed optimism that his team can absorb that lesson.

“Those young players are improving all the time, and they're an exciting bunch," said Wilkin.

"We've got good players to bring off the bench and to give them a chance, a moment, an opportunity. 

"The first XI have been doing well of late, and for some of those that are waiting in the wings, it's a little bit frustrating for them, but I think we've got a strong squad. 

"We need to start winning a few more games. That's exactly what we need to do, but certainly there's enough encouragement out there with the performances that have shown that, hopefully, that's not too far away.”

Aside from a double save from keeper Josh Gracey, Alfreton barely troubled the Bucks’ defence on Saturday.

But after Austin Samuels had won, and then converted a penalty leading up to half-time, the home side kept the visitors at bay.

The nature of the result ground the gears of the Bucks manager, but he felt his team displayed the sort of attributes needed to be successful, with just that one missing ingredient.

"Josh has made a double save for us, to be fair, but that's the only real thing he had to do in the game," added Wilkin. 

"We've passed it well, competed well, showed good energy and quality at times, but yeah, we need to take that step forward now and be turning that dominance into results.

"We've worked hard to create good moments. We've had two good moments, certainly in the first period, and maybe one or two others where we probably should have done a little bit better.”  

Alfreton have endured a dismal opening to the season, changing management team just a few games in, and they may have looked ripe for the taking. 

But an influx of signings galvanised them, and they showed a determination to hold on to their advantage that took the Bucks a while to get to grips with.

“I thought the way we carried the fight to Alfreton in the second period… they've had a lot of change-around and we had a look at them and where they're at," said Wilkin.

"That's thrown up in the air with all the new players they've brought in, but we've adapted well enough and looked pretty comfortable in the game.

"The lads have continued to try to move the ball in the right way, right to the final whistle. It hasn't quite happened for us, but there's a lot of effort and energy in that group and obviously a lot of disappointment now because we felt our performance merited more.”