"We didn't lie down" - Boss Kevin Wilkin on AFC Telford's FA Trophy thriller

The Bucks recovered from a two-goal deficit with only 10 minutes remaining to defeat Altrincham 4-3, with striker Matty Stenson’s brace writing his name into club history as their AFC-era leading scorer.

And boss Kevin Wilkin felt his team’s firepower always gave them a chance.

He said: “We've got players in the team that can score and go and find moments, and that became a difficult place for them (Altrincham) at that point.

"When Stenno (Stenson) steps up like he does and finishes that moment… I'm not saying there's going to be only one winner in it, but the impetus is with us then, isn't it?

"When they've been two goals to the good on two occasions, and you keep chasing them down and finding those moments? Fantastic.

"And the interaction between our players and our crowd and making the most of home advantage, giving our support something to cheer about and latch on to… it was important, and we've done that really, really well in the second-half and it's just nice when you come through it in the manner that we have.”

While Wilkin felt his team had “struggled to understand” how to combat the visitors’ early dominance, he was delighted with the appetite they showed in the second half, scoring four goals.

“We didn't lie down," he said. "They were far and away the better side in the first half; their press was really good, and when they needed to make a tackle, get a bite, and win the ball back, they did.

"When we got the ball back off them, we didn't manage the ball particularly well, and we've struggled to understand that and be effective within it.”

The Bucks trailed to two excellent Jimmy Knowles finishes, but Wilkin felt that if they could get a foothold, his side might be in business, and so it proved.

“It was important to get into half-time at 2-0; you're kind of still in the game, and we knew if we could score next, the game would open up again," the boss said. "When you’re rocked back, and having been the best side from half-time to the point of their third goal, that does rock you back - can we still believe? Brilliant, when a sub (Jimmy Armson) gets off the bench like that and heads one and all of a sudden you're within touching distance of them again.”

Substitute Adan George had cut the visitors’ lead by the 53rd minute, but when Ollie Crankshaw’s deflected strike against the run of play opened up the gap to two, few would have envisaged what followed.

Armson’s 80th-minute header cut the lead once more, and then Stenson took over, blasting the Bucks level within 20 seconds of the restart to break Andy Brown’s longstanding club record. The striker then fired in an injury-time winner in a scarcely credible finish.

While Stenson broke records, Wilkin might also feel like a broken record; certain aspects of his side’s performance displeased him, but in the moment, the outcome outweighed those concerns.

“Yeah, we've done well in the end," he said. "We were poor in the first half, and we never quite understood certain moments in the game. They pressed us really, really well and made life hard for us, and backed us right up to our own penalty area.

"We probably started out with safe possession in and around the halfway line, and they kept forcing us back and forcing us back, and when we did get into certain moments, we kept giving it back to them too easily. We’ve got to show a little bit more composure in certain areas.”