Wilkin delighted as Telford stay strong in Boxing Day victory

“In the first 10 minutes, both sides are feeling one another out," said Wilkin. 

"It settled down, we took the impetus by scoring first, and then I think we've largely managed the ball and dominated most of the first half. 

"You know there's going to be a reaction. They make lots of changes at half-time, and staying strong and keeping together was important to us. 

"They get a goal, which brings them straight back into it in front of a strong following, and it's just important then to understand that we need to stay strong, we need to stay organised, we need to stay composed in those moments, and we did.”

Goals from Jamie Meddows and Matty Stenson had put the Bucks in the box seat on Boxing Day, prompting visiting manager Callum McIntyre into a quadruple half-time substitution.

Kevin Roberts scored from close range to bring the deficit back to one goal, but Stenson’s 17 th goal of the season restored the cushion. 

He capitalised on a horrendous error by keeper George Murray-Jones, and although Wilkin praised his striker, it was the overall effort he enjoyed the most

.“Stenno’s come up with a big goal for us, as he has many times this season, just to give us that cushion, and I thought then we found our feet again," added Wilkin.

"The game's still on; we know ourselves that we've come from behind in those situations later on, so you can never take anything for granted. 

"You've got to stay focused, and organised, and committed to the situation, to continue to win your battles. 

"That really did please me about us. As a group, working hard for one another, again, subs getting off the bench and working hard and keeping the level and the standards there is important to us.”

One black mark for the Bucks was the absence of striker Adan George, who sustained an injury at Buxton that failed to ease over the weekend, and left him on crutches after a visit to hospital. 

Wilkin said George will undergo a scan to assess the extent of the damage.