Reece Styche reveals respect for Kevin Wilkin after AFC Telford United return

Questions have been raised among sections of the Telford support after the 35-year-old rejoined the club, highlighting a reported fallout between the pair last season.

However, the former Gibraltar international explained how he jumped at the opportunity to work with the Bucks boss again, having not wanted to leave in the summer.

“The gaffer didn’t get rid of me last season, I was going to stay, and I told him I wasn’t bothered about the money, I just wanted some stability at the club,” Styche explained. “I just couldn’t afford to wait; he was waiting on Montel (Gibson), and I just couldn’t play the long game.”

He continued: “I was fine with it because he obviously wanted the best striker he could get, so I signed for Stratford because I needed that security.

“As soon as the opportunity came to come back I did, and it happened so quickly.

“This narrative that the budget has been wasted on me, it just hasn’t. I’m not on the money that I was on last year and while it’s fine for people to have their own opinions I do think that criticism is unfair.”

While the relationship between Wilkin and Styche is strong, the 35-year-old did not hide from the fact that the two had their disagreements.

Having been left out of both play-off games last season, brutally honest conversations between player and manager were not uncommon in the close season. “I was speaking to the gaffer about this at the end of last season, me and Whitts (Sam Whittall) came in when the club was struggling and that coincided with us turning our form around,” Styche said.

“I watched the game against Quorn when we were really, really bad and the fans completely turned on Kev (Wilkin), and I remember saying to him I’m going to do everything I can to ensure that you aren’t going to get the sack.”

Styche went on to reveal: “We spoke at the end of the season, and I said to him that I’d stuck to my end of the bargain, and I’d like to think I had a big effect on the team.

“My argument was in games that Montel didn’t look like scoring the gaffer could have made a change, more than just bringing Stenno (Matty Stenson) on and that being it. That was my frustration with it, and I’ve said that to him, it felt like everything I’d done for him in the build-up to that hadn’t been paid back.

“He agreed with me on it, and I’m a reflective person so we spoke about the facts and the moments throughout the season.

“Looking at it from my point of view, it did feel like a case of ‘what more can I do, gaffer?’ I need more minutes in the team, and I felt a little bit disrespected.

“We’ve communicated a lot, I knew where he was coming from and he knew where I was coming from, and that’s where my respect comes from for him.”

And while their professional relationship may have taken some knocks, Styche explained why his personal relationship with Kevin Wilkin has never been stronger.

“I’d gone through some really bad times in my personal life towards the end of last season, and only the gaffer knew,” he said. “The way he looked out for me and supported me, my respect for him is massive.”

Styche affirmed: “I really want to put it out there that me and Kev have got an unbelievable relationship, and I mean unbelievable.

“I know there were stories that I’d stormed off after the play-off final and we were on bad terms, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.

“We had a conversation afterwards and we were absolutely fine, he knows I was disappointed because I’d gone into those games full of confidence, but ultimately he’s the manager and I respected whatever decision he made at the time.

“He lives and dies by his decisions, and whether I got brought on or not is irrelevant, we lost the game and that’s regardless of me.”