Kevin Wilkin - Battle for 'number nine shirt' can only be a good thing for AFC Telford United
Kevin Wilkin believes Matty Stenson and Adan George's battle for a starting spot can only be a good thing for AFC Telford United.
The Bucks have two in-form strikers in their squad, but tend to play one recognised 'number nine' in their 4-3-3 system.
That means one of their joint-top scorers will have to start games from the bench, and the Bucks boss believes that competition for places is the reason behind both players' good form.
"Matty's a proven goal scorer, and he's been doing that consistently for a large part of his career," Wilkin began. "Having him to bring off the bench and seeing him go and find moments at crucial times was big for us.
"He's a different sort of player to Adan, and they both bring different qualities to the table. You would probably say Stenno is at a stage where he's a little bit more composed with his finishing, whereas Adan is that little bit more mobile.
"Adan has had the shirt for several games now, and we know what Matty can do for us, so having that little bit of competition within the group is important."
So with two strikers fit and firing, will Wilkin struggle to balance the playing time between the pair? The Bucks boss insisted that can only be a positive problem to be faced with.
"I'll look at each game on it's merits," he began. "We know the energy that Adan can bring to our front line, and that's been a major factor for us in these last six weeks or so, but similarly we know that if we can get Stenno up to that similar level of fitness he'll be fighting for a starting spot too.
"Adan is at an age where he will continue to improve. We know he's capable of finishing chances, without a doubt, but Matty clearly has that little edge with his experience there at the moment.
"It's nice to have good players in the group, and that's the most important thing for me as a manager, and we know that if we lose one we've got somebody else there to go in and step up to the same level.
"Last season we didn't have that and it was noticeable for a period of time, but already this season we've lost Stenno for a period and have had Adan to go in there and he's done really, really well."
