Kevin Wilkin: Post-Match vs Hitchin Town FC - Southern League Premier Central - 17th August 2024

Kevin think I say with some confidence that that was a game where defenses were not on top this afternoon a crazy 54 win over hitching town here at the SE Stadium um a first win of the Season which no doubt will please you um five different scorers which nice to see people weighing in as well um but just a curious afternoon yeah it was a real strange afternoon wasn't it and you know where do you begin with it um you know great start for us um needed a reaction after Tuesday night and and you know we got ourselves in a good place and then within minutes we're in a pretty difficult place no doubt about that and uh yeah that's how the game seemed to seemed to web and flow um yeah we've you know we've got to understand that we can't be as open as that without the ball that's obviously work we need to do through the course of the week and just understanding and simplifying certain situations for players as you know one or two having a bit of a difficult period at the moment but that's where you have to put your shoulders back get into training work hard at it and and you know try to rectify the some of the errors that we've you know that we've shown today um but yeah you know not there's no again lack of effort there I think Lads are trying um piecing it up together and making sure that you know against the ball you're far more ruthless and not as open as we as we showed there today um you know winning certain moments and competing all over over the field you know that needs to improve but yeah you can look at it and say okay we scored five goals but with the greatest respect to to hitching you know they kept going and and kept forcing the issue um you know made life difficult for us today and um yeah I would have it felt like a game we could could win in a more convincing fashion um and yeah fortunately you know we're able to get the other side of with the three points and yeah we'll regroup through the week and hopefully like I say have a look at it and and improve on what we shown I know you would want to play entertaining football um certainly was would have been an entertaining game for the neutral I would imagine this afternoon when you're a manager you do have a different perspective on it though I'm sure you'd have much rather taken probably a one nil win and seen more of those or marks of the solidity that the team had last season rather than go through that without a doubt um yeah look I want to score goals and some of our you know play at certain times was open expansive and exciting but you have to understand as the side to the game and I don't want to be negative about it but certainly where we're trying to um you know where that hitch and drop off and we're trying to find gaps and spaces and whatever you like you know obviously Alex has come back into the side Nathan Being Fit today uh Stars uh being available again you know having to make too many changes really um at this stage it needs to settle down and we need to bed down a little bit and that happened last season you know clearly I made mistakes about certain players last season and and we changed that around but really nailing it down is is is you know what we need to use the next couple of weeks to do because you know players understanding one another and demanding that little bit more of one another um needs to improve and equally the you know the quality we show at certain times you know our physicality didn't feel like it uh it's at the level that I I'd expect uh too many times where losing headers um getting brushed off the ball and that's a concern um you know we need to stronger and More Physical about what we are you have to have that side of the game and certainly at this level and at any level to be honest um so yeah you know it's a it's a like I say a bit of a wakeup call but we got a wake up call on Tuesday um yeah like I say you know I can see areas that we need to improve on and just having that resilience to to build on what we've done today and go and get something next week mentioned Alex good you're coming in there um you know having worked with him before what you're likely to get from Alex good I think would be one of the the appeals of bringing him in really that you know he's not got to necessarily learn the way that Kevin wilin team needs to operate um probably I would think be difficult to ask of him to to have an impact immediately you know to coming into the side having only signed what in the last day or so um how would you assess his de yeah he's pretty solid I guess it was a bit of a whirlwind for him you know to be in such a an open game at times and you know not manage the manage the ball and ultimately the game as well as we we become accustomed to um we'll be probably an eye opener to him but like I say you know from top to bottom again I've got to find Improvement in players there's one or two that are searching for it a little bit but fair played the you know the characters that they are and and wanting to do well they keep going and eventually we you know we take the three points today and you have to show that that level of character and that's why they're in that change room because I think there are by and large really good characters in there that it does matter to them and as I say we are in a little bit uh bit of a difficult spell at the moment um no doubt about it we can't hide from that but it's it's about what we do getting in again Tuesday getting in again Thursday and working hard to to be more solid as an outfit and and and then you know growing as individuals and then together ultimately where we like I say we're able to manage the game better than we did today um couple of injury concerns in there obviously Jord coming off uh Matty Stenson going off at halim as well um I guess the injury to Matty gave Dior Angus an opportunity and and I'm would surmise from what I saw there that there was probably a bit more of what you'd you've asked for a reaction from from Dior I know that you felt that he wasn't quite giving you enough and you I I suspect today you might have seen a bit more of of something that pleased you yeah definitely you know he's he's done well for the for the penalty and stuck that away that should you know give him a lift and and a bit of confidence yeah you know you know there are I'd like to think there are higher standards and I do have high expectations you know and I think de would have that of himself as well so um yeah in certain moments and having been a striker myself you know I know kind of like to think I understand the role and what you should be doing in any given moment and yeah you know I'm not you know I don't make any apology for it I'm going to demand demand high standards and you know some quality finishing and that's what we need to see but yeah you know deor come on he's had to be patient for his moment he's got out there today like I say he's got his goal um I think there are other moments where you know possibly could have got one or two more but look he's you know he's a good lad um wants to do well here and we'll support him all the way to hopefully see him flourish and score a few more sure and he didn't hide away from that moment from what can see from up here um looked very much as if he was he was Keen to claim the ball off Kyle store because Kyle store being the regular penalty taker it looked like the all wanted that yeah look you know he's earned that moment hasn't he it's a great you know great run on the outside of the guy and been really positive fa play you know it's a good penalty and if players got that sort of confidence you know I'm more than happy for them to be taking those uh those spot kicks so yeah you know it's a great moment for him hopefully like I say his confidence grows off off the back of it um yeah you know we've got another tough game next week that we need to obviously regroup through the course of this week and you know we'll reflect and look at the areas of today where we can improve on and certainly like I say defensively we need to do better than we have been doing um but you know they're good guys and they want to they want to work hard to get better and improve and you know like I say hopefully that'll be the case sure K thank you for your time as always thank you