Wilkin makes his pitch as Saints look to get back on track

Saints travel to Spennymoor Town looking to put a three-match run which has produced a solitary Vanarama National League North point behind them.

Wilkin saw his side lose at St James Park for the first time since 2018 on Saturday with Farsley Celtic making the most of the conditions to snatch all three points. Without wanting to use it an excuse, Wilkin said the state of the pitch at St James Park is not helping his side’s approach to the game but favouring the opposition.

Wilkin said: “One goal in three games and one point from three games isn’t good enough but it’s still very tight.

“The performances in those three games warranted more but you have to take your chances, even though there weren’t that many against Farsley. The conditions didn’t help us, in the last two games we’ve come up against teams which sit very deep and they’re very difficult to break down.

“Our pitch isn’t the widest in the division and when teams sit deep, it’s very difficult to get in behind them.

“You have to be able to move it quickly against opposition who sit that deep. Our home form has been very good for a long time and I don’t think that it’s any coincidence that playing on a poor surface for the last two games we’ve not got a result on it.

“People will say that’s the same for both teams but it isn’t because of the way the opposition wants to play and the way we need to. That’s the first time for more than a year that we’ve lost at home so you have to expect teams to come and sit deep.”

Top scorer Lee Ndlovu should be fit to return at Spenymooor failing a late fitness test last weekend. Wilkin also expects to have an addition in the squad in time for Saturday’s game.