Special Feature: Stones' Bobby Desperate For Time

“I keep hearing that ‘Bobby needs to start well’ and that ‘Bobby can’t afford to lose many in August’ and it confuses me a little,” the Wealdstone manager told us ahead of the opening day.

“These days it all about ten games, it’s all managers are given.

“I think this line was trotted out about ten years ago and everyone has just jumped on a cliche really.

“Why have I got to start well? Surely it’s how well I end that matters, is it not? It’s all quite bizarre the world of football management these days!”

It’s not that Stones fans and their new manager, the replacement for icon Gordon Bartlett remember, don’t get on.

He took the club to the FA Trophy semi-final last season and although they never really got sight of the play-off places, their league form improved. This summer represented his chance to make the club his own.

“I have been around the game for too long to worry about the whispers,” he tells us. “Do we want to get off to a good start? Every manager will say yes.

“But the point I am trying to put across is that instant success is now fashionable. It’s almost as if some clubs are trying to copy what they do in the Premier League. They lose £200,000m if they go down - we don’t!

“I’m not just talking about any pressure which may be on me next season, it’s all of us. But football has changed a bit and we need to give people time.

“The clubs who are successful are the ones who build. Look throughout history.

“Take Hungerford for example. We won promotion three times but I was never in the top half until Christmas!

“Jusge us managers after 20 or 30 games. Give us time and you will get success.”

Wilkinson doesn’t think his team are one of the favourites to go up - and he hasn’t got an issue with being ignored.

“I love it,” he said. “I think we can go under the radar and if we do better than expected then fantastic.

“There are ten well established teams you would probably put ahead of us when talking about promotion.

“We feel we have a tidy little squad and honestly, they have given me 110 per cent so far - I can’t tell you how good their workrate has been.

“But we know we’re not the favourites and that’s fine. We’ve got a very, very difficult first seven or eight games - we’ve got all the side they’re saying will do well.

“But our focus is the first one, at home to Weston-super-Mare on Saturday. It’s a special day the first day of the season. Everyone’s dreaming!”