Hemel Hempstead Town boss praises 'hungry' players after two more wins

​Two successive 4-2 home wins – on Saturday against Bath City and then Monday against Welling – put the Tudors on top spot and although Slough Town would have overtaken them with a win on Tuesday night, after this week’s Gazette went to press, Hemel are nevertheless in tremendous form.

And speaking to the club’s media channels after Monday’s game, Wilkinson paid tribute to his squad.

He said: “I’ve got a team that are hungry and playing some wonderful football. Some of the movement and the way the boys dug in tonight, I couldn’t be any prouder, even if we hadn’t won the game.

"The way they give me everything is phenomenal but they’ve got that belief at the moment so you’ve got to keep their feet on the ground – I’m truly not interested in where we are [in the table], it’s just nice to pick up some more points and move closer to where we want to get.

"I always judge a player when you’re losing - we’re winning at the moment and everyone’s enjoying the journey and the ride but it’s going to get a lot more difficult.

"My goalkeeper today made three of the best saves I’ve seen in non-league football and Rod [Stringer – Welling boss] is a very old school manager who has got his team playing some really good football with pace and I think they’ll be right up there, which is why this result is so big tonight.

"Our target was to go for back-to-back wins and I’m so proud of everyone at the football club, including the analyst team who do all the homework – there are so many good people here and the hard work is paying off.”

Hemel return to action this weekend with a trip to fellow high-flyers Slough Town.

Wilkinson added: “I’ll try to keep my head down, stay humble and try and win the next game. I’ll just keep encouraging these boys and telling them to enjoy their football.”

Meanwhile, Hemel will host Bishop’s Stortford in the FA Cup second qualifying round, the tie to take place on September 14.