WILKIN SALUTES HIS BRAVEHEARTS

KEVIN Wilkin hailed his battling Brackley Town side after they pushed Tranmere Rovers all the way at Prenton Park.

- Jonathan Drury

The National League North strugglers were knocked out of the Cup by Kaiyne Woolery’s second-half goal.

Wilkin’s side have struggled in the league this season, but they arguably had the best chances up until substitute Woolery’s winner.

Wilkin said: “I am very proud of my players, we pushed them all the way.

“We showed we have good players in our ranks and players who are on an upward curve in their careers.

“It was great to get more of our players back and we put in a good effort.

“On a fantastic surface we showed we can compete and pass, and the respect we showed to Tranmere was there for everyone to see.

“Hopefully we can take this performance into our league form now and get up and running.

“We had chances and you need something to go for us at places like this, but it didn’t quite go for us.