Hilton is coming to Telford, but it’s Rhys Hilton we’re talking about, and not the Station Quarter’s new hotel.
Rhys, who sealed our playoff final victory over Kettering Town with a coolly taken fourth goal, has agreed to a new deal that will take him into a second season at the SEAH Stadium.
The 24-year-old winger will give manager Kevin Wilkin further options in his squad for the forthcoming season in the Enterprise National League North.
After a spell away on loan to Harborough Town in mid-season, Rhys returned to the club and showed how impactful he can be. Rhys can be both a scorer and a provider, and notched several eye-catching goals last season. Kevin hopes Rhys can build further on those contributions, feeling that his response when returning from loan had earned him his opportunity.
“Rhys had some real highs for us last season, but he also found it challenging at times to find the consistency that would have him pushing to be a regular starter. I’ve no doubt the ability is there with Rhys. We saw that in flashes last season, and we’ll work with Rhys, as we do with all of the players, to develop his game and hopefully get more moments like those from him.”
For Rhys, a return to the Bucks was his goal, and he’s determined to show supporters, along with the management team, that they’ve not yet seen the best of him.
“I’m looking forward to returning this season and still think there’s a lot more to come from me. There’s been glimpses of what I can do, but I know there’s a lot more to come, and hopefully, staying injury-free can help that. I can’t wait to be back and to play in front of the Bucks fans again!”
Kevin’s squad now stands at fourteen players signed for the 2025/26 season, our return to Step 2. The retention of the core of the group who took the Bucks to playoff glory has obviously been a key part of Kevin’s recruitment, augmented by new faces in Alex Fletcher, Jamie Meddows and Charlie Williams.
The Bucks boss remains in pursuit of further additions to his squad, with potential for several more, and there may be an opportunity for trialists when pre-season training begins on 1st July.
“There was some strong money being spent at Step 3, and that’s even more the case at a higher level. We don’t get the luxury of signing players who are the finished article; that’s the situation for all clubs at our level, but I enjoy working with them and helping them to progress. If they do that with Telford, that’s terrific, but if they eventually progress to a higher level because they’ve done well for us, then the club will have benefited.”
Follow the Bucks on social media, so that when we announce further deals, you’ll be among the first to know, and much more besides, as the countdown to the big kick-off on 9th August ticks down.
And finally, we can say:
Welcome back, Rhys!
