Hosts were better side on the day

Wilkin, who guided Boro to their third promotion in four years, was thankful for Andy Brown’s 17th minute header which settled the play-off final on the Northolme.

But after the game the 44-year-old said his side were far inferior to the Blues throughout the 1-0 win.

He told the Standard: “We did not play very well today.”

“Commiserations to Steve and his team, I thought they were the better side on the day there is no doubt about that.”

“They (Gainsborough) put us under a lot of pressure but we defended when we needed to defend and limited their opportunities.”

“Gainsborough had a good chance in the second half when it has been whacked across the face of goal and we knew that they would want to go from back to front quite quickly.”

“With players like Stampy (Darryn Stamp) and Kendall in the side, they are good players and made life hard for us. I think we just got the breaks and luck on the day.”

Nuneaton were hit with a six point deduction and fined £500 for fielding an unregistered player in two Blue Square Bet North fixtures during February.