Saturday’s clash with Crewe Alex at The STóK Cae Ras will be Wrexham’s 10th League Two game of the campaign.
Phil Parkinson’s men, playing at a higher level after clinching the National League title in 2022-23 following a record-breaking season, have won four, drawn three and lost two of their opening nine fixtures.
It was always going to be difficult surpassing the stunning start 12 months ago when the Reds picked up seven victories, two draws and one defeat in the first 10 matches.
But if they beat Crewe, Wrexham will have an identical record after 10 outings as the previous promotion-winning team when Denis Smith’s side began the 2002-03 Division Three campaign with five wins, three draws and two defeats – one of which was a 5-2 Bank Holiday home loss to Rochdale.
That is a much better statistic than in 1992-93 when Brian Flynn’s side also went up from the third division.
But the early-season form wasn’t spectacular as Wrexham won four of their opening 10 fixtures, registering three draws and three defeats. That included a 4-0 defeat at York City on August 29 and a 4-1 battering at Gillingham three days later.
Arfon Griffiths was in charge of Wrexham’s best ever team which finished as Division Three champions in the 1977-78 campaign.
However, the Reds only picked up three wins in their first 10 outings, drawing four times and losing on three occasions.
The arrival of Wales goalkeeper Dai Davies and legendary striker Dixie McNeil quickly turned things around as the Reds clicked into gear and secured a place in the second tier for the first time in the club’s history.
Fast forward 45 years and Parkinson’s men still remain well placed despite losing 5-0 at Stockport County on Saturday.
The seven-game unbeaten league run came to an end as Wrexham suffered the heaviest defeat since Parkinson took charge in July 2021 but alarmingly, Saturday’s defeat was the third time Wrexham have conceded five goals this season.
Despite that, the Reds are seventh in the table and only five points behind leaders Notts County.
The Magpies were involved in a thrilling title race with Wrexham last season, eventually finishing runners-up before clinching promotion through the play-offs.
Luke Williams’ side have hit the ground running this term and secured six wins, two draws and one loss in their opening nine league games.
County’s only defeat came on the opening day when they suffered a 5-1 reverse at Sutton United who are bottom of the table having taken only one point from their next eight matches!
With not even a quarter of the season gone, there is still a long way to go in Wrexham’s quest for back-to-back promotions but victory over Crewe this weekend will get the Stockport nightmare out of the system and put the Reds back on track.
