Reds aiming to kick-start season with cup victory
WREXHAM will be determined to kick-start their season with a win against Football League opposition as they make the trip to North Yorkshire for an FA Cup first-round tie.
The Reds take on Harrogate Town at Wetherby Road in a game where the away side find themselves in unfamiliar territory, being underdogs for possibly the first time this season.
The Dragons will once again have to do without top goalscorer Paul Mullin, who will be serving the second of his three-match ban for a flailing elbow on a Maidenhead United player.
But team captain Luke Young will probably be available for the game after coming through a training match unscathed on Tuesday afternoon.
The Yorkshire side will undoubtedly provide a tough test for Wrexham, given that they are currently sitting comfortably in a play-off spot in League Two, a league higher than the Reds.
Wrexham have an incredible FA Cup pedigree however, having reached three quarter-finals and beaten numerous top-flight teams over the years.
The Dragons have had an inconsistent start to the season, however, and have only reached the first round proper due to a tremendous last-minute strike from Jordan Davies away at eighth tier Marine in the last qualifying round.
The Dragons then went on to win the replay comfortably at makeshift venue Nantwich.
After the glitz and glamour of the visit of owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney last week, manager Phil Parkinson will know that his side are entering a crucial part of the campaign and will need to click into gear soon if this is to be the successful campaign that the players, coaching staff and most importantly the long-suffering fans will have been hoping for prior to the start of the season.
There have been positive signs from the side this term with some good performances against Notts County, Barnet and the abandoned Aldershot game, but all too often the Dragons have followed up a good performance with a mediocre one and the Reds boss will be hoping a win at Harrogate and a potential Cup run will act as the catalyst for a consistent run of performances and results.