Askey is the only man to fit Wrexham!

This will come as zero consolation to the faithful fans who took Sam Ricketts to their heart or the board who had invested their money and time in him, but Wrexham should be applauded for having the foresight to have given such a talented young manager his chance. Ricketts’ departure this week to take up the reins at Shrewsbury comes just nine months after Dean Keates was lured away from the Racecourse Ground to join Walsall. Tough on the Wrexham support, but a sign of the times that if you step up and do well, Football League clubs will take note.

So what next for the National League promotion challengers? After giving two young bucks a go, perhaps it’s time to bring in an old face to steady the ship. The manager’s job at Wrexham’s remains one of the most coveted in Non-League football, and it needs a man who can handle the demands of one of the National League’s biggest clubs. Sorry, but I don’t understand the logic in the rumours of Wrexham hiring Trinidad & Tobago boss Dennis Lawrence. They need a proven performer, a man who players gravitate towards, who knows the lower league landscape as well as anyone and more importantly, how to get out of it. For me, that man is John Askey.

You cannot underplay the job Askey did at Macclesfield last season. Winning the National League has never been easy, but doing it on the shoestring budget Askey did last term remains a minor footballing miracle. He deliverered under difficult circumstances, made worse by the fact he was working for an owner for whom he carried little professional respect. Given the right level of support, he would fit Wrexham like a glove.

It’s time for Wrexham to bring in an old head to give their title tilt the extra push it needs. It didn’t work out for Askey at Shrewsbury, but we hope it will for his replacement Ricketts. Ironically, a departure at one club could be the best outcome for everyone.