Keates hails resilience as Dragons grab away point

DEAN Keates was delighted with his side after admitting that Saturday’s 0-0 draw with Dagenham & Redbridge was one Wrexham would perhaps have lost only a few weeks back.

Wrexham went into the contest on the back of successive National League wins over Woking and Harrogate Town to ease their relegation worries.

But after creating little in attack on Saturday they would have lost the contest but for two excellent saves by goalkeeper Rob Lainton, as well as a solid performance from the defence.

The draw sees Wrexham fall three places to 19th, but following Chesterfield’s loss to Notts County they remain five points clear of the drop zone ahead of next Saturday’s crucial trip to the Spireites, who currently sit in the final relegation place.

Keates was pleased his side had kept a third successive clean sheet, and hailed the new-found upturn in resilience from his outfit.

“I think if you had gone back maybe a month we may have lost today’s game,” he said. “They were difficult conditions. “It was not a classic, but we’ll learn from it, and all being well we can go to Chesterfield next week and get three points.

“It is three clean sheets on the bounce, seven points out of nine, we are in good form.

“We will have a look at Chesterfield through the week and work on what we feel are their strengths and weaknesses, where we can put our game on to them.

“It was far from a classic, and it is not one I am going to enjoy watching back, but it makes last week’s three points even better.

“In the first half we looked a bit brighter going forward, but in the second half the wind got us pinned in.

“Give the lads credit, I thought they defended for their lives, every one of them.”

“They worked hard.”