Despite being in his latter years, James McClean seems to be thriving in central midfield for Wrexham after being handed a fresh start.
Crewe Alexandra, who are currently two points behind the Red Dragons, has closed the gap between them and the top three spots as a result of the team’s sharp decline in form over the last month, which included losing three of their six League Two games in February.
After a recent downturn, Phil Parkinson’s team bounced back last Saturday, winning comfortably away at Accrington Stanley. They now trail leaders Mansfield Town by just three points going into their match at the end of the month.
Their victory over Accrington was their first league triumph since they defeated National League opponents Notts County at the Stok Cae Ras in the middle of February. One of their most seasoned senior players was the mastermind of their most recent triumph.
Position change crucial to Wrexham returning to winning ways
Wrexham went into the game having lost their last three games—a draw with MK Dons, a loss to Gillingham, a play-off contender, and a draw with Forest Green Rovers—and having not won any of them.
Parkinson made three changes prior to the match against Accrington, sensing that a change was necessary. First, the former Republic of Ireland international moved into central midfield alongside Andy Cannon and Elliot Lee, replacing Luke Young as the starting left wing back, McClean’s usual position.
Just before the half hour mark, McClean’s relentless pressing in midfield won the ball from Dan Martin and slid it on to Paul Mullin, who took aim from outside the area and found the bottom corner for his second goal of the afternoon. It proved to be an inspired change that paid off.
Even though McClean, 34, is not suited for that centre position, he has made it his own, starting three of the previous four games in midfield to provide his manager new ideas as the team approaches the final ten games of the season.
Being a left-footed player, McClean’s introduction to the midfield has apparently offered the engine room greater balance without sacrificing his tenacity and drive to get the ball high and push it into the forward areas.
However, there is a danger involved.
In the seventieth minute of the match against Accrington, McClean received his ninth booking of the year.
The 34-year-old and midfielder Lee, who has eight yellow cards, will be treading carefully this weekend with two games remaining before the next suspension deadline.
Given Wrexham’s recent success, consistency is crucial. If McClean survives his most recent test, he might miss the home game against Harrogate Town the following week if both of those players miss the final two games.
Wrexham’s next six fixtures
Compared to their opponents who will automatically qualify for promotion, Wrexham has one of the better run-ins going into their final 11 games of the season.
After this weekend’s match against Morecambe, they host Harrogate and Tranmere Rovers at The Stok Cae Ras twice in a row before returning on the road to play Grimsby Town at Blundell Park.
However, they welcome Mansfield, the current league leaders, to North Wales when they return, and that game might determine who wins the title at the end of the season, with Stockport County, of course, having a say in it.
They travel to Doncaster Rovers on away ground to begin April, and the Football League will be keeping a close eye on their final two games of the season at the conclusion of the month.
In their penultimate game of their first season back from the non-league, Wrexham travels to Crewe before their season finale at home to Stockport. If the promotion equation stays as tight as it is now, this could be another nerve-wracking experience for Hollywood owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.
To get the North Wales team over the finish line for promotion, Parkinson will need to rely on all of his experience, and with players like McClean driving them ahead from his new position, they
