Part 25: Chapter the Tenth: On the fringes of contention.

Chapter the Tenth: On the fringes of contention.
February 1, 2015-March 11, 2015



The transfer window is closed. We're looking at picking up only unemployed players for the time being.



The non-Goon members of the board are back to being confident in me.



I'm shifting our training for the next three weeks to focus on team cohesion in order to work the new players into the squad as quickly as possible. Five new players will take some time to blend into the mix.



What's your campaign slogan?

At Kidderminster, February 7, 2015
Skrill Premier


The Kidderminster Harriers were pegged as being potential promotion candidates this season. Instead they're languishing in 18th place. Nsangou allows an easy goal off a rebound, but Wright scores his second of the season and Sumner laces a shot into the goal just before the half and my half time talk is all about not getting complacent with the lead. Nsangou continues to struggle in the second half, and I pull him for Senior. This turns out to be a good move, as Senior makes several good saves as time ticks down to protect our lead, and we take care of business. We're now just 3 points back of a playoff spot.

Kidderminster 1-2 Wrexham



Bailey's back from his fractured wrist, but will take some time to be fully fit again.



I'm not exactly sure how fan trust elections work as I've never dealt with a fan owned team in the past, but I'll keep my eye on them and see if I can work them into the LP. The current President is actually pretty damned good at his job, I'm hoping he gets reelected.

At Gateshead, February 14, 2015
Skrill Premier


Our old pal Billy Holsgrove is playing for Gateshead today, having been transferred during the January window from Tackleford. I give Senior the start in goal, as Nsangou has been on a poor run of form. The switch works, and Senior makes several important saves as we hold on for a win after Stuart Simpson puts us ahead with an excellent strike from the edge of the penalty area in the 13th minute. We nearly double our lead when the Cannon puts it in the back of the net, but he's flagged for offsides and the score stays at one-nil for the rest of the match.

Gateshead 0-1 Wrexham



We've got a clean bill of health again.



Our three new scouts come at a cost of about £3800/month. With six scouts we should be able to find everyone worth signing.



Well, that clean bill of health didn't last long.



Grimsby's owner is looking to sell. He should wait until after the season is over, they're in first place and a League Two side is definitely more valuable than one in our current league.

vs. Aldershot, February 17, 2015
Skrill Premier


We avoid going down early thanks to Aldershot's striker being unable to finish with any panache, and after the third time he breaks through our defensive line I order him to be marked tightly. We're also inept on the attack, with Ibrahima Bah continuing his tepid form and missing twice on easy goals.



I pull Bah after he takes a slight knock for the Cannon, and it pays immediate dividends as he finds himself all alone in front of the goal when Aldershot fails to clear the ball. That single goal is the only scoring in a match we should have won in a much more convincing fashion, and I tell the players so after the game. We're now level on points for a playoff spot, but behind on goal differential.

Wrexham 1-0 Aldershot



Neither of our strikers is acting like they want the starting job, so I'm just going to have to keep rotating them until one gets hot.



This won't help our fixture congestion down the road.



Senior is going to get some playing time while Nsangou is away playing for his national youth team. I could have kept Nsangou at home, but he hasn't been good enough recently to merit angering him.

vs. Cambridge, March 3, 2015
Skrill Premier


Cambridge is currently sixth, we've dropped back to seventh due to delayed games. Whoever wins this can go level on points with the final playoff spot. Bah puts us up early off of a corner, but Cambridge equalizes when one of their players dekes Don-Duncan out of his boots. We take the lead back on a lovely bit of one two passing between Bailey and Cannon to set Franks up, and things are looking bright as I tell the boys to drop back into a counter-attacking setup as Cambridge must surely play offensively to try and level the game. We see out the victory and Justin Bailey wins player of the match with two deserved assists and a solid performance in the midfield. We've got a game in hand against the top five, so any result in our next match would put us in line to make the playoffs.

Wrexham 2-1 Cambridge

At Hereford, March 7, 2015
Skrill Premier


We have a number of opportunities in the first half, but can't force one into the net. Several good chances are scrambled away at the last instant by the determined Hereford defenders. Our offensive troubles continue in the second half, and when the final whistle blows we've taken seventeen shots and put only four on target. I excoriate the team, and we've now been passed by Tackleford on the league table.

Hereford 0-0 Wrexham



Fan day! I was going to ask the board to host one of these in the next update, but it's already been scheduled. It's a good way to bring out the fans and fill up the seats when you're not filling them yourselves, and it helps inculcate the next generation of fans in team traditions.



That's no way to win an election.

At Forest Green, March 10, 2015
Skrill Premier


This match takes us up against one of the other teams vying for promotion. Winning here would go a long way towards our goal. Forest Green presses us early, and controls possession, but Liam Franks proves why he's on loan from a higher division when he breaks away with the ball and gives us the lead in the 19th minute. We hold that lead until Don-Duncan is caught napping shortly before the first half whistle. Things only go downhill from there, as we give up not one, not two, but three goals in the second half. While we have our own chances we fail to score on any of them, repeatedly letting Forest Green off the hook. It's a miserable result, especially given the strong start. Worse, it drops us four points back of the playoff promotion, while Tackleford City moves up to 5th.

Forest Green 4-1 Wrexham



We've got nine matches left in the season. The good news is that six of those fixtures are home games. The better news is that only two of them come against teams in the top half of the league table, Morecambe (currently 9th place) and Tackleford City (currently 5th). If we can take care of business we should definitely make the promotion playoffs. Winning the league is likely out of the question, though, due to the number of teams ahead of us.