By Mark Currie, Daily Post
10 April 2008
DEFENDER
Simon Spender, who hopes to be fit for Wrexham’s visit to neighbours Shrewsbury
Town on Sunday, has called on his team-mates to reproduce last season’s run-in
that kept the club in the Football League.
The Dragons preserved their League Two status 12 months ago by winning four of
their final five matches and the 22-year-old full back said a similar return
this time round was the minimum required if they were to have any chance of
avoiding the drop.
Injured in last Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Macclesfield Town at the Racecourse,
Spender was stretchered off the field with suspected ankle ligament damage that
ruled him out of Tuesday’s trip to MK Dons.
But following three days of intensive treatment he is hoping to be back in
training before the weekend and, with an extra day to recover, is optimistic
about his chances.
"I twisted my ankle when I tripped on the edge of the pitch and knew straight
away that I had damaged the ligament," Spender said yesterday.
"But it was iced up immediately and strapped after the game and it’s not as bad
as I first feared. It’s only a tweak and I’m aiming to start running again
tomorrow with a view to being back in training on Friday or Saturday."
Despite the manner of Wrexham’s midweek 4-1 reverse in Milton Keynes where the
home side were two goals to the good inside the opening 10 minutes, Spender
maintained there was still a slim chance of staying up.
"We were in the same position with five games to go last year, so we need to do
the same again this time and hope that it’s enough to get us out of trouble," he
added. "The only thing that is going for us at the moment is that other teams
around us are dropping points as well. If that had not been the case it would
have all been over for us.
"Sides like Notts County, Macclesfield and Dagenham are finding it hard to win
as well. If we can take six points from our next two games against Shrewsbury
and County, which is not beyond us, they and a few others will start to look
anxiously over their shoulders."
Shrewsbury arrested a recent slump in form with a 1-1 draw at Morecambe on
Tuesday, but Spender insisted Wrexham had nothing to fear ahead of their first
visit to the New Meadow.
"There’s always some added spice in a derby match with pride at stake for the
teams and bragging rights for the fans," he said.
"It’s obvious that we need to go there looking for all three points and we
managed to do just that when we visited Chester City last month, so I’d be
delighted to settle for a similar outcome on Sunday.
"We hadn’t won for a while before that game at the Deva, but it gave everyone a
lift and if results from Saturday have gone our way, by Sunday evening we could
be looking at playing Notts County at home in our next game and just four points
behind them. What better incentive is there for us to dig deep and keep on
fighting?"
Teenage striker Alex Darlington, back in action after suffering two leg breaks
in the space of little more than 12 months, scored both the goals as Wrexham
reserves beat Burnley 2-0 at Accrington Stanley’s Fraser Eagle stadium last
night.
The 19 year converted a Josh Johnson cross on the half hour and wrapped up
another excellent result for the Dragons' second string after 78 minutes
following good work by Andy Fleming.