| It is a case of third time lucky for Wrexham as we
return to action against in form Grimsby after our last two away games
were called off because of frozen pitches.
With this game being our first in two weeks, and our rivals playing two
matches since we last played, it means we have slipped four points
adrift of Mansfield who are one place ahead of us in the table, and a
further three points behind Dagenham & Redbridge who occupy the relative
safety of twenty-second position.
Dagenham opened the seven point gap on us courtesy of
their surprising 4-1 win at Grimsby last weekend and this ended a run of
ten games unbeaten for the Mariners.
The away team found themselves two goals up before the
half hour mark and two goals in the last ten minutes doubled their
advantage before Gary Jones grabbed a consolation goal in a game that
manager, Alan Buckley, was at a loss to describe.
Before this run started, Grimsby were hovering just
above the relegation zone but seven wins in their last eleven games has
seen the Mariners climb into twelfth position with forty-five points and
only five points away of the final play-off spot.
One of these victories came when we visited Blundell
Park last month with Grimsby running out 1-0 winners but this game was
our last defeat - all be it our seventh on the trot - and we are still
five games unbeaten with home victories over MK Dons and Darlington in
recent weeks.
Grimsby do have a decent away record with their last
defeat on their travels in the league coming at the beginning of
November against league leaders MK Dons, and in total have recorded six
wins away from Blundell Park.
Grimsby have also made in through to the area final of
the Johnstone's Paint Trophy but their first leg match at Morecambe also
fell victim to a frozen pitch with the winner of this tie going through
to meet either Swansea or the MK Dons at Wembley.
Manager Alan Buckley is in his third spell in charge
of the club but it has been a very quiet 2008 in the transfer market with no
new arrivals and only Isaiah Rankin being released on a free transfer to
join Stevenage Borough.
Top goal scorer for the Mariners is twenty year-old
Danny North and four goals in recent weeks has seen him move onto nine
for the season in all competitions for the striker who graduated from
the youth set up in July 2004.
Recent Encounters:
Grimsby's 1-0 victory at Blundell Park last month sees them
just edge the head-to-head in the league with twenty-two wins to our
twenty and there have been eleven draws in the fifty-two games
between the two sides.
In the same fixture last season, we ran our
comfortable 3-0 winners with Steve Evans, Chris Llewellyn and Matty Done
finding the back of the net but the Mariners gained revenge in the
reverse fixture with a 2-1 victory, and the same scoreline was their last
victory at the Racecourse in December 2005.
Team News:
Wrexham are without Neil Roberts after he injured is
ankle during a midweek training session and this leaves the door open
for Jeff Whitley to take his place in midfield.
Carl Tremarco has now recovered from his hamstring
injury and he is now likely to take the place of Neil Taylor at left
wing back, and Richard Hope is pushing for a recall in defence at the
expense of Mike Williams.
Grimsby defender Nick Fenton hopes to play after an
injection and fitness test on his injured foot and Justin Whittle is
also doubtful with a groin strain.
Injuries to both defenders is bad timing for Grimsby
after Sam Hird returned to his parent club, Doncaster, during the week.
Danny Boshell has shaken off the thigh strain that kept him out of last
week's home defeat by Dagenham & Redbridge but Tom Newey misses with a
bruised foot.
Elsewhere in League Two:
Second bottom Mansfield entertain out-of-form Chester
who have only managed to collect two points from a possible thirty-six
and are slipping closer into relegation trouble as a result.
All of our relegation rivals at the moment have home
matches this weekend with Dagenham at home to ninth placed Morecambe and
Macclesfield, who are level on points with Dagenham, face the arrival of
second placed Peterborough.
Bury, who have picked up seven points in three games
following the arrival of Alan Knill as manager, also have a difficult
task when they entertain third placed Darlington.
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