DENIS SMITH accepts that he is a glutton for punishment - but the under-pressure Wrexham manager wouldn't have it any other way.

Even in the immediate aftermath of Wrexham's demolition by relegation rivals Milton Keynes Dons, the likeable coach has only one thing on his mind.

He's never one to take the easy option as Smith is busy drawing out his battle plan to drag his Dragons kicking and screaming away from the League One trapdoor.

Veteran Smith could be forgiven for being a little down in the mouth as his charges put up little resistance and wilted in the face of a relatively weak Dons side; without a win in 10 league games, without a clean sheet in nigh on two months but the MK players, worried by the distinct possibility of successive relegations, did have new boss Danny Wilson to impress.

Wilson couldn't have hoped for a better start as the Wade Small-inspired Dons celebrated their biggest win of the season.

Smith, on the other hand, couldn't have feared in his worse nightmares that his usually tight and hard-working team, despite missing seven first-team players, could have rolled over so easily.

Wrexham's off-the-field problems have been well documented.

But the boardroom discontent hadn't filtered down to the players, until now.

Just eights days after the crisis club plunged themselves into administration, owing creditors £2.6m - a move that meant, under new Football League rules, the team lost 10 of their hard-earned league points - Wrexham are in a touch of turmoil on the pitch, with just Stockport County below them.

A lesser man might say thank-you and goodbye but for positive-thinker Smith, whose managerial career spans three decades, this is just another challenge.

He said, "Yeah, it's one of my hardest spells in management, it's interesting that's for sure.

"Losing my job at Sunderland in 1991 when I achieved a couple of promotions and had a cup run was hard; then there was the short period I had at Bristol City the year later was disappointing and that was a hard job as the people at board level saw football totally different than I did whereas at Wrexham the people I'm working with, on the board and in my backroom staff, generally share my approach to football and life and that's positive. Hopefully we can carry that on.

"A lot of people ask me what I am I doing this job for. But I do it because I enjoy it. I'm in the fortunate position where I don't have to do it.

"I don't know what I'd be doing with my life if I wasn't involved with a football club. This is my hobby as well as the way I make my living."

Wilson has a lot of respect for his opposite number, saying, "I've got great admiration for Denis Smith, his players too, as they're going through tough times. Denis is handling a difficult situation with fantastic dignity and he'll come out of this with flying colours. Denis knows his side have just got to get on with it and scrap their way out."

Wrexham didn't scrap on Saturday. The Dragons were punchless in attack and defensively sloppy much to the delight of Dons' teenage hitman Small, who terrorised the visitors' back line from first whistle to last and his persistence paid off - twice.

Just six minutes had elapsed when Small nudged on Gary Smith's precise through pass into the path of attacking midfielder Nick Rizzo, who rammed the ball between Andy Dibble and his near post with the hosts' first attack of the afternoon.

Small got his goal rewards just after the break. The 19-year-old rookie striker skipped through some weak Wrexham tackles but Roberts blocked as Small let fly, the ball ricoched goalwards and, with Dibble grounded and his defence asleep, Small pounced.

His second of the game - and seventh of the season - was born out of some delightful Dons passing and sub Alex Tapp carved the Wrexham defence open with a pass and Small drove low under Dibble.

Smith fumed, "Normally we're tight at the back so if we missed chances, which we usually do, then we're still in the game, but to let three goals in against them is extremely disappointing.

"Although we've had a lot of play and created chances we didn't put it away, the way in which we conceded those three goals is the thing I will be concentrating on in training this week because I'm not happy with the bad defending."