IN the most important week in Wrexham Football Club´s 131-year history, manager Denis Smith today pleaded for someone to come in and buy the Reds.

Outside the players´ entrance at a freezing cold Church Road ground in Hayes, Wrexham´s manager gave his most revealing interview to date on the club´s perilous state of affairs.

Smith said that he had spent the last few weeks in talks with directors and the council about plans to take the club forward. He also revealed he is backing former chairman Mark Guterman´s bid to buy the club - if no other buyer emerges before Wednesday´s winding-up order in the High Court.

"It will be an absolute disaster for North Wales and Wrexham if we lose the club because the area needs a football club," said Smith.

"It´s not just about me and the players and the staff. We´ve got kids at the club down to the age of nine. There is so much at stake here.

"It´s about the future for generations to come. There just has to be a club here."

Wednesday's High court hearing will play a big part in where the future lies for Wrexham although it's likely that club lawyers will get two week's saving grace.

That gives a new buyer - possibly Guterman or the fans group - more time to do a deal with current owner, Alex Hamilton. The other option is administration and directors Dave Bennett and David Griffiths have already put things in place on that front.

Administration would mean a ten point deduction and Smith says he can cope with that - as long as he still has a job to do.

"I hope I'm still in charge of a football club next week. I want to be in charge for the Bristol City game and beyond," added Smith.

"I'm an optimist but it's 50/50 whether the club survives. If we have to go into administration then so be it. I won't like it but I'll deal with it and the lads will fight on."

Administration seems to be the answer for some fans but others may be willing to give Guterman and his consortium, that includes Dixie McNeil, a second chance.

The three sat alongside current directors, Bennett and Griffiths, at Hayes on Saturday.

Smith says that if Guterman is the only one willing to buy the club then let him give it a go.

"I've never been daft enough to tell fans what to do," said Smith. "All I'm doing is quoting what I believe are facts. They are that the council owns the ground (in the future), it means the club is safe and I'll settle for that.

"Okay, if someone else wants to come in and get it - great. But the next person might be even worse.

"We've got to save the club and if it's Mr Guterman then we should be prepared to go along with it and see how we deal with it.

"I don't think personalities should come into it. We need to look at saving the club.

"People are protesting at someone who wants to buy the club. Would they be doing this if it was their own jobs on the line?"

Smith and his players did their best to improve the club's situation by sealing a place in round two of the FA Cup -although the reward of a trip to Scunthorpe is not exactly what they wanted.

"I told the lads before the game if we are going to move forward as a club, we need to be in the hat for the next round," added Smith. "We don't know if we are going to be able to play the game yet but we had to give ourselves the opportunity.

"If this game was the last game for Wrexham FC - we needed to go out on a high - which we did!

"As for the draw, it's not what we wanted. They're going well in League Two. We've just got to make sure we get past them and into round three - that's vital for the future of this football club."

DENIS SMITH today vowed to battle on at Wrexham amid speculation linking him to the Oxford United job.

Graham Rix was sacked by the League Two strugglers last night and Smith - a former Oxford manager - knows that his name will be linked.

"I was manager there and went back after I left West Brom for a while," said Smith. "Because I've been there my name is going to be in there but I've got a job to do at Wrexham.

"I turned down offers of others jobs in the summer because I like it here in Wrexham. I'm settled and my missus is doing up the house!"