Daily Post

Smith We have enough to avoid dreaded drop

Mark Currie
By Mark Currie, Daily Post

22/11/04

Denis SmithWREXHAM manager Denis Smith is sure Wrexham would bounce back from a potential 10-point deduction if the club is put into administration next month, especially when long-term injuries to key players are overcome.

Smith saw his side lose 3-1 to Bristol City at the Racecourse but with Alex Smith, Brian Carey, Andy Dibble, Carlos Edwards, Danny Williams and Dean Bennett still to return to the side, the Wrexham boss believes the Dragons have enough to stay in League One. "In two or three weeks time we'll have people back and then we'll see how good we are," he said.

"One or two people have expressed an interest in buying the club, but there's a difference between that and coming up with the cash. Alex Hamilton has got to decide if he wants to sell the club - he says he does - but he has not come up with a price for anyone pin him down to.

"I hope that is what happens because I would not like to lose 10 points, but administration is better than liquidation. And even if we had 10 points taken off us I'm confident we'll do well enough to avoid going down."

Smith said he was delighted with the response from fans all around the country.

"The crowd made me very happy and it proved we are a club worth saving," he added.. "The fans from all over were superb and it's great to see supporters coming from everywhere to help out a club in North Wales.

"It's important for supporters to keep coming but I can't force them through the gates. It would have been nice to win today to encourage them a bit more, but I think they can see what we are trying to do.

"We don't just boot the ball. We try to pass and move and generally we defend a bit better than we did today."

Central defender Steve Roberts said Wrexham were desperately disappointed not

to have rounded off a potential turning point in the club's troubled season with victory over the Robins at a packed Racecourse.

"Fair play to the fans, they turned out in force and it was just a shame we couldn't match it with the result," he said.

"In an ideal world if it was like that every week I'm sure we'd have no problems and we'd be pushing right up there at the top of the league. But it's unlikely we'll have crowds like that between now and the end of the season so it's down to us as players to knuckle down and start winning.

"But considering we were beaten 3-1 the supporters gave us a great reception at the end and you can't ask for anythying more than that."

Roberts, who has scored two league goals this season, was denied his third when a shot rebounded off the City crossbar before a contentious penalty put the visitors in control.

"I'm not sure if the keeper got anything on it but I think I probably should have scored," he added.. "We paid for our missed chances today and it might have been a different game if we had taken the lead. The lads said the penalty was a bit dubious so we felt a bit hard done by since the first goal was always going to be important.

"We were fairly comfortable until them but they scored a good second goal from their point of view. The lad hit it well, but it came from some sloppy play on our part, as did the penalty, and we have to cut that out of our game if we are going to get points on the board."

But Roberts was pleased with the spirit of his team-mates, who never threw in the towel.

"When the crowd is like that, you've got to keep plugging away and we really wanted to do something special for the fans today, but it was not to be," he said.

"We nicked a goal at the end but it wasn't enough against a good side."