Latest News

Denis Smith

With us getting our experienced players back we have a better chance of picking up results

RACECOURSE boss Denis Smith enthused over the display of Wrexham youngster Mark Jones as the Dragons brushed past Chesterfield.

The Wales under-21 international capped the performance with a goal in the 3-1 win but Smith admitted he had fretted over whether to include the Rhos-born youngster in place of teenager Levi Mackin.

"Bringing him back was possibly a gamble but he gave us a performance which was worth the entrance fee alone," said the Dragons boss. "We know what he can do, but this was possibly the first time he has produced all his touches and all his passes in the first team."

But Smith also highlighted the performances of several of his more experienced campaigners.

"It was not just Mark," he added. "Andy Dibble had a superb game for me, Chris Armstrong has laid on a couple of goals and Alex Smith has come back into midfield and had a couple of good games now.

"We've needed to score more from set-plays and Chris gives us that option up there.

"With us getting our experienced players back we have a better chance of picking up results. What we need is to get a little bit of confidence back and at times today you could see we were lacking in that, especially when they got one back."

Smith said teenager Mackin was unlucky to lose his place to Jones but added the emergence of younger players needed to be closely managed.

"We can afford to pick and choose a bit more and Mark was not even in the 16 on Sunday, but he did the job for us today. Today we were able to give Levi the last 10 minutes and that's how it should be.

"They should be having the odd game here and there to help their development rather than having the pressure of being asked to play week in and week out."

And the Racecourse boss said he hoped Wrexham's win would encourage more supporters to the next home game, against fellow relegation candidates Blackpool on Saturday.

"All games are important but that's a big one for us and I hope today's result means we'll get a decent crowd," he added.

Chesterfield counterpart Roy McFarland, meanwhile, had no complaints after watching his side suffer their second loss of the holiday and admitted that Wrexham were deserving of the victory.

Heavy overnight rain had made the pitch much heavier than normal and the former international defender claimed his players seemed to have suffered a reaction to their 1-0 home defeat at the hands of Luton Town on Boxing Day.

"We didn't adapt to the conditions at all well and, although I told the lads not to feel sorry for themselves after the Luton game, that was the impression I had because the performance was disappointing," he said..

"I don't want to take anything away from Wrexham, who thoroughly deserved to win this afternoon but we were very poor.

"You have to remember that had they not had 10 points deducted, they would be well clear of the relegation zone."