By RICHARD WILLIAMS
27 December 2006
DENIS
SMITH will step up the search for new players when the transfer window opens in
January.
Wrexham reached the half-way stage of a season that has been plagued by injuries
by drawing 2-2 against Rochdale at Spotland yesterday despite leading 2-0 thanks
to early second half strikes from substitute Lee McEvilly – his first goal of
the season – and leading scorer Chris Llewellyn.
And Smith said there are finances available to bring in fresh faces in the New
Year, with the Reds boss aiming to bolster his squad by recruiting experienced
players.
“There is money to pay salaries and I will be looking to get players in,” said
Smith. “There are millions of players out there, getting the right ones is a
different thing. The ones I have asked about, people are coming back to me, but
I expect if people from higher leagues come in for them, they will go there.
“You have got to start at the top and work your way through what is available.
But I will be looking for more experienced players than just kids – we have got
too many kids playing at the moment. Hopefully I can get some experience in.”
Wrexham are 18th in the League Two – with a game in hand – having accumulated 28
points in 23 matches during the first half of the campaign.
Although unhappy about the Reds’ position, Smith said injury problems had taken
their toll: “We have had a horrendous first half of the season and we are still
not right down the bottom,” said Smith.
“If we had won at Rochdale we would have been on 30 points and from there, we
would have a springboard to get in the play-offs at least.
“It is not a position we are happy with but with what we have had in the first
half, it is what should be expected. Hopefully I will get people out of the
treatment room. If I don’t, I have got to get people in who are fit and ready to
go.”
Smith was disappointed to see his side throw away a two-goal lead at Rochdale.
With the score 0-0 at the break, Wrexham made an excellent start to the second
half by scoring twice in just seven minutes through McEvilly and Llewellyn – his
ninth goal of the season.
But back came third-from-bottom Rochdale to earn a share of the spoils, and
Smith was disappointed with his side’s performance: “I didn’t think we were good
enough in the first half and I didn’t think we were good enough in the second
half. You have got to perform better than we have done and in the end we were
fortunate to get a point,” he said.
“I thought both sides were poor in the first half but Rochdale missed the best
chance. Second half we started well but you have got to be able to handle balls
being batted into the box. It’s such an easy thing to deal with – but we didn’t
deal with it. If you don’t deal with it you give yourself problems.
“The bottom sides are more direct and physical, the top teams play football so
we are comfortable. When it becomes physical and teams just launch balls in, at
the moment we obviously haven’t got the players to deal with that.
“It is something I am hoping to rectify in January but we will have to wait and
see.”
Wrexham are without an away league win since August and Smith bemoaned his
side’s form on the road: “It is frustrating to get in position against a team
who are obviously struggling for confidence, to go 2-0 up, but we looked what we
are – a team struggling for confidence away from home,” he added.
“At home, if we go 2-0 up we’d have been comfortable. 2-0 at Rochdale we weren’t
comfortable and that’s disappointing.
“We have lost one in the last six but we still should be winning these sort of
games when we get in the position we were in. That’s no disrespect to Rochdale
because I thought they deserved to win the game.”