05/12/02

PRESENTED with a free Saturday as club's battle it out in the second round of the FA Cup, Wrexham players could be forgiven for thinking this week would be a bit less hectic.

But they had a rude awakening on Monday morning as boss Denis Smith surprised them with what he called a 'second pre-season', in which he and assistant manager Kevin Russell aim to take the players to the limit.

Smith said: 'We've got a spare week and a bit so we've decided to push the lads a bit harder than we normally would at this stage of the season.

'Usually we either do weights or a training session, now we're doing both and I think the lads are reacting well. They already know they're fitter this season than they have been for a while.'

To help make the Red Dragons' squad one of the fittest in the league the club has joined up with the North East Wales Institute (Newi), who's Sport Science Department has been putting the players through their paces.

Smith said: 'They measure things such as heart rates, fat percentages, that sort of thing.

'Their sessions are a bit different and they're constantly monitoring the lads. If someone drops just a little bit below optimum fitness we know about it and can do something about it.

'The lads certainly benefit as do the people from Newi who get to work with professional sports people,' he added.

On the less than scientific surroundings of the training ground, Smith's right-hand man Russell has been making impressive strides in his new role.

'Kev has done better than I expected,' said Smith. 'When I came here I didn't know him but he came over to the managerial side and handled a very big switch well.

'He wants to learn and has been on all the courses and he's now a good coach. His ideas are good and he puts them across well. But he's also got lots of enthusiasm and that's why the lads respond to him.

Smith added: 'I'm really pleased with him. Even though I enjoy the coaching I can't be out there all the time.'

One person who missed out on Wrexham's second pre-season challenge is cultured defender Dan Bennett who has travelled east to become the club's latest international.

Now a nationalised Singaporean, Bennett is eligible for his new country's Tiger Cup campaign but success in the competition could mean he misses the entire Christmas period.

'With us not having a game, Dan has already gone across,' said Smith. 'When he'll be back depends on how well the Singapore side does. I won't pretend to be an expert but Dan says they've got a 50/50 chance of making it through to the semis.

'If Singapore don't make it, then Dan will be back before Christmas. I think the worse case scenario is that he misses six matches but I've got plenty of cover at centre-half with Dennis Lawrence, Shaun Pejic and Craig Morgan.'

After the hiatus, Wrexham return to action with two trips to Carlisle in four days, starting with an LDV Vans Trophy clash on Tuesday night.

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