It’s just under two weeks till Wrexham kick off their League One campaign at home to Wycombe Wanderers, with George Evans issuing a rallying cry to his teammates.
There’s every reason for Wrexham supporters to feel positive about their return to League One.
Phil Parkinson has completed the bulk of his business early in the transfer window, with five new players arriving at the Racecourse Ground.
That positivity in the market has trickled onto the pitch as Wrexham are currently unbeaten in pre-season, including draws against Bournemouth and Chelsea while thrashing Vancouver Whitecaps 4-1 on their Wrex Coast tour.
Although a division consisting of big hitters Birmingham City, Huddersfield and Bolton Wanderers will make it difficult to challenge, there’s unwavering confidence surrounding the Reds.
Hollywood owners Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds believe they can win a third consecutive promotion while midfielder George Evans has echoed a similar sentiment.
George Evans confident Wrexham can challenge for promotion
Wrexham’s dressing room is filled with belief and every player is pulling in the right direction.
Midfielder Elliot Lee and former captain Luke Young have described it as the best they’ve been a part of and that explains why they’ve had so much success.
The players are also used to handling the pressure of expectation and although many don’t expect them to go up for a third time, Evans believes it is their ‘main goal’, backing himself and his teammates to achieve it.
Speaking to The Leader, the former Millwall star said: “Look, we know League One’s getting tougher every year. A lot of teams are, obviously, chasing Championship and beyond and last year, obviously, we were not expected to go up.
“But we all knew in ourselves that it was the main goal and, obviously, it’s not going to stop here as well. There’s a lot of other teams now who are going to try and do the same thing. But, we back ourselves all day.
“We’ve got a fantastic squad, fantastic manager, great staff and as a club as a whole, it will have gone in the right direction.”
Wrexham’s midfield conundrum
Pre-season has been a useful tool for Parkinson but the emergence of James Jones and Jordan Davies as genuine options makes it harder for him to select a midfield three.
Jones and Davies are joined by Evans, Cannon, Lee, James McClean and new signing George Dobson who can all play in the middle of the park.
Last season, Parkinson preferred a trio of Evans at the base with Cannon and Lee deployed just ahead. It remains to be seen whether that midfield starts against Wycombe but it’s a headache the manager must resolve.
Indeed, each player has taken their chance to impress in pre-season – as demonstrated by draws against Bournemouth and Chelsea – but the real opportunity to showcase their worth will be on August 10th.
Wrexham mark their return to the third tier against the Chair Boys and they’ll want to begin where they left off in League Two.