In the 1-0 win over Swindon Town, James McClean grabbed his first league goal for Wrexham. He has opened up about his position and the importance of the goal.
For the second time in three games, Wrexham were able to secure all three points despite going down to ten men.
Last time it was George Evans but against Swindon Town, it was James Jones who picked up two cards and was given his marching orders.
Thankfully for the Reds, Phil Parkinson had seen his side go ahead long before the dismissal thanks to James McClean.
Compared to his usual wing-back role, the Irishman played much further forward last time out. It is safe to say the potential gamble paid off as he scored what was the eventual winner.
What has James McClean said?
Given that he played the earlier stages of his career as a winger in the Premier League, this role wasn’t new to McClean. He discussed the Swindon game with Leader Live and opened up about that and the result.
On his position change, the Irishman said: “I have played there with Wigan and played there a couple of times for Ireland. It’s something that doesn’t come natural to me but in the same sense, because it is something I have done before it doesn’t come unnatural as well.
“It was a new position for Wrexham and I just tried to do the best I could. It was nice to play a new role. Without being a bit cocky, I just knew I was going to score and that proved to be the case.”
It is safe to say that a few eyebrows were raised when McClean was named in the starting XI with Paul Mullin on the bench. It appeared that the Reds’ talisman was being rested as he didn’t come on at all.
With that being said, his goals weren’t missed as the wing-back secured the points. On that, he added: “It was just nice to score and even more sweeter that it turned out to be a crucial goal. We had some good chances to get more goals. Even myself.
“At 1-0, if you don’t put them away you always run the risk of something happening, especially away from home. We had our backs against the wall at the end but we have been down to 10 men a few times this season and once again, we showed the resilience and character that we have in the dressing room.”
It was a great result for Wrexham which saw them move even closer to Stockport County in top spot.