Wrexham head into their clash with Bolton Wanderers knowing that three points are vital ahead of a difficult run of fixtures.
Wrexham face five teams in the top nine of League One in their next run of fixtures and it will prove to be a pivotal period of the season for Phil Parkinson’s side.
The Red Dragons will be hoping to repeat their 1-0 EFL Trophy win over Bolton, Parkinson once achieved a historic promotion with Bolton in 2017.
Andy Cannon will be missing from the midfield after his horror injury and it is expected Matty James will replace him in the Wrexham predicted XI. As for Bolton, a familiar face is set to line up for them at the Racecourse Ground.
Wrexham tried to sign Bolton’s John McAtee
One player that the Wrexham defence will have to keep a close eye on is Bolton forward John McAtee, who has scored three goals in his last two appearances.
Wrexham tried to sign McAtee in the summer after he impressed owner Rob McElhenney whilst playing for Grimsby in the National League play offs in 2022. McElhenny stated: “Ah, ****** McAtee, this guy… this guy is so good. He killed me!”
Grimsby beat Wrexham 5-4 in extra time to break the hearts of the Red Dragons on that day and McAtee was instrumental in the win, getting on the scoresheet in the process.
It is now up to the likes of Max Cleworth and Eoghan O’Connell to keep McAtee at bay and prevent him from ruining Wrexham’s promotion hopes for the second time in his career.
McAtee would be an ideal signing for Wrexham
McAtee joined Bolton in August 2024 but could become an option for Wrexham should they achieve promotion to the Championship.
The lure of playing at a higher level would attract the 25-year-old and Wrexham plan to improve their infrastructure to also make themselves more appealing as they move up the leagues.
McAtee has scored nine goals in 31 appearances so far this season and can play in a variety of positions, either leading the line or playing as a number ten just behind a forward.
His creativity is certainly something Wrexham will be looking to add to their ranks next season and his name already appeared Parkinson’s shortlist during the Welcome to Wrexham documentary series.