Wrexham picked up a fourth straight win in all competitions, beating Northampton Town 2-0 on Saturday afternoon.
Phil Parkinson should be delighted with how his Wrexham players have responded to losing against Stevenage on January 28.
Losing the unbeaten home run was a major blow but Wrexham have responded on two fronts.
Beating Crawley Town away from home was a major boost and EFL Trophy wins against Port Vale and Bolton Wanderers have taken Wrexham closer to Wembley.
Saturday saw Wrexham hit the road again and Parkinson watched his side coast home to a 2-0 victory.
Sam Smith and Ollie Rathbone found the net, handing Wrexham another win – and a third on the road in all competitions.
Sam Smith on Jay Rodriguez
Rathbone has earned huge praise for his goal but this was a very special day for striker Smith.
Wrexham signed Smith from Reading in January, paying a club-record fee to lure him over to the STōK Cae Ras.
Smith got off the mark in Wrexham colours on Saturday, slotting home after being played in behind – despite a hefty shove in the back.
Smith will be delighted to have bagged his first Wrexham goal but offered praise for his strike partner.
Just hours after Smith joined Wrexham, Parkinson landed another striker as Jay Rodriguez arrived from Burnley.
Smith and Rodriguez are forming a partnership in Wrexham’s attack and Smith has hailed the veteran.
Speaking to Wrexham’s official YouTube channel, Smith suggested that Rodriguez is a simply ‘unbelievable’ player and wants to learn as much as he possibly can from the former England international.
“It’s hard, obviously you want to build a relationship as quick as you can and that comes with games and training,” said Smith.
“We’ve not been fortunate to have that. Coming in in January… it’s difficult, but he’s a clever player, an unbelievable player and someone I look forward to playing with.
“I’ve just got to keep asking questions and keep learning from him because he’s a great player and the more I can learn, the better the relationship can build and the more it will help the team,” he added.
Phil Parkinson’s first-choice strike pairing is clear
The sheer numbers in Wrexham’s attack would no doubt be the envy of many League One managers.
Smith, Rodriguez, Jack Marriott, Steven Fletcher, in-demand Ollie Palmer and the recently-injured Paul Mullin are all at Parkinson’s disposal alongside youngster Modou Faal.
Seven strikers into two starting spots could be a tricky conundrum but it’s clear that Parkinson has settled on his top pairing for now.
Smith and Rodriguez started together at Crawley Town just hours after signing and remain the first-choie pairing in league action.
It’s still early days for this pairing but the combination of a proven League One goalscorer in Smith and a wily veteran with top-flight experience in Rodriguez could be the key to Wrexham’s promotion hopes.