Wrexham picked up a fine win on Saturday afternoon, beating Northampton Town 2-0 as Sam Smith and Ollie Rathbone found the net.
Wrexham moved another step closer to Wembley with an EFL Trophy win on Tuesday night but had to turn the attention back to League One action on Saturday.
Phil Parkinson is chasing a third straight promotion and saw his side get the job done with a comfortable 2-0 win over Northampton Town.
Sam Smith grabbed his first Wrexham goal to open the scoring, slotting home from Mark Howard’s long ball forward.
Ollie Rathbone continued his brilliant campaign with Wrexham’s second, securing all three points on the road.
That is now four wins in a row in all competitions with three of them coming away from home as Wrexham start to solve some away day woes.
Sam Smith celebrates first Wrexham goal
Rathbone has earned praise from James McClean but striker Smith understandably grabbed the attention with his first goal.
Wrexham paid a club-record fee to sign Smith, forking out a seven-figure price tag to lure him over to the STōK Cae Ras.
A proven League One goalscorer with Cambridge United and Reading, it was only a matter of time before Smith opened his Wrexham account.
Smith took his goal against Northampton brilliant, keeping his balance to find the net despite receiving a clear push in the back.
Parkinson and Andy Morrell have praised Smith for his display against the Cobblers and Wrexham teammates have now joined in.
Smith has taken to Instagram to celebrate a first Wrexham goal and a crucial three points as Wrexham close the gap to Wycombe Wanderers in second place.
Wrexham teammates Jack Marriott, Max Cleworth, Lewis Brunt, Modou Faal, Sebastian Revan and Ryan Barnett all showed their support whilst Steven Fletcher said ‘love it smudge’ as he welcomes a new striker to the club.
Goalkeeper Mark Howard stated ‘your welcome’ as he picked up an unexpected assist, whilst McClean added ‘up and running’ as Smith opened his Wrexham account.
Reading players react to Sam Smith goal
Wrexham players were not alone here as some of Smith’s former Reading teammates also chimed in.
Reading begrudgingly sold Smith to Wrexham, noting that the offer was simply too good to turn down.
The Royals will miss Smith but his former teammates are cheering him on after seeing him bag for Wrexham.
‘Love it you’ said striker Jayden Wareham whilst Welsh international Charlie Savage applauded Smith for his strike.
‘He’s arrived’ said Harvey Knibbs, one of Smith’s closest friends at Reading having also played together at Cambridge United.
‘Score some goals for Wrexham’ added former Reading defender Nelson Abbey, who now plays for Rio Ave in Portugal.
It’s clear that Smith was a popular player at Reading, but he will be looking to haunt them when Wrexham take on the Royals in March.