Wrexham cannot afford any slip-ups from now until the end of the season if they want to get promoted, but they’ll face a dogged Wigan Athletic team this weekend, and a side that has changed their ways of late.
It’s been a terrific season for Wrexham so far, and with five games to go, the Red Dragons have their own fate in their hands with promotion to the Championship within reach.
Even with Wycombe winning their game in hand in midweek, Wrexham still have a three-point cushion, but that could all change with one swing of results in League One.
Phil Parkinson knows his men need to stay focused and get across the line in the coming weeks, and up next is a clash with Wigan Athletic.
On paper, Wrexham should have enough to get past the Latics, but Parkinson has been doing his ‘homework’ on the next opponents, and so have we.
Wigan Athletic have added a new dimension to their game of late
We spoke to Wigan expert Nathan Hassett earlier in the week about the strengths and weaknesses in the Latics team right now.
Building on that initial analysis, Hassett has offered his thoughts on how Wigan have changed since Shaun Maloney was sacked and Ryan Lowe came in as manager.
He said: “Maloney leaving was a shock to everyone but perhaps necessary in the long run. We’ve scored the least number of goals in League One so Lowe has had us trying to get forward a lot faster, it’s meant us playing much more direct at times to mixed success so far.”
| Statistics | Wigan under Ryan Lowe |
| Games | 5 |
| Wins | 0 |
| Draws | 3 |
| Losses | 2 |
| Goals scored | 3 |
| Goals conceded | 5 |
Lowe has now been in charge for five matches at Wigan but is yet to pick up his first win, losing two and drawing three. Of particular concern will be the fact Lowe’s side have only scored three goals in those five matches.
Wigan Athletic are in trouble, which is dangerous for Wrexham
Going into this weekend’s game, Wigan sit in 18th place in the League One table, with 46 points from 40 matches. They should be safe, with Crawley’s 36 points in 22nd place a fair cushion for the Latics when it comes to thinking about the drop zone.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
| 18 | Wigan | 40 | 11 | 13 | 16 | -4 | 46 |
| 19 | Northampton | 41 | 11 | 13 | 17 | -17 | 46 |
| 20 | Bristol Rovers | 41 | 12 | 6 | 23 | -25 | 42 |
| 21 | Burton | 40 | 9 | 12 | 19 | -18 | 39 |
| 22 | Crawley | 41 | 9 | 9 | 23 | -30 | 36 |
| 23 | Cambridge | 41 | 8 | 11 | 22 | -25 | 35 |
| 24 | Shrewsbury | 41 | 7 | 8 | 26 | -34 | 29 |
But, it’s not over until the math confirms it, and given their form, Hassett confirmed Wigan are a little worried about survival still, especially if results don’t pick up soon.
He added: “I wouldn’t say the players have checked out, but our inability to score goals has left us with one eye on the relegation zone, definitely.
“Momentum will be key in the final weeks and it doesn’t seem like we’ll build up any so there could be trouble if the likes of Burton and Crawley pick up a string of victories.
“I think we’ll do just enough to stay afloat but it won’t be pretty.”
While that may give some Wrexham fans belief that the Red Dragons will have it easy on Saturday, it’s worth remembering that teams in a dogfight can often spring a surprise against the bigger teams. That desperation to survive will surely be a dangerous tool in Wigan’s arsenal this weekend.