Phil Parkinson has some big calls to make when he picks his Wrexham team for the meeting with Bristol Rovers.
On paper, Bristol Rovers are much weaker than Wrexham and Phil Parkinson should be able to guide his side to an easy three points.
Rovers, who recently sacked their manager, are 20th in the League One table and have lost their last three games on the spin.
However, Wrexham’s away record is concerning, with the Red Dragons considerably weaker on the road in 2024/25.
As a result, despite the ‘weak’ opposition, Parkinson will need to get his team selection spot on to avoid dropping points for the seventh time when playing away from the Racecourse Ground.
The Wrexham manager could shock fans vs Bristol Rovers with one call, handing an out-of-favour striker a start.
But the chances of another star being selected in the eleven seems very, very low right now.
Andy Cannon falling out of favour at Wrexham
The player in question is Andy Cannon, who joined the Welsh powerhouse from Hull City in 2022 for an undisclosed fee.
Cannon made 35 League Two appearances in 2023/24 and was an especially key figure at the back end of that campaign – starting the club’s last 19 matches in the division.
The 28-year-old kept his starting berth at the beginning of this season, forming a dominant midfield trio alongside Elliot Lee and George Dobson.
However, two things have happened over the last month or so that have seen the midfielder pushed pretty far down the midfield pecking order.
Matty James has signed a new Wrexham contract this week, keeping him at the Racecourse for the remainder of the season.
James was only brought in as cover for the injured George Evans but has now started the last five League One fixtures for the Red Dragons and earned himself a new deal with his displays.
Elsewhere, after a very slow start to life in Wales, Ollie Rathbone has been in superb form for Wrexham, scoring twice and assisting one in his last five outings.
Both players now appear to be firmly ahead of Cannon in the pecking order ahead of this weekend’s meeting with Rovers.
What Phil Parkinson and James McClean have said about Andy Cannon
It’s an unfortunate situation for the former Hull man, who has previously earned high praise.
Parkinson dubbed Cannon ‘quality’ when he first arrived at Wrexham but now seemingly prefers other options.
Meanwhile, James McClean likened Cannon to Kevin De Bruyne earlier this year after a 3-0 win over Crewe Alexandra.
Wrexham are set for a busy run of four games in 12 games starting on Saturday so Cannon is likely to see some minutes.
But it seems obvious that he is now the fifth-choice midfielder behind James, Dobson, Rathbone and Lee.