PLAYER-BOSS Andy Morrell is hoping Saturday’s 1-1 draw against Gateshead at The Racecourse is the platform for another unbeaten run.
Wrexham, beaten in three of their previous four league and cup home games, took the lead through Nick Rushton’s first half strike, but a wonder goal from Ryan Donaldson, who struck from 35 yards, salvaged a point for Gateshead.
Although his side never got the victory he was looking for, Morrell remains unbeat ahead of tomorrow’s re-arranged game at Braintree Town.
“I am a bit disappointed not to win because I didn’t think we were under any real trouble and they popped up with one of the best goals I have seen at The Racecourse for a long time,” said Morrell.
“Sometimes you just have to hold your hand up and go ‘it is a great goal.’ Apart from that I didn’t think Andy Coughlin had much to do and, especially first half, we were really bright and created a fair few chances.
“Fair play to them, they threw their bodies on the line, blocked a lot and defended okay. Then second half, we just petered out at the end a bit, they just did what teams do and sit with 10 men behind the ball, and make it hard for us.
“That is when we really need a little bit of a guile and something a bit different. It was difficult to get down the sides of them then but a point gets us rolling again.”
Morrell, whose side went 12 games without defeat earlier in the season, added: “There is so far to go, I am more pleased with the performance, especially in the first half and the way we went about our business.
“We were on the front foot, hopefully that enables us to go on a little unbeaten run now.
“I think we just needed to put on a performance more than anything and get that scoreboard ticking over again.”
Wrexham created a number of opportunities in the first half with Rushton eventually breaking the deadlock eight minutes before the interval.
It was Rushton’s first senior goal and Morrell admitted he is looking for all his strikers to find the back of the net more regularly.
“The hardest thing to do in football is to score a goal,” said Morrell. “It is not like we are not scoring goals either, I think we are up there with the top scorers in our league so there is not much of a complaint with that.
“You just need to take your chances when they come and sometimes it is good defending, and sometimes we have come up against goalkeepers in form.
“It will come. We had a little chat with the strikers on Friday and said we need to score a few more goals between us.
“I’ve always said from the start, we are only as good as our strikers and if they can get me some more goals then we will be there or there abouts.”
Fourth placed Wrexham are three points behind Grimsby Town who have taken over top spot on goal difference from Newport County, although the Reds have two games in hand on the Mariners.
Victory over Braintree tomorrow will take Wrexham level on points with Grimsby and Newport, and Morrell is happy with the Reds’ position.
“I am more bothered about us and another point towards our total what we are going to end up with,” added Morrell. “That’s 33 points from 18 games which is okay and we are three points off top with a game in hand.
“I don’t think it is a horrendous position at this stage and if somebody had offered me at the start I probably would have taken it.
“But today was more about the performance and I was pleased with it for probably 70-80 per cent of the time.”