SAM RICKETTS has called time on his spell as Wrexham manager but Shaun Pearson believes his successor will be "excited" by the challenge that lies ahead.

Ricketts, who has made the switch to League One side Shrewsbury, leaves with promotion chasing Wrexham among the National League frontrunners.

Pearson arrived at The Racecourse in the summer of 2017 and he sees huge progress made both on and off the pitch.

"The club is in a great position," said Pearson.

"In the year and a half that I have been here, it is without doubt the strongest position it's been in.

"I think you have seen a continual development on the football-side and the club as a whole.

"The crowds seem to be getting bigger and bigger and seem to be buying into what we are trying to achieve more and more.

"The team has definitely developed; we are definitely not the finished article yet but you can see the progress that we have made.

"Even though we've not won the last couple of games, our performance levels have been really high so I'm sure anybody coming in will be excited at the prospect of working with the group that we've got."

Wrexham's promotion challenge fell away under Andy Davies when Dean Keates left to take charge of Walsall in March but Pearson doesn't expect lightening to strike twice.

"I feel like the club is better prepared this time around for what is coming," said Pearson.

"No disrespect to Andy or anybody but looking on, they probably knew that at the end of the season they were going to Walsall.

"I am not saying they didn't give everything they had but subconsciously, it maybe changes it slightly whereas as far as I am aware, the staff are fully committed to staying here.

"Hopefully that will keep us in good stead moving forwards.

"And with all due respect to the team last year, we are a better team this year. We are in a better place, we have got more strength in depth so hopefully we can be better prepared for any change that does happen."

The club has already begun the process to appoint Ricketts' successor and his assistant, Graham Barrow, has been named interim manager.

But although Ricketts has departed, Pearson feels Barrow and the other members of backroom staff have played their part in Wrexham's development.

"Graham is really good," said Pearson. "Hopefully he will stay, I'm sure he will do, and we look forward to it.

"Not just Graham, we have got a really good set of staff at the club. "It wasn't just the manager that did everything, the whole staff play a big part in it.

"Hopefully that will stay in place, a new manager will come in and work with what we have got, and hopefully he will see the positives in what we have done so far and help us push us on to the next level."

When asked about how he felt that Ricketts, only appointed manager in May, has opted to leave, Pearson added: "Naturally you are a little bit disappointed.

"I am sure most players would agree there was a good relationship between players and manager but at the same time, it is football.

"I have got used to it now; I would say I had one manager in eight years, all of a sudden I have had about eight in the last two-and-a-half-years.

"It is one of them things, you come to accept it and you move on. You look forward."

Pearson is just focussed on Wrexham maintaining their place among the leaders by getting back to winning ways against Eastleigh on Saturday.

"We can just concentrate on the job ahead now," added Pearson. "Look forward to seeing who comes in and takes the gaffer's place.

"We just move on and get on with it, that's all we can do.

"It is exciting in one sense to see who will be coming in and hopefully we can just focus on Saturday and a big league game for us to get back to winning ways.

"Three points would be a great boost for everybody."