SAM RICKETTS has challenged his in-form Wrexham side to exert more control over games in the season ahead.

The Reds have enjoyed a fine start to the National league campaign, winning four and drawing one of their five opening fixtures.

But even with his side sat at the top of the division, Ricketts is eager to see improvements from his squad in the games ahead.

Encouraged by some battling displays in the first month of league action, Ricketts believes that better game management from his side will serve them well this term.

He said: “Results have been fantastic, but performance-wise I still think there’s an awful lot we can improve on during games.

“It’s great that we’re managing to win games at the moment, but I know there will be times when we play better than what we have and we won’t get the result.

“Now it’s about upping the performance levels again and sustaining them, so we can try to extend this positive run that we’re on right now.

“What I’m most pleased about is that we’ve got a team here with a desire to win and the character to dig in and do all the bits of football nobody really wants to see.

“There aren’t kids in the playground saying ‘I want to win that tackle’ or ‘I need to win that second ball’, it’s all about the finer bits of the game.

“We we’ve got a team who are willing to do the nitty-gritty bits, I’d just like to see us to exert a bit more control over games.

“I think you can control games with and without the ball so it doesn’t end up being like a basketball game.

“But I have enjoyed our will to win, the character shown. The way the players acquit themselves both physically and mentally is a testament to them and is the reason we’ve started with such good results.”