TENSIONS run high and common sense can go out of the window before make-or-break matches - just ask Matty Crowell!

Midfielder Crowell, then 20, was anxious to find out whether or not he would be named in Denis Smith’s starting XI as Wrexham prepared to tackle Southend in the LDV Vans Trophy final at the Millennium Stadium.

So anxious, in fact, that he ended up taking centre stage in Wrexham’s final training session before the Reds headed down south looking to lift some silverware.

“My main memory of the whole experience was of Juan Ugarte and I having to be separated at training on the Friday before the game,” said Crowell, now general manager of Central Coast United in New South Wales, Australia.

“I was so anxious about whether I was going to start or not, I think it just took over me.

“We were playing a bit of five-a-side in our last session and I think I was the last pick again. We played against Juan’s team first, he scored and he ran over to me and said something that wasn’t very encouraging, so the next time he had the ball I just went right through him.

“There’s me on top of our leading scorer and one of our best players at the time trying to kill him before one of the club’s biggest games. God only knows what Denis and Rooster were thinking at the time.

“The best part was Juan and I were best mates as well, we did everything together. That’s football though, it happens all the time.”

Thankfully for Crowell and Wrexham, both he and top scorer Ugarte came out of the scuffle unscathed, the duo starting as Southend were beaten 2-0 in-front of over 36,000 fans at the Millennium Stadium.

It’s a victory that Bridgend-born Crowell will never forget.

“It’s definitely right up there at the top for me when I look back at my playing days,” he said. “I was lucky enough to join Southampton as a young boy and get exposed to that environment which was special but playing in front of all those Wrexham and Welsh fans in the national stadium doesn’t get better than that.

“All my friends and family were there, it was at the Welsh national stadium, which made it even more special. The more I think about it, it was easily the best day I’ve had in football.”

Crowell left the action at half-time of extra-time with the Reds leading 1-0 courtesy of Ugarte’s goal on 99 minutes.

Darren Ferguson put the game to bed with two minutes of the match remaining, a victory that Crowell felt Wrexham thoroughly deserved.

“From memory, I thought we were the better side on the day so I was pretty calm when I came off,” said Crowell when asked how nervy the final 15 minutes were from the bench. “I knew the boys would see it out and then Darren scored that late goal which was what we deserved.

“Celebrating in front of 20,000 Wrexham fans at the end of the game was amazing, to be a part of a team that made so many people happy and created so many memories that we still talk about today is something I’m proud of.”

And what of the night out afterwards?

Crowell added: “I think I was pretty reserved that night, however, I do remember Chris Llewellyn enjoying himself on the dancefloor.”

Trophy success gave Wrexham something to smile about given the off-field troubles that were engulfing The Racecourse at the time.

Around four months before the memorable final victory, Wrexham became the first league club to suffer a 10-point deduction for being placed in administration.

That deduction dropped Wrexham into the relegation zone and subsequently condemned them to exiting League One at the wrong end.

Crowell saluted his team-mates, who included the likes of on-loan Ben Foster, for battling through the adversity to give Wrexham fans a day to savour.

“It was a tough year off the pitch, I was quite naive and maybe a little immature at the time so I didn’t understand the effects that it was probably having on the older players in the squad who had young families to support,” he said. “To keep it going as they did just shows what type of people we had in the squad at that time.

“Before all the off-field dramas started we were right up there pushing for a play-off spot, on our day we could give anyone a game in that league.

“It was a shame what eventually happened, I think Denis and Rooster had something really good going on at that time.

“For me, I was very lucky and fortunate to play with those types of players, some of them went on and had huge careers which has been amazing to watch from afar.

“On his day Mark Jones could really, really play.”

Crowell might be living Down Under now, but he still keeps tabs on Wrexham’s bid to return to the Football League while maintaining links with the club on a personal level.

“I keep in touch with a few of the old squad on Facebook and Instagram here and there,” he said. “I’m still close with Juan, I keep in touch with him quite regularly.

“I was chatting with Joey Jones on Facebook not so long ago, what a legend he is. How lucky were we to have someone like him around the club for so many years.

“And, to be fair, I do check their results week in, week out to see how they’re getting on.

“Obviously, it’s not ideal for a club like Wrexham to be still in non-league, but it’s a tough league with some very good clubs and players so it’s not going to be easy to get out of.

“Hopefully, after we all get through this tough period and the leagues restart they can continue to move up the table.”

After leaving The Racecourse, Crowell had a nomadic career, which included brief spells at the likes of Spanish side Ourense, Port Talbot and Altrincham.

But it was Australia that captured his imagination and after a season with Central Coast Mariners, Crowell returned Down Under in 2013, where he has remained ever since, helping get Central Coast United Football Club off the ground.

“I stopped playing this year and I’m actually really enjoying the other side of the game,” said Crowell. “Many people would probably say I should have given up years ago!

“I’m currently running a local representative football side that we built from the bottom up. It has been really rewarding to see it go from a term-by-term school programme in 2014 to a full-blown football club in 2018.

“It’s been an incredible learning experience, something I’ve really enjoyed doing.”