THERE'S no better way to mark your comeback from injury than by playing in a cup final.

Danny Williams was a regular in Denis Smith's side at the start of the 2004-5 campaign and he scored one of the goals as Wrexham beat Stockport 2-0 in the second round of the LDV Vans Trophy.

That proved to be Williams' last game for more than two months due to a long-standing back problem, and just four games into his return to action, the midfielder again found himself on the sidelines.

Wrexham went onto reach the final of the cup competition where they faced Southend United at The Millennium Stadium and Williams, fresh from another two month stint watching on from the stands, was named among the substitutes for the Reds' big day in the capital.

The 40-year-old was grateful to Smith for including him in his matchday squad.

"I remember scoring in one of the earlier rounds," said Williams.

"I was playing all the time until I did my back in and I missed about half of the season.

"I was struggling with it for a bit and I was trying to manage it between games, playing and then resting.

"I did it whilst warming up in training and I was out for a few months, missing a large chunk of games.

"But to be fair to Denis, he put me on the bench for the final even though I wasn't really ready.

"I was as fit as I could be put I wasn't ready."

Wrexham, battling to avoid relegation from League One after being hit by a 10 point deduction for going into administration, and Southend, challenging for promotion in the division below, could not be separated in normal time.

But prolific scorer Juan Ugarte put Wrexham ahead in the 99th minute, with Williams immediately replacing Mark Jones in the Reds' midfield.

Williams was delighted to get a 20 minute run-out at the iconic stadium, helping Wrexham win the trophy as captain Darren Ferguson scored a late second goal.

"I was surprised in a way to be in the squad because I wasn't 100 per cent," said Williams, who made 29 appearances in a stop-start season.

"I was never 100 per cent so I don't think that would have made much of a difference!

"I got on for the last 15-20 minutes and it was good to get on and play at the Millennium Stadium. What a hell of a stadium that is.

"It was a big thing for us and a big thing for Wrexham, with a lot of fans there."

Williams, who helped Wrexham beat Premier League side Middlesbrough 2-1 in the third round of the FA Cup in the 1999-2000 season during his first spell at The Racecourse, considers the Trophy triumph his biggest achievement in football.

"It was one of the best days in my career," said Williams.

"Obviously we didn't win the FA Cup but I played when we beat Middlesbrough so I had a few of them at Wrexham to be far.

"The LDV Vans Trophy is probably the highlight because we won and brought a cup home.

"The celebrations were good. We met up and had a meal in the hotel. We were drunk on the way back from Cardiff!"

Mid-table Wrexham, in a position to mount a challenge for the League One play-offs, were relegated at the end of a chaotic season.

"We were doing alright in the league until we had the points deduction and went into administration," added Williams, who left the club at the end of the campaign