KIERAN KENNEDY was always confident Wrexham would win their battle with relegation - so much so that he felt the play-offs were not totally out of reach.

Kennedy, pictured, returned to The Racecourse on-loan from League Two Port Vale in late November with Wrexham languishing in 22nd place of the National League, two points from safety and 14 shy of the top seven.

“I couldn’t believe that the team I found were where they were in the table,” said Kennedy, reflecting on returning to a team that had reached the play-offs just six months earlier.

One point from the next nine, including damaging defeats to fellow strugglers Fylde and Eastleigh, saw Wrexham slump to the foot of the table, five adrift of Sutton United, who occupied the final spot outside the drop zone.

“It was a team that was nowhere near one that should be bottom of the table,” added Kennedy. “But we were so far behind those just outside the relegation zone that there was work to do.”

Twenty three points from the next 14 matches, including seven wins, up until the league was suspended in mid-March had dragged Wrexham out of the bottom four, one point ahead of Ebbsfleet United, but 15 adrift of the play-off places.

“I didn’t ever think we’d be relegated to be honest,” said Kennedy. “I actually thought we had a sneaky chance of reaching the play-offs if we could go on a run. We went into every game confident and thinking that we could win it.”

Unfortunately for Wrexham, despite their improved form from December onwards, they could only piece together back-to-back wins.

“It was tough because we’d win two and then lose,” bemoaned the defender, who has since been told that he will not be offered a new deal at Port Vale.