DECEMBER’S home victory over Solihull Moors could be Wrexham’s blueprint for National League success.

The Reds headed into the game on December 7 in the relegation zone, while Solihull arrived at The Racecourse chasing promotion to the Football League.

But Omari Patrick fired Wrexham into a lead inside 20 minutes, before James Jennings doubled the home side’s advantage on the stroke of half-time.

The second-half saw Wrexham soak up almost constant Solihull pressure, Dean Keates’ men standing strong to secure a crucial 2-0 win.

“For me it’s the best result,” said Keates when asked where the win ranked since he returned to the club two months earlier.

“We knew what we’d be up against. They’re strong, physical and put you under immense pressure.

“But to a man I thought my players dealt with it.”

And Jennings believes that victory typified the sort of performance required for Wrexham to be challenging at the right end of the National League once more.

“It’s about finding a balance,” said Jennings. “You’ve got to find a way of being able to score goals, without leaving yourself open to conceding too many.

“The game before Christmas against Solihull for example, we were 2-0 up at half-time and then in the second-half we made sure that we got men behind the ball and we made sure that we won the game.

“It’s all about having the right mentality and winning games.”

When Keates returned to The Racecourse the Reds had a battle on their hands to avoid exiting the National League at the wrong end.

The first job was to tighten up an unusually porous Wrexham defence, which had shipped 22 goals in 15 league outings.

In the following 22 matches played up until the campaign was ended due to the coronavirus crisis, Wrexham conceded 25 times, six of those coming in home and away fixtures with Yeovil.

Asked what Keates did to help Wrexham heading in the right direction, Jennings, out of contract this summer, said: “It sounds quite simple, but he quickly saw the areas that needed working on and did it.

“It was obvious to him - and to everyone - that we were conceding too many goals and he set about making sure that we were not as exposed at the back.

“It was important that we made sure we weren’t as gung-ho as we had been and that comes from being organised, which is another thing we worked on.

“Everyone saw from the manager’s first spell at the club that he is very good at organising a team and it was important for us this season. The manager coming in gave us the boost we needed.”

Ex-Reds striker Danny Wright, released by Solihull last month, could be staying in the National League next season.

Torquay United are favourites to sign the 35-year-old frontman where he could team up with his former boss at Cheltenham Town.

“I think I know where I am going to be next season, so it is just a case of when it can be announced. It will be in the National League top division,” Wright (pictured above) told Gloucestershire Live.

“Gloucester might be a perfect fit for me in the future – I live here and I could at some point help them get into the top level of the National League but at the moment I want to stay at the top level in the National League.”