IT'S crunch time in the race for a play-off position and Paul Rutherford is relishing the challenge in front of Wrexham as the midfielder insisted: "You want to be involved in moments like this."

The Reds go into tomorrow's home clash against Solihull Moors sitting ninth in the National League, although Dean Keates' side are only two points away from the play-offs with a game in hand.

Wrexham have seven matches remaining and while they face a lot of competition for a top-seventh finish, Rutherford is just excited by the rewards on offer.

"It is another good opportunity for us against Solihull and we are optimistic that we can go and get those points that we desperately want," said Rutherford.

"This is what we are all involved in football for, where success is on line and opportunities to win things are on the line.

"You want to enjoy it but you want to be competitive and win.

"It is the reason why myself and the rest of the squad signed for Wrexham, because you want to be involved in moments like this.

"It is something that excites us as a squad and something that we shouldn't be nervous about; it would be great for the club to get back in the play-offs and if we do, hopefully we go up."

Rutherford helped Wrexham finish fourth in the 2018-19 season but the Reds' promotion dream was ended by Eastleigh in the play-off eliminator tie.

"Is was a good experience two years ago and I don't think we deserved that outcome in the Eastleigh game," said Rutherford. "I thought we deserved to go through.

"It was frustrating, disappointing and it hurt; it took me a little while to get over."

Wrexham swapped a promotion challenge for a relegation battle in 2019-20 with the Reds' avoiding the drop after the table was calculated using a Points Per Game method when the season was suspended because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Rutherford is delighted to be battling it out again at the right end of the table.

"We shouldn't have been where we were last year, it was so far from the standards needed that it was scary and I eluded to it in the summer that the manager wouldn't allow that to happen again, and it hasn't," he said.

"He has put a good squad together and it shows in our league position at the moment.

"We would like to have more points on the board but we are in a good position."

Rutherford, who didn't get any game-time in March, is back in Keates' plans.

After making two substitute appearances at the start of April Rutherford has started the last three matches, helping Wrexham secure successive 4-0 wins against Halifax and Woking before drawing 0-0 with play-off rivals Chesterfield last weekend.

The 33-year-old is delighted with the points haul from those three games.

"I have enjoyed coming back into the team," said Rutherford.

"I was out of the team for a little while but the team was doing well so there was not really and chance of a look-in.

"But my chance came along and I was excited to go and grab it.

"Fortunately we had two really good results and we backed it up with a draw against Chesterfield to make it seven points out of the three games."

With Keates adopting a 3-5-2 formation, Rutherford has played in midfield alongside Luke Young and Jordan Davies and he feels at home in the centre.

"I enjoy playing in the middle and in this system, I am probably more suited to playing in the midfield three than I would be in either wing-back role," said Rutherford.

"Being a winger, I could play as a wing-back but with the way we set-up, I don't think I am fully suited to it and certainly not as suited to it as what some of the other lads in the squad.

"Playing in the three-man midfield suits me a lot more in this system than playing out wide and I enjoy doing it, and it is where I used to play as a youngster."