Preparations are going well for Wrexham

The players have been working incredibly hard to get ready for the big start next Saturday against Yeovil.

We were very grateful to Spennymoor for making the travelling party feel welcome at the weekend and giving us a good, physical test in which Steve Parkin and the boys were able to get more minutes in the bank ahead of what will be a typically physically demanding season in the National League.

It's always a real boost for the players to see so many Wrexham fans in the crowd, especially with all the trials and tribulations of getting to Durham from North Wales.

We'll face Curzon Ashton in our final pre-season game at The Racecourse on Saturday and then it is all eyes on the prize for the first league game of the season.

Our player recruitment continues apace and we were delighted to secure the signature of Aaron Hayden this week after he was identified as a key piece of the defensive puzzle.

It is testament to persuasive powers of Phil Parkinson and the sense of excitement that exists around The Racecourse at the moment that we were able to persuade such a highly rated player to come and join us.

Aaron is a player that we think can have a great future with us. He was the one that ticked all the boxes in terms of being a young player with Football League experience, leadership qualities and the kind of physical profile that we think will allow him to thrive at this level and further up the football pyramid.

Recruitment is obviously such a vital part of a football club's summer business and that process remains on-going as we look to make sure that we have got the best possible squad by the time the window closes on August 31.

Phil and Les Reed remain constantly active in looking for ways in which we can improve what we already believe is a very talented group of footballers.

We were absolutely delighted and blown away by the uptake in season tickets, having reached our initial Season Ticket cap of 5,200.

That in itself probably gives us the highest average attendance in the National League this season, and that is before we get onto match-day ticket sales and further season-ticket sales which will recommence after the first two league games of the season when the WREXRENT Stand is fully open.

The most important thing that attracted Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds to Wrexham in the first place was that huge, loyal, noisy, raucous support that Wrexham has enjoyed over the years, even during the difficult periods that the club has endured over the last 10-15 years.

The sense that we truly had from the outside was that it is a sleeping giant. This is a huge club that has suffered and declined but there is still that enthusiasm and interest there.

I have heard stories of people who have let season tickets lapse or would only go to one or two games a season but this year wanted to buy a season ticket because this is an exciting adventure that they want to be part of.

That is the spirit that we wanted to tap into and foster.

In other news, we had the return of fans to The Racecourse for the first time in over a year to watch the women's team take on Northop Hall Ladies and run out 6-1 winners, with our new manager Mari Edwards in attendance.

Rob and Ryan have been very clear that they see the women's team as an integral part of the club along with all the other teams that we put out and it was great to see that in action.

It is always nice to run out 6-1 winners and without wanting to place undue pressure on the Women's Team, if they do that in every league game this season, I am confident that promotion is on the cards!

As the club is expanding, we are looking for more folk to come in and join the gang in terms of matchday staff in many areas: hospitality, retail, stewarding and programme sellers. If you've dreamed of working for the club, now is the time to take the plunge.

If people are interested in coming to work for the club, they can go on the club website and look for those vacancies.

IN AN INTERVIEW WITH RICHARD WILLIAMS