WELL, this was not in any way how we at the club wanted to enter into the Christmas period.

After many years of enjoying the festive fixture period as a fan, I was desperately looking forward to my first year as an an active participant.

The Boxing Day fixture is one that is looked forward to all season long and that guarantees a bumper crowd; or at least it was until the resurgence of the least popular visitor to Wales since Edward I.

Covid has been a constant and unceasing challenge to the football club over the last two years, but the recent intensification of the pandemic, thanks to the Omicron variant, has seen a return to some of our most challenging days.

As Phil Parkinson revealed last week, we've had a sizeable number of players come down with the new variant and there are few folks working for the club that haven't had a touch of it at least once over the last two years.

As ever, we will work to minimise the risk to staff, players and fans and I hope that we will see the back of this very soon.

I hope everybody in Wrexham has a safe and enjoyable Christmas, even without the usual delights of The Racecourse.

Away from Covid and its frustrations, Saturday's FA Trophy game against Gloucester City was blessed by a number of very gratifying moments for the club.

Jordan Davies' excellently taken brace, after a very trying week, Max Cleworth's first senior goal - and what a beauty it was - and Kai Evans' senior debut after so very recently signing his first contract for the club.

The moment that had me leaping from my seat, though, was the comeback goal for Kwame Thomas.

Kwame's return from a very serious injury is such a lift for everyone at the club, as the hard work and dedication that he and our medical team have put in have served as a reminder to us all that obstacles are there to be overcome.

I look forward to Kwame bagging a fair few more before the season is out.

With Christmas just around the corner, and the New Year in sight, I'd like to wish all Wrexham fans everywhere a very Merry Christmas and say a heartfelt thanks for all the support that has been shown to the club, both in person and remotely, since we took over.

There will, no doubt, be more difficult times ahead for us all, but if we continue to pull together and move forward as one, I think there are great days ahead for all of us.

Stay safe. COYR