DIXIE MCNEIL hasn’t held back in his big kick-off prediction insisting this will be the season that Wrexham finally return to the Football League.

“We’re odds-on favourites and deserve to be,” said the former Wrexham player, manager and now club president, who has lived in the town since moving from Hereford United in the Reds’ title-winning 1977/78 season.

“It was the manager’s first season in charge and it’s good that we’re going with virtually the same players and not starting from scratch like we have done so many times before in this league.

“We were very unlucky last season. The play-offs are a lottery and anything can happen but the players will learn from the experience and it will make them more determined this season.

“There’s talk of a few more players coming in and that can only strengthen what is a very good squad.

“We have good players here - a 30-goals-a-season striker in Mullin - and players who would have gained experience from last season.

“We played good football last season and we’ve also got brilliant fans who support us in numbers both at home and away. You always give Wrexham fans 10 out of 10 and having played in front of that kind of support last season, the players will now know what to expect this time around.”

Wrexham kick off the National League season at home to Eastleigh where a 10,000 crowd is expected.

That will be the biggest home opening day gate in the league since McNeil played in a 1-0 Racecourse win against West Ham United in 1979.

There’ll be another big crowd for the Reds’ only pre-season home game when Macclesfield are the visitors on Saturday for a 3pm kick off.

Wrexham, meanwhile, have rearranged their home game with Gateshead for Tuesday August 30 (kick-off 7.45pm).

The game was supposed to be a Bank Holiday Monday fixture but with Wrexham kicking off at 5.20pm for the televised game at Woking on the Saturday, the game has been put back.