ARTHUR OKONKWO is not the only Wrexham goalkeeper who has made a brilliant start to the season.
Since the Reds kicked off the League One campaign with a 3-2 home win over Wycombe Wanderers, Okonkwo has kept four successive cleans to help Phil Parkinson's men take 13 points from a possible 15 and go top of the table.
Team-mate Luke McNicholas has also been in impressive form for Rochdale.
McNicholas, who made the permanent move to Wrexham from League of Ireland Premier Division side Sligo Rovers in January, has joined Dale on a season-long loan in a bid to gain more experience and the former Republic of Ireland youth international has hit the ground running.
The 24-year-old kept four clean sheets in his opening six games in the National League, conceding just two goals, as Dale - managed by former Wrexham defender Jimmy McNulty - emerged as one of the frontrunners in a bid to go straight back up to the Football League following relegation last term.
However McNicholas, who impressed in his three appearances for the Reds last term in the Football League Trophy, missed Saturday's 2-0 win at Aldershot Town with a groin injury and is set for a spell on the sidelines.
McNulty told the official club website: "“Luke picked up an injury with his groin and he has been working through it. He’s a really tough fellow and he’s been trying his best to get out there for us over and over again.
“The problem was getting worse, and, in the end, it was too uncomfortable for him to carry on further. We had that scanned and there was an issue. We’ll be without Luke for some time. We don’t know yet how long that will be."
McNicholas will aim to make a speedy return while Okonkwo, who joined Wrexham permanently in the summer after leaving Arsenal, is on his way to surpassing the number of clean sheets he kept last season.
Okonkwo enjoyed a successful season-long spell at The Racecourse from Arsenal in 2023-24 and he made 40 appearances in all competitions last term, keeping 16 clean sheets, as Wrexham finished finished runners-up in League Two to secure back-to-back promotions for the first time in the club's history.
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