TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO boss Dennis Lawrence has revealed why he turned down the Wrexham job.

Former Reds defender Lawrence was on top of Wrexham's Christmas list after former Wales defender Sam Ricketts walked out on the Reds in December to join Shrewsbury.

But the 44-year-old, who made more than 200 appearances for The Reds between 2001 and 2006, turned down the opportunity to manage the National League club and work alongside Graham Barrow

After deciding to stay in a job that he started in January 2017, the big man finally gets the chance to manage at Wrexham three months after he almost took charge.

"It was there but being in the Trinidad & Tobago job it was a difficult position to be in," Lawrence said ahead of his side's friendly with Wales at the Racecourse Ground tonight.

"Trinidad & Tobago is my home. It's my country. But Wrexham is my heart.

"It's like your brother and sister having an argument.

"I had to make a decision to continue with the job I started with Trinidad & Tobago.

"I was comfortable to make that decision, but it was a difficult one for me."

The two nations have met once before, a pre-2006 World Cup friendly in the Austrian city of Graz which Wales won 2-1 with Robert Earnshaw scoring twice.

Lawrence played in a match that was notable for a 16-year-old Gareth Bale making his Wales debut.

"It was young Gareth then and he was a lot, lot quicker than he is now!" Lawrence said.

"It was very good for us as we were preparing our team to go to the World Cup and we needed games.

"Wales were formidable opposition and it was fantastic build-up for us going into the World Cup.

"They've come on a lot since then, so we're expecting an even tougher challenge."