Wrexham can look back on a season in which they once again narrowly missed out on a return to the Football League but at least claimed a piece of silverware. Andy Morrell was aiming for the title at the start of the season having failed at the play-off stage in the previous campaign and his side looked the team to beat before the start of the campaign. They had a slightly wobbly start with just one win from the first four games but gained real traction after that and really started to pile up the points in September. They put some great displays to beat Newport County and Cambridge and became very solid at the back as well. The powerful attacking presence and the tigerish midfield also made the Dragons a dangerous opponent for every team in the league and it was little surprise that they lost just one of their first 15 games in the league. They had a slight wobble after that after suffering three home defeats in a row but Morrell showed his ability to rally the group and they bounced back with a big win away at Braintree. They remained close to the top but a defeat against close rivals Grimsby just before Christmas left them trailing in the race for the title. However, they started the new 2013 strongly and went 11 games without a loss in the league. That run moved them to the summit and really put them as favourites for the title given their experience from the previous season and the presence of some very decorated players for this league in Brett Ormerod, Dean Keates, Stephen Wright and Chris Westwood. At the same time, they reached Wembley after getting past Gainsborough in the FA Trophy and setting up a final with Grimsby. It was a game full of nerves and tension but the extra experience of Wrexham showed as they came back from behind to draw 1:1 and then win on penalties. The excitement and exaltation of winning the trophy did not result in maintaining the momentum in the race for the title. They had already suffered a setback in a late loss at Dartford and further defeats at Hyde and Woking basically ended their challenge for the title as the relentless Kidderminster and Mansfield made up the gap on them. Morrell thus focused on the play-offs and his men managed to defy the odds and beat an in-form Kidderminster side in both legs, setting up a final against Newport County via a 5:2 aggregate win. The final game was cagey and short of any real excitement but just when it looked like extra-time is looming, Newport County scored twice and snatched the last promotion place while Morrell was left distraught as his team suffered a narrow miss once again.
