Wrexham fell short on expectations yet again this season as the Kevin Wilkin experiment failed disappointingly. The former Nuneaton manager was lured a month before the end of the previous campaign, having improbably steered the Midlands side to a play-off challenge, and was expected to have a very positive effect on one of the more resourceful and potentially very good sides in the division. He went back to his former side to bring Louis Moult and Wes York, while Connor Jennings bolstered the attacking ranks as well. Blaine Hudson and Manny Smith were signed up to form a new-look pair at the back as well. It was a decent enough start of the season as they Dragons picked up three wins from the first four. They also managed to claim excellent 1:0 wins on the road against strong side like Forest Green and Barnet. But they seemed a bit too inconsistent in these early weeks and suffered a gut-wrenching last-gasp loss to Chester in the fierce local derby clash only a week later. Generally, they seemed pretty balanced and with quality in all areas, with a push for the play-offs very much on the cards after promising first couple of months of the season. But things started to take a turn for the worse in the autumn as Welsh side found it hard to get wins under the belt, throwing away points from winning positions and lacking the character to get the better of tight and determined defences. They went on a worrying nine-game run without a league win and found themselves in mid-table as the season reached its halfway stage. It seemed like the Conference took a back seat for a long period as Wrexham made it to the third round of the FA Cup and booked a blockbuster tie away at Premier League side, Stoke. They gave an excellent account of themselves and only late goals denied them a replay in a 3:1 defeat, having taken a shock lead. The Dragons went deep in the other cup competition, the FA Trophy, as well, with a dramatic penalty shootout win over Gateshead earning them a place in the semi-finals there. But things continued to stutter in the league and a woeful record of just the two league wins in four months piled on the pressure on Wilkin. It was pretty much over in terms of play-off challenge by mid-February and the rest of the campaign in the Conference petered out. Thus, all the team’s eggs laid in the basket called FA Trophy and the prospects of silverware looked good after the team swept aside Torquay in the play-offs to book a final against North Ferriby from the lower division. Naturally, Wrexham were the favourites but contrived to throw away a two-goal lead, with the final going all the way to penalties. Wilkin’s men came out second best in the shootout and endured a desperately disappointing setback. It proved the last straw for Wilkin, who was sacked pretty much 12 months after taking over. Carl Darlington finished the campaign and the team played some good games in the final few weeks, notably beating Grimsby on the road. But it was all pretty pointless by then as the season has already frittered away and the promise shown in the first few months went to waste. It will be another start from scratch next season but in Gary Mills the club acquired an excellent manager and may well prove a much more genuine promotion candidate.
