When Wrexham hosts Colchester United at the Racecourse Ground on Saturday, they will be attempting to go further in League Two.
The U’s are mired in 22nd position with just 20 points from their 21 league games, while the hosts are comfortably in third place.
Wrexham, which finished first in the National League the previous season, is aiming for back-to-back promotions after earning 37 points from 20 games, which gives them a one-point advantage over the teams that are now lying just outside the top three.
But for the last two games, Phil Parkinson’s team had to shelve their promotion hopes in favour of a string of cup matches. They started the cup run strong, defeating sixth-tier Yeovil Town 3-0 to guarantee their spot in the FA Cup third round.
Sadly, the Red Dragons’ most recent EFL Trophy meeting against Burton Albion ended in a 3-2 home loss as they were unable to duplicate that triumph.
With last weekend’s away league match against Forest Green Rovers postponed owing to a flooded surface, Wrexham has had ten days to digest that defeat.
Wrexham has won nine out of their last eleven games in the fourth division (W6, D4), and they enter the weekend on a high note despite not having played a league game since the end of November.
Colchester, on the other hand, is going to Wales in the hopes of winning a match for the first time since defeating Peterborough United in the EFL Trophy on November 21.
Following the outcome, the U’s have dropped their last four games across all competitions, including their opening match of December, a 4-0 EFL Trophy loss to West Ham United Under-21s.
After losing by a slim margin to Crawley Town 2-1 last weekend, Matthew Etherington’s team was unable to snap their bad run of play. This result left them five points ahead of 23rd-place Forest Green, who have two games remaining.
Colchester has the poorest defensive record in the fourth division, having allowed 42 goals in 21 league games. If Etherington’s team is to escape the danger zone, he must find a method to strengthen his defence.
Regretfully, the U’s have made it a habit to give up goals in the last 15 minutes of league games this season. Only Swindon Town has allowed more goals in the same amount of time. The U’s have conceded 14 goals in the final 15 minutes of league games this season.
