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The December Review

Credit: Rob Stead

It’s been a pretty incredible year following Wrexham, even if the ultimate goal eluded us once again.

We had an incredible title run-in following the influential addition of Ollie Palmer, some all-time great matches, goals galore, a trip to Wembley, and another summer of heavy investment.

There have also been huge developments away from the pitch, most notably with the Kop development plans that continue to gather pace on an almost weekly basis.

The year ended with another unbeaten month and two clean sheets, with Wrexham still very much in control of their own destiny heading into 2023.

Andy Cannon signed, there was a new long-term deal for Max Cleworth and a royal visit to the Racecourse…The King and Queen Consort even turned up, too.

Here is our review of December.

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Results

York 1-1 Wrexham (Duku 90+2’ - O’Connor ‘88)

Eastleigh 0-2 Wrexham (Tozer 18’, Lee 45+2’)

Wrexham 3-1 Scunthorpe (Bickerstaff 33’, Hall-Johnson 70’, Lee 90+2’ - Lavery 8’)

Wrexham 5-0 Solihull (Palmer 43’, Mullin 51’, 77’, 80’, Hayden 72’)

Best Moment

The Boxing Day knockout was a brilliant second-half performance against a typically tricky opponent, though perhaps the most encouraging display was the win over Scunthorpe with our second-string side.

Phil Parkinson rang the changes for the FA Trophy tie, and even after going a goal behind early on, we responded in style with Jake Bickerstaff catching the eye.

It was a real statement of the incredible squad depth we have at our disposal, and it was once again refreshing to see such a healthy crowd for a competition low on the priority list.

Nobody will complain if we get knocked out of the FA Trophy in the next round, but there is no reason we can’t go all the way even without our key men involved.

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Worst Moment

York away was a match that promised so much, but hardly ever got going. Tom O’Connor’s improvised overhead kick looked like it had secured the three points, but in the blink of an eye, the home side equalised and burst the balloon.

It shows how well we are doing that a single draw is considered the low point of the month, but with regard to the tight title race, these are the results that could make a huge difference.

Player of the Month

Elliot Lee. Wrexham accelerated plans to bolster in midfield following injury to Jordan Davies, but those concerns have also been eased by the recent form of the former Luton playmaker.

The 28-year-old struck goals in two matches this month and was influential in the win over Solihull, even if he didn’t make it onto the scoresheet.

Lee still has work to do if he is to reach the heights of Paul Mullin and Ollie Palmer with more consistent performances, but he is certainly finding his feet now.